Film Review: Thor: Ragnarok

With the highly anticipated Justice League film fast approaching, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that Thor: Ragnarok is out this month. And Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is feeling the sense of abandonment - by everyone. When his long-imprisoned sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) arrives at Asgard, hellbent on destroying the Kingdom, Thor finds himself trapped on the other side of the universe on a literal garbage planet - hammerless. He must survive a gladiatorial contest, but finds that his opponent is a familiar face.

Australian comedy director Taika Waititi is fresh from assistant directing the visually breathtaking Dr. Strange, and he plays with the comic book visuals, heightening the cosmic rainbow palette and fantastical sets.

But Eric Pearson's screenplay doesn't push the quirky comedy enough, and the one-note jokes all follow the same formula: Thor, Loki or Hulk are acting arrogant, and their pride cometh immediately before a fall, punch or smash. Hemsworth is a game actor, and embodies Thor's booming, deluded swagger well. But the jokes, along with Thor's push-pull dynamic with Tom Hiddleston's increasingly phoned-in Loki, have now been done to death. Out of all the Avengers, Thor has grown the least, and the repetitive writing doesn't offer any chance of evolution.

Similarly, the action sequences - though well-executed - are lacking in originality, resulting in an utterly generic offering. You'll watch, be lightly amused for two hours, and go back to forgetting that Thor exists.

6/10