I have been hearing good things about “Thor: Ragnarok” ever since it opened in theaters October 25. Some even claimed that it could be the best addition to Marvel Cinemamatic Universe. I was already planning to watch but I was really intrigued about these claims.

After seeing it, I agree that it was a solid addition to the MCU. Calling it the best installment though, would be a bit of a stretch. The first Avengers movie and the Iron Man film still holds the record for me.

Synopsis: After learning that his father Odin (Anthon Hopkins) was no longer in Asgard and that Ragnarok was upon his realm, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns home to find his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) posing as Odin and lording it over the Asgardians. When they find their missing dad, both brothers suddenly learn that they actually have a sister, the goddess of Death Hela (Cate Blanchett) who threatens to fulfill the prophecy of Asgard’s destruction. Instead of planning a grand reunion, the siblings reluctantly team up to save their people from ruin.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved “Thor: Ragnarok” and thought it was a very fresh and very fun addition to the Marvel franchise. I loved the wit in the script and the way that everybody seemed to have fun with their characters. This is mainly thanks to the direction of Taika Waititi who made sure that Thor didn’t get too full of himself, being the god of Thunder and all.

I liked that there were wisecracks all over the place and that the movie didn’t take itself too seriously. The addition of the Hulk to the movie was also great because the love-hate relationship between the Hulk and Thor was one of the strong points of the Avengers movie, after all.  Mark Ruffalo was amazing but that’s really nothing new. However, the main strength of the movie, which was its humor, I think also served as its main weakness.

I think there were times that they took the comedy too far that it seemed out of character for Thor. It was funny, true, but it also felt forced at times. It felt like there were lines included in the movie to draw a laugh even though it made no sense for the character. (case in point: Stan Lee’s cameo interaction with Thor). Say what you will about Thor but he never was a coward.

I liked the addition of Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. She was badass and cool and it felt natural although she did pout a little too much for her own good at times. I liked how her character interacted with Thor and how the “Revengers” was formed. I’m excited to see how her character will fare in the next Marvel movies.

Jeff Goldblum was also great as the Grandmaster but I would have thought he could have been more eccentric given the general theme of the film. I felt Karl Urban could have been better utilized in the film because I basically got what he was about to do in the end from the first 30 seconds of his appearance. While Cate Blanchett embraced her role as Hela, I felt that the film wasn’t able to unleash her full range given the lightness of the general plot.

My favorite part of any Thor movie as usual, is his interactions with his brother Loki. I always marvel at their relationship. Given the amount of times Loki has betrayed him, Thor continues to believe in him because they are brothers, plain and simple. They are each others’ arch nemesis but they are also each other’s staunchest allies. I simply love the imperfection in their relationship. Because they know each other too well, they understand each other perfectly. I admit though that there were moments where the dialogue between the two brothers bordered on cheesy in this installment but at the end of the day,  I was still impressed that they managed to stick to the core of the Thor franchise. Thor and Loki as a unit. So note to Marvel: Never ever kill Loki. Never.

All in all, “Thor: Ragnarok” had a fun premise. It was also the best out of the three Thor movies if you ask me. I loved that it had great cinematography, a cool soundtrack, a solid cast of characters which equated to a great and entertaining movie. I also loved the new costumes. Oh, and I loved Chris Hemsworth’s new look in this movie. I thought he had reached his hotness quota in the previous Thor appearances but he outdid himself. Still, overall, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that if “Thor: Ragnarok” just dialed down on the comedy a bit and put actually put some depth into the plot, it would have been epic.

Check out my take on Thor and Thor: The Dark World too!