6 Reasons Why 'Thor: Ragnarok' Is The Funnest Installment Yet

Source: Marvel Studios

We were privileged to see Thor: Ragnarok and discovered quite a few of the funnest moments from the latest picture from the MCU.

Here’s the thing that Marvel understands about superhero movies that no one else does: they’re supposed to be fun. Yeah, each character has their melancholic undertones and tragic back story, but you’re in the dark around people you don’t know because you want to be swept away. This three-peat installment of the Thor films does just that, hitting you with witty, almost Twitter like dialog while upping the ante on weaving the Marvel Cinematic University together into a tapestry even the layman can understand.

It’s also got Tessa Thompson showing out, doling out badassery and dealing with some painful memories of her own as Valkyrie. Her character anchors the film in place, while Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) continue to swirl around each other in a serve and volley that’s taken a good amount of films to get right. A few other Marvel heroes make crisp appearances, as well. Benjamin Cumberbatch briefly charms as the good Doctor Strange and, of course, we get a much needed injection of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Odin (Anthony Hopkins).

More than any one appearance, though, is the fact that this movie is just plain fun. Sweet as cotton candy, too, but far more important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, the appearances! So, here’s six reasons why Thor: Ragnarok is the funnest installment of the franchise yet.

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Source: YouTube

Thor & Loki’s Relationship Solidifies

Here, Thor and Loki’s relationship is pitched nearly perfectly because they don’t speak directly to each other much. Instead, their relationship is very clearly adversarial, only stopping to be brotherly briefly to discuss the outcome of Loki’s latest round of mischief. That’s kind of his job, though. And it would have been a real bummer if Thor had gotten incredibly preachy about the whole thing. So we’re treated to exchanges that move both the plot and the characters forward instead of meandering into moral platitudes.

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Source: YouTube

The Hulk

The comics Thor: Ragnarok are based on are mainly Thor’s Ragnarok storyline and the Hulk’s Planet Hulk saga. As the story is set on alien planet Sakaar (where Hulk is marooned after Avengers: Age Of Ultron), we get the treat of seeing the two battle each other under the watchful eye of The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and then, finally, have a conversation that gets the party going. The MCU hasn’t done a real-deal solo film in a while, but the Hulk’s heightened role is a welcome story arc.

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Source: Marvel Studios

Tessa Thompson

We’ve all known this for a while but Tessa Thompson is a star. In the teaser and trailer, she’s portrayed as raider adrift on Sakaar. She is that and more, lending a performance to the film that envelops it fully. With each scene she inhabits, she adds weight to the film, bringing the fictional reality that this one is about the end of Asgard as we know it to the forefroont. Her relationship with Thor teeters on a rocky slope, making the soft storyline of their twin awakenings more satisfying than you’d expect. Either way, Thompson proves here that she’s on her way to superstardom.

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Source: Marvel Studios

The Grandmaster

Jeff Goldblum will always have a place in our movie hearts. His quirks make him distinctive to the point of parody, which is why he was perfect for his role as The Grandmaster, tyrant leader of Sakaar. The guy seemed to be riffing most of his lines, taking them to comedic places other actors may not have tread. The Red King of the comic book he most certainly is not. As an Elder of the Universe, The Grandmaster has a neat backstory of his own if you’ve got some time to plunk down a rabbit hole.

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Source: Marvel Studios

Thor Steps Into His Own

Let’s be honest, in the past few films Thor has been more a prickly, millennia aged 20-year-old than a king in the making. Here, he steps into his own as a god. In the trailer we see Hela, Goddess of Death, destroy his beloved hammer Mjölnir setting herself up as the foil. Cate Blanchett takes on the challenge with gusto, steeping her character in a relentless wickedness that offers much more than being Thor’s largest hurdle. But what a hurdle she is. At the same time, Thor finally figures out that he is the God of Thunder with a capital G, and with his favorite weapon and crutch out of the picture, he finds this out in the most painful of ways.

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Source: YouTube

MadVillainy

Not only does this film feature Hela, the most powerful character Thor has yet to face, but it also features Surtur. A fire giant with a real problem with Odin, his is the cave you first see in the teaser trailer of the film. He’s important. And it’s fascinating to see the MCU weave his character into Thor: Ragnarok.

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Thor: Ragnarok officially gets released November 2.

Andre Grant is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer who has written for HipHopDX, Complex and The Well Versed. Follow him (and us!) on Twitter @DreJones.