Thor gets a haircut, and a personality

Hold up, just a while. I need [read: want] you to get into the mood before your read this review. Go to YouTube, search for and play Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song" into your ears. Okay?

Valhalla, here we go.

Marvel has been making superhero movies like popcorn, and Thor: Ragnarok is the 17th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before you ask – in Norse mythology, "Ragnarok" is a series of events that lead to fall of gods and the eventual end of the world; the world in question here is Asgard. And like any or most movies of the sort, the superhero has to save his home.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN THE TRAILER

The fire demon Surtur prophesises Ragnarok and so Thor defeats him, making him convinced that he has stopped the end of his world. He returns home and takes Loki along to find Odin, who's spending his last minutes on a scenic, Nordic cliff. Right before he dies, the half-brothers get to know about Hela, their over-ambitious sister who appears then and there because she doesn't waste time when it comes to taking over worlds. Thor and Loki are thrown off the Bifröst Bridge by their evil sister and land in a weird garbage planet.

How do they go back to Asgard to defeat Hela and reclaim what's rightfully theirs? Watch the movie to find out.

LOOKS AND FEELS

Forget all clichés – this Marvel movie is actually different. The director, Taika Waititi, hails from New Zealand and is a known name in the indie movie scene. How he got this huge gig isn't important; I'm just happy he pulled it off in his own style. The movie's introductory scenes show a minimalist approach in cinematography, something I recently experienced in Blade Runner 2049. I also didn't miss the eyesore of buildings crashing around despite the heavy CGI – it wasn't all grey and gloomy. Speaking of darkness, how amazing was Cate Blanchett as Hela? Keep wondering.

I believe that Marvel took a calculated risk with Thor: Ragnarok, giving its story a light-hearted human touch, which paid off beautifully. The God of Thunder finally gets a haircut and that did enough to make this movie stand out from its rather forgettable previous editions.

ACTING CHOPS

Chris Hemsworth admitted on The Tonight Show that he really wanted to have fun this time around, and the director obliged. I was surprised to find myself chuckling at the comedic punches earlier into the movie but gradually acknowledged that yes, superhero movies can have as many punchlines as there are punches. Tom Hiddleston as Loki is still a fan favourite, Jeff Goldblum as the crazy Grandmaster was glamorous in his own right, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie was a great addition, and Cate Blanchett was the evil principal we've all hated in high school. Mark Ruffalo gets more than his share of dialogue as the Hulk, but is ever-so-timid when he's Bruce Banner. 

However, the character I want to see more of is Korg, a Kronan gladiator [and perpetual scene-stealer] voiced by Waititi himself.

The movie is full of life, and I do give credit to the actors for giving it all the colour it emits. The creativity shown by Marvel and the freedom provided to the actors to improvise has gifted us a movie I bet you will remember for a long time. 

You will also remember the hammer. R.I.P. Mjölnir. 

Kazi Akib Bin Asad is a Sub-editor at Shout who likes to travel and collect puns from all over the world. Follow him and his adventures on instagram.com/akibasad