Thor: Ragnarok (2017) directed by Taika Waititi

Directed with a lighter touch than many of the Marvel comic book films, some of the humour is pretty lame but some hits the mark and is laugh out loud. It is an interesting juxtaposition seeing the overall theme of the film concerns the potential destruction of Asgard. Chris Hemsworth’s self-deprecating style enables Thor to carry the lighter tone very well. He is ably assisted by Tessa Thompson as the kickass drunken Valkyrie and Jeff Goldblum as the Grand Master. Cate Blanchett chews the scenery and has a ball as Hela the Goddess of death, while Idris Elba is suitably heroic, reprising the role of Heimdall. The casting of several New Zealand actors in small roles (including Waititi himself) kicks the comedy along; the accent alone makes the dialogue funnier somehow, perhaps because it is so unlikely. Hilarious cameos from Matt Damon and Liam Hemsworth add to the fun. The soundtrack is generally very good, with the use of a Led Zeppelin track to underscore action/fight scenes at the beginning and near the end of the film particularly appropriate. The actual plot is, of course, completely irrelevant. Suffice it to say that Asgard is not a place – it is its people.