Thor out of five: Marvel’s latest has critics raving

Thor is back on the big screen, and the critics seem pretty happy about it.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Thor: Ragnarok is one of the Marvel Studios' "best films to date... funny, charming, dazzling [and] gorgeously designed."

The film, says Variety, is "easily the best of the three Thor movies", with "self-aware punchlines throughout".

Empire, meanwhile, gives four stars to a superhero adventure it describes as "a full-bore comedy using blockbuster spectacle as a backdrop for gags".

Thor: Ragnarok, which follows 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World, sees the titular god of thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth, face a fearsome new adversary.

This new character, named Hela, is "played with haughty relish" by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, according to the Radio Times' Jeremy Aspinall.

Image captionCate Blanchett plays Hela, the villainess of the piece

The action in Taika Waititi's film also sees Hemsworth come to blows with fellow Avenger The Hulk, now a gladiator on a distant planet named Sakaar.

His appearance, writes The Guardian's Steve Rose, constitutes "the most fleshed-out performance of Hulk we've yet had in this Marvel universe".

The result, says Screen Daily's Tim Grierson, is "a grinningly goofy comic-book movie that reverberates with boyish delight".

The Independent, however, does take issue with the film's "convoluted" plot and bemoans its lack of "dramatic urgency".

Thor: Ragnarok, which also stars Tom Hiddleston and Jeff Goldblum, opens in the UK and Ireland on 24 October.

Analysis, by entertainment reporter Neil Smith

The Marvel Cinematic Universe that kicked off in 2008 with the first Iron Man film now spans nine years, 17 movies and a vast cast that expands with every new instalment.

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