'Thor: Ragnarok' Reviews Praise Marvel's Colorful Cosmic Adventure

The Next 'Guardians'

As stated, fans are wondering if Thor 3 is going to be more like Guardians of the Galaxy than Iron Man 3, and iNews UK answers that very question for them:

"In tone, Thor: Ragnarok is closer to the feel of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, presenting itself as a colourful space adventure with shades of Flash Gordon and Star Wars knock-offs like Battle Beyond the Stars.

To that end, the film looks terrific, with a day-glo colour scheme that gives it a gleeful 1980s vibe, heightened by a terrific electronic score by Mark Mothersbaugh."

Weird In The Best Way

As Uproxx tells it, Thor: Ragnarok is even more of a colorful, quirky depature for Marvel than Guardians is. And that's exactly what makes it one of the best films in the MCU:

"Thor: Ragnarok is by far the most unusual of the Marvel movies – a crazy, colorful, ambitious, hilarious ride through the cosmos – even surpassing the Guardians of the Galaxy movies as the former holder of that title. And it's by far the funniest.

It's not even a question that Thor: Ragnarok is the best of the Thor movies and it's certainly up there as far as the best in the MCU. Who knew a Thor movie could be this wonderful? I guess Taika Waititi did."

A Whole Lot of Meta Fun

As Forbes tells it, Thor 3 just your standard cookie-cutter Marvel product - but thankfully, it's dressed up in some novel and fun layers of presentation:

"At its best, the self-aware and often self-mocking Thor: Ragnarok has a sensibility that will remind viewers of Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. As you may recall, the running gag of that recent action classic is that Ethan Hunt and his team were constantly vexed by gadgets that didn't work and plans that didn't quite come together. There is a certain "Hmm, that didn't go as I intended" or "That big moment fell flat!" wit that permeates Taika Waititi's occasionally delightful and always entertaining fantasy comic book threequel. It's paper-thin, but it's good fun."

Hulk To The Rescue

Screen Daily claims that it's the addition of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk that really is a game-changer for Thor: Ragnarok:

"Ragnarok's early going can be slow as Waititi and his three screenwriters struggle to establish the right comedic rhythm while laying out the dark dramatic stakes.

But once Ruffalo's Bruce Banner arrives, he and Hemsworth lock into an amusing odd-couple rapport that almost transforms Thor: Ragnarok into a buddy-cop film. (And that's to say nothing of Hemsworth's on-going comedic chemistry with Hiddleston, who's very good at playing up Loki's dastardly smugness.)"

That Action Tho

While the wit and meta-humor of Thor 3 is getting major praise, Wizard makes sure to assure fans that the threequel also delivers the necessary superhero action:

"Waititi's handling of action is just fine, perhaps better than that of the Russo brothers, who fatally succumbed to the temptations of stutter-vision. If you liked the Spock-Khan fight on platforming, moving spaceships from Star Trek Into Darkness, well, now you get to see a version of that again but in a movie you'll like better.

... Ragnarok isn't one of the more meaningful Marvel movies -- it's just an old-fashioned superhero smackdown. And sometimes that's exactly what you want in a comic book."

Thor: Ragnarok will be in theaters on November 3rd.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvelon March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3in 2020.