Thor: Ragnarok – 2017

Score: 10/10

Marvel, oh Marvel you so funny… Another great hit from this company that seems to be capable of no wrong. Thor: Ragnarok is one of the best movies of 2017 and one of the best superhero movies of all time. You will enjoy the great action scenes, slick special effects that satisfy all tastes and also joke after joke that will make you simply adore every single character and identify with them and be emerged in their stories.

Speaking of stories, the movie manages to offer a credible one. Everything seems to happen naturally, everything is explained and the screenwriter isn’t afraid to go back to previous installments and to use footage from them while also answering some burning questions about certain characters fates. It is a great example of how to tell a story in a superhero movie and you will watch its 130 minutes without ever getting bored. There is not filler here and it is definitely the best Thor movie in the trilogy.

The characters are amazing, we love them already but here they are even more endearing and fun. This is pure joy to watch, every single one of them has character traits that helps us identify with them and they make us laugh and become invested. It is a perfect movie in terms of casting and I have to praise the impressive performances from Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.

The special effects are another strong point of the movie. They are not over the top and they manage to integrate nicely into the action, providing flow and pacing to the interactions of the characters. The world created here is believable and it is a joy to behold, especially considering the brightness of this one compared to the previous two Thor movies. This film is amazing to look at, plain and simple.

The comedy here is at a level never seen before in a Marvel movie. Nothing is taken too seriously and the whole film feels like a gift. Taika Waititi knows how to make you laugh and relax and at the same time bring up so many powerful themes. The effects that this movie will have on the franchise and on other superhero movies that will come after it will be huge, because people will start expecting this type of madness. And to me, this is a very good thing, because when you have this high quality of humor in your blockbusters, it can only elevate them and make them more appealing to audiences.

In conclusion, Thor: Ragnarok is an amazing movie that every single one of you should see right now if they haven’t already. You will laugh out loud a million times, you will rejoice in one of the most well thought-out stories in a superhero movie and you will want to see it again as soon as it is over. A great movie to see alone, with friends, with your children, I mean seriously, you can’t go wrong with this one. And it makes me shiver with anticipation for Infinity Wars and I can’t help but ask myself what are they going to do next?! Oh, and of course, almost forgot, I also have to ask myself, what are you the God of again? 🙂

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – 2017

Score: 8/10

The Guardians series is the most funny of the Marvel Universe and you go into volume 2 expecting that. And yes, you receive it in droves, as this movie tries to go even farther than its predecessor in the humor department. You are laughing all the way, and it is relaxing to see a movie of such magnitude not taking itself to serious. It makes the viewing experience more enjoyable and its success is what prompted Marvel to include more humor in Thor: Ragnarok and I guess in every single entrance of the multiverse which will follow. We like our superhero movies to be lighthearted and funny and this will not change.

The action is interesting, the special effects are amazing, and the characters are developed even further than in the first one. You learn a lot of backstory that helps define each character and you start to discover the red line of their past that makes them act the way they do. The cast is stellar, and when you have Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell all in one movie, nothing can go wrong. Every single actor delivers an amazing performance and you can see they had so much fun doing this film, which gives it an extra layer of likeability. Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer is simply amazing, and almost steals the movie with his rough humor and absurd lines. You find yourself laughing out loud in the theater and enjoying every second of it.

The story is good, a little bit convoluted in points, but streamlined quite well in the final act. The CGI is good, the grand action scenes offer enough awe to justify them, and all in all the conflict manages to keep you involved until the end. Also, speaking of action scenes, Yondu’s arrow massacre is one of the best action scenes I have ever seen in a movie, making you laugh and leaving you speechless at the same time. The action in the movie is superb and right up there with what Marvel has offered us across the years.

The movie is a little bit too long at 136 minutes and its 4 post credits scenes are starting to push the limit a little bit, especially since one of them is another useless cameo from Stan Lee. 2 post credits scenes are ok, but going past that for me is just fanboying for the sake of fanboying and nothing more. The music is good, a nice selection of songs, although I feel that they are not as fresh as the ones from the first movie.

And this brings me to my only criticism of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that it is far too similar in my mind with the first one. It simply does not have the same wow factor and you kind of feel like you have already been there and done that. This takes away a little bit from the overall enjoyment, although it did not have an effect on the box office results, with Vol. 2 earning more than the original. I just hope that for volume 3, which is slated for a 2020 release, Marvel will change the formula a little bit and shake things up.

In conclusion, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a very good movie, which I recommend to any comic book fan. A great installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a worthy successor to the first Guardians movie. Oh, and the smaller dumber Groot is by far the best plant I ever saw in a movie. 😛