Critics say 'Ragnarok' is the 'Thor' comedy we've always wanted

Nearly a decade into its run, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is having its best year yet.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a win. So was Spider-Man: Homecoming. And now Thor: Ragnarok is here to close out the year in style.

And oh, what style.

According to the reviews, director Taika Waititi's touch is all over Thor: Ragnarok – from its playful humor to its '70s- and '80s-inspired visuals. Here's what else the critics are saying ...

Thor: Ragnarok is really, really funny

Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction TV:

This film lives and breathes in Waititi’s specialized knack for irreverent comedy. It’s so very on-brand with his filmmaking voice. I’m just happy Marvel let him do it. With the exception of one emotional moment in the third act being undercut by a stale joke, scenes aren’t derailed by the humor, but rather take form to build up the characters.

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter:

One of the most surprising things about Thor: Ragnarok is that it forgoes the umlaut in the title — that winking diacritical mark would have been a nifty signal of the movie's tongue-in-cheek attitude toward its mythology, a comic stance that makes Thor's third outing his breeziest by far.

Bryan Bishop, The Verge:

Thor: Ragnarok is like Deadpool, only charming and light, rather than R-rated and nihilistic. Yes, these characters can get a little silly at times, Waititi seems to be saying, but that doesn’t have to stop us from having a good time.

... Like, maybe a little too funny

Josh Dickey, Mashable:

If Ragnarok is an adjustment to the overly serious, faux-Shakespearean theatrics of Thor and The Dark World, then it feels like a slight over-correction, to the extent that it's hard to take any of this very seriously. If none of the characters feel any real peril, then why should we?

Brian Truitt, USA Today:

It’s zany to a fault, though: The adventure leans hard into the campy Flash Gordon vibe and slapstick humor, so much so that when the third act save-the-world stuff comes, it doesn’t feel completely earned.

Get ready to love the new characters

Josh Dickey, Mashable:

Jeff Goldblum plays planet leader Jeff Goldblum, and as always he's perfect in the role — I daresay this is the best Jeff Goldblum that Jeff Goldblum has played since his excellent turn as Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.

Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction TV:

Valkyrie’s introduction is one of the best in Marvel’s history, as it mixes the outlandish with the badassery. She’s a subversive Han Solo for the next generation.

Alex Godfrey, British GQ:

Blanchett and Hopkins meanwhile, far from slumming it, are having all the fun in the world, her a dazzling cybergoth with evil glamour to spare, him, inhabited by Loki, a spoiled brat decadently lording it up.

Oh, and it looks and sounds great, too

Bryan Bishop, The Verge:

Sakaar’s design is aggressively retro-futuristic, calling to mind Heavy Metal magazine covers (with the Led Zeppelin music cues to match), and the score from Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh drenches everything in lush, prog-rock synthesizers.

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter:

At times [the visuals] recall other movies, as in a trash-heap scene's shades of WALL-Eand the scavenger lots of The Force Awakens. Least typical of the genre are the intentionally tacky interiors and primary colors of Sakaar's privileged quarters, the setting for some of the movie's better surprises.