Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is one of the least popular of Marvel’s cinematic superheroes. It’s all relative, of course. The God of Thunder’s first two films made around $200 million (£152 million) each, so they’re not what you’d call flops. But compared to his buddies in the Avengers, Thor has never quite taken flight. And even in his own vehicles, he is in constant danger of being upstaged by his own brother and smarmy arch-enemy, Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
Thor: Ragnarok should change all that. Undoubtedly the best of the character’s three films, it’s more confident than the others, more kaleidoscopically colourful, and more eye-catching in its design. It has more coherent fight sequences and more impressive digital effects than its predecessors did. And while it takes its hero’s story to surprising new places, it has an endearing reverence for his comic-book roots: he keeps calling himself “The Mighty Thor”, because that used to be the title of his monthly comic.