I am so surprised at how much I liked Thor. (And *completely* blown away by how much I loved "Logan," but that's for another review.)
When we went, the theater was full of children. I was super happy with how this was mostly slapstick and totally bloodless. (In complete contrast with "Logan.")
First-- GREAT use of Immigrant Song. I always wondered I hadn't heard it in popcorn explosion movies before. Ok fine, I never watch popcorn explosion movies. But still! Immigrant Song plus Chris Hemsworth's hair plus the HammerCam (tm) perspective-- it was such a perfect campy kickoff to a completely delightful campy movie.
And it sets up an unambiguous theme about immigration, including children and families immigrating, and what you call home.
And the gasp I heard when there was a bit of violence really warmed my heart. Like maybe adults' horrifying cruelty hasn't infected all our kids quite yet. (THANKS FOR MAKING ME CYNICAL, 2017.)
Cate Blanchett's character, Hela, is cast as the villain, but her brutal power is mostly in her unapologetic honesty. Ok, she does kill several people, she's the goddess of death, but I think the metaphor with her is truth as death. She is a classic truthteller in the movie-- she talks explicitly about colonialism and the death it causes, about greed and the blood it claims. Hela despises things that are fake, that cover up what's true, and she will destroy those things.
Jeff Goldblum is another one who sets up lines for truth telling. A great exchange between him and Rachel House involves her mentioning "slaves," then taking it back at his behest and saying, "Sorry, 'prisoners with jobs.'" Mmmhmmm.
The female characters are awesome. It's not lost on me that none are there as eye candy; they have agency and names, purpose and personality.
The male, genderfluid, non-human, and other characters are also awesome. They clearly have heart, they enjoy a lot of sweet, tender, funny moments between friends, and as sons or brothers or sisters or rocks, and not just as victors or aggressors or pursuers. The actors and director (my favorite, Taika Waititi) have said as much, that they were interested in showing the love and affection between characters, especially among the males.
And, I am not a slapstick person but somehow when it's a Hemsworth brother slipping and falling, it's truly hilarious.
So go enjoy it. If you love it, check out Taika Waititi's other stuff and tell me what you think. I am a HUGE fan of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. <3 I think I might be a New Zealander at heart.