Thor: Ragnarok garners 98 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes as Taika Waititi heaped with praise by critics

October 20, 2017

Waititi walked the red carpet in Sydney last night, amused by how many Kiwi references he's been able to crowbar in.

Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok today sits as the second highest ranked Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film of all time, with the Kiwi director being especially praised for managing to infuse some offbeat humour into the carefully calculated studio juggernaut.

With the international review embargo lifted this morning, Thor: Ragnarok holds a rating of 77 on Metacritic and 98 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The only higher-ranked Marvel film adaptations on Metacritic are Spider-Man 2, Iron Man and Logan.

Entertainment Weekly seemed almost shocked that Waititi was able to leave his own personal stamp, characteristic to his independent films, into such a huge commercial blockbuster:

Kimberlee Downs got all the goss on the Thor: Ragnarok shoot and what's next for the in-demand Kiwi director.

"It's amazing that Waititi - a newbie in the jungle of corporate filmmaking - was able to inject so much of his unique voice into such a committee-approved juggernaut."

Screen Daily was equally impressed that the Hollywood newcomer could craft the film into something that was unique, given the plethora of comic book films constantly being churned out:

The ever hilarious Kiwi director Taika Waititi spoke to 1 NEWS Australia reporter Kim Downs at the red carpet of his movie Thor.

"Irreverent playfulness has always been a staple of Waititi's work, but the director's light touch doesn't preclude Ragnarok from being the kind of brawny blockbuster that audiences demand. And as he demonstrated with Wilderpeople, Waititi exhibits a droll sense of humour without losing sight of character dynamics, tonal sophistication or thematic undercurrents."

Here's a list of some other equally impressed international reviews:

"The New Zealander has somehow parlayed his offbeat comic sensibility straight from indie gems like What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople and on to a canvas a hundred times bigger," writes Timeout New York.

"It's an enthusiastic, hilarious reboot of the idea of what a Marvel movie can actually be, resulting in an effervescent, delightfully self-aware ride that was the most fun I'd had in a superhero movie in years," writes The Verge.

Thor: Ragnarok opens October 26 in New Zealand cinemas. 

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