TAIKA WAITITI BRINGS LAUGHS GALORE TO HOLLYWOOD WITH THOR: RAGNAROK REVIEW…

Known mostly for his inventive, low-budget comedies, Taika Waititi joked last year that his deeply affecting and funny adventure “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” was “‘The Revenant,’ without any money.”

If that sounds like a stretch, it should be noted that Waititi’s fourth feature went on to become the highest-grossing locally-made release in New Zealand history, smashing his own record for 2010’s “Boy.”

A year on, New Zealand’s most talked-about cinematic export since Peter Jackson is on the cusp of releasing his first Hollywood feature, having been trusted with the $180-million third installment in Marvel’s “Thor” trilogy.

Early reviews for “Thor: Ragnarok” ahead of its release have been glowing, with Waititi widely praised for turning what many believe to be Marvel’s dullest Avenger into the wisecracking Cary Grant of the comic book genre.

Relatability has been the director’s stock-in-trade since he started out in feature films a decade ago, each new movie populated with fantastical but disarmingly down-to-earth characters.

In “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014) murderous vampires divvy up household chores and werewolves worry about ruining a hemline, while in “Ragnarok” the God of Thunder and the Hulk bicker and then make up like any married couple.

Thor: Ragnarok will hilariously rock your world… continue, if you dare!

Nine years and 17 films into the Great Marvel Project, it’s clear this franchise has changed how blockbusters are made. Cinematic universes are Hollywood’s new normal!

The script leans much more heavily on Chris Hemsworth’s comic chops, inexplicably overlooked in the previous installments, particularly in Alan Taylor’s lumbering sequel “Thor: The Dark World” (2013).

Since we last saw Thor, the blond god of thunder from the magic realm of Asgard has been travelling through space looking for trouble with his invincible hammer. Trouble finds him as the goddess of death Hela returns to Asgard and sets about living up to her name. Lost on a dangerous alien world, Thor must battle his way back to Asgard.

Our heroic god of thunder is literally expelled to a bizarre alien planet — and tonally, it’s an absolute riot, with flashes of 80s Flash Gordon thrown in as a side-order.

In exile on an urban junk-heap planet called Sakaar, Thor is forcibly recruited into a gladiatorial tournament presided over by the Grandmaster: a supreme being who looks and behaves exactly like, and in fact is, Jeff Goldblum (BELOW) in a golden dressing gown, turquoise pyjamas, and a flash of sapphire lipstick. (We think Goldblum plays what might be the only murderous dictator with a backing band, and it’s as delightful as it sounds).

But first things first, Thor has to go through some familiar frenemies: trickster god Loki and big green rage machine the incredible Hulk. Many superpowered punch-ups follow, obviously, including an epic “who would win in a fight between…” showdown. But the strength of the film is in the interactions between the characters, some familiar and some new. As they bicker and bond, even the most epic moments are served up with a tea-spoon of laughs.

That includes the cast. Chris Hemsworth flexes his comic muscles as well as his actual muscles, playing up Thor’s arrogance and pettiness to hilarious effect. While, Mark Ruffalo is a great straight man as the nervy Bruce Banner (and sulky Hulk). And of course there’s more than enough “Hulk Smash” to be going on with.

Cate Blanchett’s Hela is a slinky, sultry treat. Karl Urban brings a much-needed comic sensibility to the earnest world of Asgard.  But the real stand-out is a luminous Tessa Thompson, swaggering in and stealing every scene as a boozy, bounty-drinking warrior woman Valkyrie.

The plot once again hinges on a battle for the Bifrost, the Asgardian rainbow road teleport, which I’m pretty sure was the plot of the previous two movies. Every time we cut from the bizarre, high-gear action on Sakaar back to the oddly static plot in Asgard the film begins to drag.

If there’s a weak link in the line-up it’s Blanchett’s Hela. And she’s one-note and outshone by Ragnarok’s other major new character, Tessa Thompson’s surly Valkyrie, at every turn. Hela’s scenes, while essential to the plot, feel an unwelcome distraction. She’s plainly having a good time, but Waititi’s jokes depend on the idea that his characters are basically ordinary people, something she never conveys for a moment.

STANDOUT MOMENT: During a space chase towards a wormhole that’s known, delightfully, as The Devil’s Anus, Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner takes the helm while Thor and Valkyrie fend off their pursuers – and there’s something about the fact the ship’s controls are actually there, lurching to and fro on set, rather than some sleek computer-generated addition, that gives the scene an extra twist of giggly panic.

Director Taika Waititi gleefully mines every moment for its comic potential, serving up more Jewel-encrusted laughs in the first five minutes than both previous Thor movies combined. With charm, humour and visual panache carrying the story, “Ragnarok” is a joy from start to finish, and we have a rousing soundtrack, too.

Waititi may be working with a higher budget than ever before, but nothing has changed about his daggy sense of humour. His characters make flat yet roundabout statements of the obvious.

Care and attention and imagination drip from every line and every frame. The visuals are eye-popping. There are no hacky jokes or lame set pieces. And most importantly, the cast relishes every moment.

On the globetrotting promotional tour, the all-star cast — which includes Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins and Jeff Goldblum — have gone out of their way to remark on the fun atmosphere Waititi encourages.

Blanchett, cast by Waititi as Marvel’s first lead female baddie, described the 85-day shoot, mainly on Australia’s Gold Coast, as “probably the happiest film set I have ever been on.”

If Waititi’s new celebrity profile has changed him, then the transformation is only cosmetic, says “Ragnarok” star Rachel House, a fellow Kiwi who has appeared in three of Waititi’s New Zealand movies. Waititi says he has been able to keep his feet on the ground during filming by concentrating on his strengths — tone, character, relationships — and ignoring “the scale of this monster, this beast.”

“It’s a huge, huge film. And what can be distracting on set is if you look over your shoulder, and you see 300 people standing there,” Waititi said.

“I just had to keep reminding myself what’s more important is what’s inside the rectangle and, usually, it’s two or three people trying to remember their lines.”

Thor: Ragnarok is now showing cinemas worldwide.