‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is a different kind of superhero

It’s not as revolutionary as “Black Panther” but “Thor: Ragnarok” refreshingly eschews Marvel’s penchant for heaviosity.

It still looks like a bigbudget superhero movie, with a complicated plot and endless dust-ups, but the combination of director Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth is a dynamic one.

Waititi (“The Hunt for the Wilder people”) doesn’t take the mythology too seriously while Hemsworth has never seemed so effortlessly charming. There’s a great supporting cast too, including Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeff Goldblum. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.

Also New to VOD and Streaming

Novitiate: There’s much to admire about this austere drama but, in the end, it is something of a chore to sit through. The biggest problem is heroine Cathleen (Margaret Qualley), a blank slate of a young woman who, in the mid-1960s, decides to become a nun over the objections of her mother (Julianne Nicholson). Once at the monastery, Cathleen is under the thumb of an unyielding Mother Superior (Melissa Leo.) There’s endless scenes of rituals and ceremonies but very little insight into the moony Cathleen. When Nicholson and Leo are onscreen, “Novitiate” catches fire but, otherwise, the film is a chilly drama lacking in relatable characters. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Murder On The Orient Express: Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic looks great, features involving performances and moves like, ahem, a speeding train. Branagh, outfitted with a monumental mustache, stars as Hercule Poirot, a private detective who must figure out who-dun-it after a crooked American businessman (Johnny Depp) is murdered on a Londonbound train. The suspects (Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer) are a deliciously varied bunch, all of whom seem to have both a motive and an alibi. Hang on tight; there’s surprises galore. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Wonder Wheel: Woody Allen never directed a play by Tennessee Williams but, if he had, the results might look something like this melodrama set in Coney Island in the 1950s. Kate Winslet stars as a former actress who feels trapped in a marriage to a carny (Jim Belushi) when she meets and falls for a lifeguard (Justin Timberlake). But there’s trouble on the horizon when Belushi’s daughter (Juno Temple) appears and seems to cast a spell over Timberlake. Allen’s latest has plenty of flaws but it’s also one of his most cinematic offerings and, best of all, it gives Winslet a meaty role to sink her teeth into. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Faces Places: An Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, this delightful flick co-directed by 89-year-old Agnes Varda and 33-yearold muralist JR turns a simple premise into sheer magic. Riding JR’s van, the pair visits villages all over France, meeting locals, learning their stories and taking epic-size portraits which they then post on houses, barns, trains and storefronts. Without getting preachy, Varda and JR make a case for the shared humanity of all citizens of the world. It’s a sweet, funny and surprisingly moving film. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.

Collateral: Carey Mulligan toplines this BBC series about the seemingly random shooting of a pizza delivery man in South London. But the more Mulligan investigates, the more complicated the case becomes. Soon, a politician (John Simm) and his ex-wife become embroiled in the drama as does a vicar (Nicola Walker) who struggles to conceal her affair with the sole witness. On Netflix.

For The Kids

Aliens Ate My Homework: Based on Bruce Coville’s best-selling books, this entertaining family comedy tracks the adventures of sixth-grader Rod Albright (Jayden Greig) and a group of friendly aliens after their tiny spaceship sails through Rod’s window and lands on his science project. Soon, Rod and his cousin Elsbeth (Lauren McNamara) are joining the aliens on an interplanetary mission. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.

Monsters At Large: If you’re a fan of “Ghostbusters,” “The Goonies” and “Stranger Things,” check out this frightfully funny adventure about a handful of kids who form a task force to take care of the monsters that haunt their dreams. Their business becomes a big hit until one of the monsters turns out to be real – and really big. Brooklyn Prince, Mischa Barton and Austin St. John topline this tale. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.

Teen Title

Into the Badlands - The Complete Second Season: In the latest season of the superior martial arts drama, our heroes Sunny (Daniel Wu) and M.K. (Aramis Knight) are separated and scattered to the winds, each imprisoned in unlikely places. M.K. isn’t particularly eager to get back to the battle but Sunny fights his way to the Badlands, hellbent on finding his family. Expect alliances to be struck, friendships to be betrayed and Sunny and M.k.’s lives to be forever changed. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.