Jane doesn't figure into the latest "Thor" movie, as Natalie Portman was not interested in returning. Likewise, the Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander, Blindspot) is also MIA for "Thor: Ragnarok", which is equal parts epic genre drama and slapstick comedy. I'm not kidding.
Recall that in "Iron Man 3", Tony Stark's most famous nemesis, the Mandarin, was reduced to being an out-of-work actor (Ben Kingsley) essaying a part to make some easy money. Kingsley hammed it up, much to the dismay of long time hardcore Marvel fans. To me, "Iron Man 3" was a bit of a farce, more so than "Iron Man 2".
So, the 3rd "Thor" movie goes for the laughs as well, but somehow, it works. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Asgard after dispatching Surtur (voice of Clancy Brown), only to find that half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has usurped the throne, and is impersonating Odin (Anthony Hopkins). That is, until Thor exposes the scam for all to see. In due course, Thor & Loki return to Earth, and meet Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who then sends them off to Norway, where Odin reveals that he is dying, and discloses that Hela, the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett) is, in fact, their sister, which really is not the case, as anyone who understands Norse mythology and/or Thor's Marvel history would know. Loki's scam, in effect, opened a virtual Pandora's Box by releasing Hela from her prison.
Thor is then sent to a faraway world where he ends up a gladiator for the amusement of the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum, chewing scenery in between Apartments.com commercials), and we find that Valkyrie is working for this goof. So, too, is the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), as this part of the story is taken from the pages of the green goliath's book, and grafted onto the core plot. Apparently, there wasn't enough money in the corporate budget to give Hulk another shot at a solo movie. Skurge, the Executioner (Karl Urban), better known to Marvel fans as the Enchantress' sidekick, is working first for the disguised Loki in the absence of Heimdall (Idris Elba), then for Hela, but that is fated not to last.
This trailer should help explain a few things.
A mid-credits teaser sets the stage, at least a little bit, for "Avengers: Infinity War", one of four Marvel movies on the docket for 2018.
Trailers:
"Justice League" (Nov. 15). Wonder Woman, Batman, and, inevitably, Superman, are joined by the Flash, Aquaman, & Cyborg. As with many of the comic book movies out there, this is based on the more recent reboots of the series, and not the original concept of the series, which was nearly 60 years ago, as DC decided to graduate Cyborg from the Teen Titans to the League 6 years ago.
"Roman J. Israel, Esq." (Nov. 22): Denzel Washington as an attorney facing a moral crisis.
"The Disaster Artist" (Dec. 8): Based on a real-life movie project that was SO bad, I don't think it ever got released.
"Downsizing" (Dec. 22): Matt Damon follows up "Suburbicon" was this fantasy about a man who willingly becomes 5 inches tall, but there's a catch. With Jason Sudekis and Kristen Wiig.
"Black Panther" (Feb. 16): Chadwick Boseman returns as T'Challa.
"Pacific Rim: Uprising" (March): Sequel to a surprisingly popular movie from a couple of years back.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (Dec. 15). Enough said.
"Thor: Ragnarok" gets an A-.
2 comments:
Re The Disaster Artist, Tommy Wiseau's The Room has been a fixture of midnight-movie screenings since its release in 2003. I saw the same trailer you did and the real joke of that scene is that Wiseau (James Franco) was the director and co-writer of that labor of love, but apparently couldn't remember the lines he'd written for himself.
Well, like I told you, Sammy, I'd never heard of "The Room". Franco's been keeping himself busy doing TV lately (i.e. "General Hospital"). Looked to me like the idea is that Wiseau either had short-term memory loss or was a stoner. Who cares?
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