Looks like Thor has a new team that consists of Hulk, Loki, Valkyrie and The God Of Thunder himself. They call themself “The Revengers”! Check out this new featurette for “Thor Raganarok”.

In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

“Thor: Ragnarok” is directed by Taika Waititi and returns Chris Hemsworth starring as Thor and Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. They are joined by Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban, with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.

Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” thunders into U.S. theaters on November 3, 2017.

Source: Marvel Entertainment

Last night, I was lucky enough to attend an early showing of the latest Marvel entry, Thor: Ragnarok. I’ve been a fan of the Marvel cinematic universe since Nick Fury appeared after the credits of Iron Man and I’ve seen every movie since. I’ve enjoyed them all as well, and although I would perhaps rank some higher than others, not one would I consider bad as they were at least all enjoyable. Well, Dr. Strange was kind of boring, but I’m digressing. They’ve all be fun rides, so how was the third entry for Thor?

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
L to R: Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth)

Well, it was great! Not as strong as Civil War, or Avengers, but extremely entertaining, tightly packed, and fun. The thing it WASN’T was a Thor movie. I’ll explain, but first let’s talk about all that worked.

The story is very fast paced, never lingering too long, and it works. The action travels fast, and you get the sense of urgency Thor himself is facing. It never drags or gets too ponderous. The film itself is obviously very influenced by Guardians of the Galaxy, in both tone and art direction, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The film is crisp and great to look at, but does its best to distinguish itself so the Guardians influence isn’t obvious. The only time it’s a little too obvious is when an older song scores an action sequence, but it only happens once or twice and Thor doesn’t have an ‘Awesome Mix’ of his own. Also, the action scenes are so greatly choregraphed and eye catching it doesn’t matter. While this might not be Marvel’s strongest film in balancing all its elements, it might be a contender in Marvel’s funniest film. Seriously. The actors and the writers all turn in hilarious work and I don’t remember the last time I laughed this much at a Marvel movie. This is honestly where it surpasses even Guardians. The greatest thing is it’s not stupid or dumb humor, it’s all based on character and situation, so even if you see a bit coming it’ll make you smile if not make you laugh out loud.

Chris Hemsworth is great (More on Thor himself later), and Tom Hiddleston is on point as usual as Loki. Hela, played by Cate Blanchett, makes herself extremely known as Marvel’s first main female villain. Her power level actually might be higher than any previous villain, and it’s not played off or written off to make the heroes win. She seethes and commands, becoming not just a villain but perhaps a force of nature turning all of Asgard on its side. Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson is a great strong female lead too. She brings a lot of pain to the role, in addition to being super tough and not to be trifled with. This is no token love interest or sidekick, she actually is another great warrior to add to the likes of Black Widow, Gamora and Wasp. Jeff Goldblum as does fantastic as the Grand Master. Every scene he’s in is a delight, and he’s so enmeshed in this character, it’s so seeped with his Jeff Goldblumy-ness you can’t help but love it and I hope to God he becomes a reoccurring character. Idris Elba returns and so does Anthony Hopkins, redeeming himself somewhat from his lunatic performance in Transformers: The Last Knight.

The star of the show however is Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. Not just smashing, he actually balances comedy, badassness, and pathos better than the movie as a whole. Minor spoiler here, but the reason Hulk sat out the adventures since Age of Ultron was he’s been here in this arena, and for two years he’s been Hulk. As such, he’s evolved as a character, and we can see his loneliness, his frustration, his need to be loved. He’s no longer the big gun, he’s an actual Avenger who’s doing his best with his limited mind. There’s a call back to Age of Ultron that actually was my favorite emotional moment of the film. We won’t spoil that.

So the film was a great time. Laugh out loud hilarious, great turns by old characters like Hulk and some fantastic new ones like Hela and the Grand Master. A few emotional moments fall flat because they’re not allowed to sit very long, but in the end its still an excellent action film that delivers on basically every promise. The only thing, and it’s not even really a negative, more like something that depends on the individual, is that it’s not a Thor film.

I liked the first Thor. It was fun, the great type of sword and sorcery film that doesn’t take itself too serious but serious enough to have stakes. It was like playing World of Warcraft, where you could fight frost giants with hammers and use rainbow bridges but still have fun with the concept. It wasn’t Iron Man, but it was neat. Thor: The Dark world was even better, expanding on the lore of the film while still keeping the tone. I liked them both. Obviously someone higher up didn’t think that highly of them because Ragnarok goes far to distance itself. It wasn’t that they weren’t acknowledged, it was almost as if they were derided because most connections to them were burned.
First off, Thor’s funny now. Chris Hemsworth is a strong charming leading man and does great with the material, but the humor of Thor himself previously was more of being the stiff straight man. The medieval fish in a modern pond kinda thing. Not anymore. Now he’s quipping away, interrupting villains and being a little goofy. He sounds more like Iron Man or Ant Man now. Remember “Does Mother know you weareth her drapes?” Classic Tony Stark line, now something that Thor might say. If you get what I’m going for.

Here’s another minor spoiler: the ominous lead in ending from The Dark World where Odin is banished and Loki replaces him is completely blown within the first ten minutes. Loki ruins his own plan by making a giant memorial to himself, including a tribute play, because that’s the best way to keep your cover. It doesn’t play so much as Loki being out of character as wanting to get that plot point out of the way. Also, characters from the first two films are killed quickly. Sif is nowhere to be found, Jane Porter (and Natalie Portman) is explained away in a throwaway line, and the treasure vault that was a big part of the Thor lore is now openly derided by Hela, including the first films mcguffin. This film is a soft-reboot of sorts for the Thor series I suppose, heading in a new, more comedic direction that lines up with other MCU films.

This stuck in my craw despite enjoying the movie a ton. It’s not really a negative of the film itself, just something that was obvious to me. More Guardians, less Thor stuck out as a mandate. I saw the film with my sister, who wasn’t crazy about the first two, and she loved this one. Starting fresh, as it were, was the exact right thing to do in her eyes. My wife sees Thor’s new sense of humor not as a sudden character change like me but as a natural evolution. So, I’m not really counting this as a con. It’s more a personal preference. If you were a big fan of the Thor and Thor: The Dark World, or the more stoic Thor from the two Avengers films, some things might grind your gears a little. None of this, however, stops the film from being a real joy to watch.

Thor Ragnarok doesn’t forget the fun and humor that makes these adventures great, with great action scenes and some real character building moments. It doesn’t offer the joyous package of Avengers or Civil War, but it builds the world it’s playing in well and makes a real great time. So far, Marvel’s winning streak continues, with not a bad movie in the bunch. “Though Dr. Strange was kind of boring…”

THEME PARK NOTE: The dragon thing that is the main antagonist of Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark is hardly “featured.” It’s in the movie for like the first three minutes then promptly killed, so don’t expect any cool connection here.

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Find out what goes into making a great villain with a telling look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first female villain—Hela, played by Oscar® winner Cate Blanchett—in “Hela Good,” a video featurette now available to share with your readers!

In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

“Thor: Ragnarok” is directed by Taika Waititi and returns Chris Hemsworth starring as Thor and Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. They are joined by Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban, with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.

Kevin Feige is producing with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Thomas M. Hammel and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost wrote the screenplay.  Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” thunders into U.S. theaters on November 3, 2017.

Source: Marvel

MARVEL STUDIOS’ THOR:

RAGNAROK SUPERPOWER OF

STEM CHALLENGE 

Calling on Girls to Channel Their Superpowers of STEM for Good and Get a Chance to Win a Trip to the Premiere of Marvel Studios’ THOR: RAGNAROK and a Mentorship presented by Disney, Marvel Studios, Dolby Laboratories and Synchrony Bank 

Disney,Marvel Studios, Dolby Laboratories, Synchrony Bank, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Broadcom MASTERS and Society for Science & the Public are pleased to present the nationwide MARVEL STUDIOS’ THOR: RAGNAROK SUPERPOWER OF STEM CHALLENGE in conjunction with the November 3, 2017 theatrical release of Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.

In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

Marvel Studios is, once again, encouraging young girls to explore the superpower of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) with the MARVEL STUDIOS’ THOR: RAGNAROK SUPERPOWER OF STEM CHALLENGE.

This program, supported by American Association for the Advancement of Science, Broadcom MASTERS, and Society for Science & the Public, seeks to inspire young girls to use the superpower of STEM to help their family, community or the world be safer, healthier or happier. MARVEL STUDIOS’ THOR: RAGNAROK SUPERPOWER OF STEM CHALLENGE invites girls nationwide, ages 15 -18 in grades 10 – 12 living in the 50 United States and D.C., to use the superpower of STEM to create an original Do-It-Yourself project that can be replicated by others.

Five finalists will be selected to come to Los Angeles and present their projects, in person, to a panel of experts and to attend the Red Carpet Premiere of Marvel Studios’ THOR: RAGNAROK.  Each finalistwill receive: Two round-trip tickets to Southern California for the finalist and her parent or guardian, including scheduled meals, ground transportation to and from organized activities, hotel accommodations, from October 8 through October 11, 2017; the opportunity to be on the red carpet at the Premiere of Marvel Studios’ THOR: RAGNAROK, $500 deposited into a high-yield savings account from Synchrony Bank; a tour of the Walt Disney Studiosin Burbank, California; and more.

One grand-prize winner will be selected from the five finalists to attend an immersive three-day mentorship in New York City with Disney Imagineering to build her STEM story, creating a professional-level video teaching other young people how to recreate her Challenge–winning project. The winner will also have the opportunity to demonstrate her Superpower of STEM project live to the nation with a brief appearance on Good Morning America. (The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Good Morning America / ABC News.)The video created during her mentorship will be made available to students, teachers and families worldwide on the American Association for the Advancement of Science education resource website ScienceNetLinks.com.

Complete contest information will be available from August 23, 2017, through September 23, 2017.  Entries will be acceptedbeginning on August 23, 2017 at 4:00AM PT through 6:00PM PT on August 23, 2017. Forapplication forms, eligibility requirements, officialcontest rules and more information about MARVEL STUDIOS’ THOR: RAGNAROK SUPERPOWER OF STEM CHALLENGE, please visit www.marvelstudiosstemchallenge.com.

About the Contest

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends at 6:00PM PT on September 23, 2017. Open only to girls between the ages of 15 and 18, in grades 10 – 12, as of August 23, 2017, who are legal residents and physically living in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Limit 1 entry per person. Winners must be able to travel on or about October 8, 2017 through October 11, 2017. See Official Rules at www.marvelstudiosstemchallenge.com for full eligibility and entry requirements, prize description, conditions, and limitations. Void where prohibited. The official contest sponsor is Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.