The ‘THOR: RAGNAROK’ (2017) Teaser Shows How Marvel May Finally Redeem The Character On The Big Screen

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has caused every other film studio to be chasing it’s unprecedented level of universe building. With mostly successes to their name, Marvel Studios has had very few missteps. However, I’ve always maintained that the ‘Thor’ movies have been the weakest of the entire franchise. The release of the latest ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ teaser though looks to course correct all that.

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ teaser looks to do justice to the character’s solo hero films.

‘Thor’ was uninspiring and a letdown in the first phase of the inception of the MCU. The greatest thing about the film was the introduction of the character of Loki, (Tom Hiddleston) into the franchise. A surprising character who has been amply utilized in the franchise throughout. However, something about ‘Thor’ made it not as good as its other solo hero films. Maybe it was the overly serious portrayal of the character without a counterpoint to break up the somber and formal, almost Shakespearean world of Asgard. Even more so when you look at the same character, played by Chris Hemsworth, in ‘The Avengers’ films, as charismatic and funny, sharing great chemistry with the other heroes. The mediocre story line of ‘Thor: The Dark World’ seemed to further cement Thor as the stuffy guy who’s only interesting when he’s playing off of others.

But looks like ‘Ragnarok’ director Taika Waititi has taken a lot of cues from ‘Gaurdians Of The Galaxy’ and Hemsworth’s own, by now, proven comedy chops, to create a movie that is just going to be all kinds of entertainment in a backdrop of a chaotic fun zone!

The teaser gives us the best of everything with a Led Zepellin song setting the mood with it’s heavy metal, and scenes that betray a story that seeks to up end the entire world of Thor and all of Asgard. Cate Blanchett shows up as the evil baddie this time around, and she looks menacing and all kinds of awesome. The teaser gives us glimpses of all our favourites like Loki & Ray Stevenson’s Volstagg sporting a new (non) ‘do, while introducing us to Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster. We even see Idris Elba’s Heimdall in, what looks to be a more significant role this time around. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ has been reported to be a buddy cop road trip movie with Thor & Hulk, with elements of the comic book storyline ‘Planet Hulk’ being incorporated within this story as well. Given that both these characters provided a lot of comic relief in the first ‘The Avengers’ movie, it seems ingenius to pair them off in their own action-adventure. Should be the stuff of legend! There is an innate sense of adventure and fun here, that has been otherwise missing from the other ‘Thor’ films.

While the other two films seemed to have the burden of continuing the world and certain story elements set forth by the other films in the franchise, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ looks to be free from all that, and almost looks like a standalone film about the adventures of Hulk and Thor, in space! The film looks like it’s very 80’s inspired, with psychedelic title cards that are very ‘Tron’-like and a metal vibe that proves to be unlike any other Marvel film we’ve seen before. It’s a shock to me that I’m this excited for a Thor movie.

The powers that be have definitely taken cues from Hemsworth’s apparent ease with comedy, given his roles in movies like ‘Vacation’ and ‘Ghostbusters’ in between his MCU films. The actor charmed everyone in the DVD Bonus features of other Marvel films, showcasing his other adventures with non-powered, mortal roommate Darryl, during the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ . So it’s insanely smart of Waikiki to play to those strengths of the actor, as can be seen by the end of the teaser.

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ looks like it will be the cornerstone of the next phase of the MCU, seeking to upend the status quo of the world as ‘Winter Soldier’ and ‘Civil War’ did before it. Theories have been rampant about the film featuring the final Infinity Stone, a Macguffin of the MCU that will play a significant part in the next ‘Avengers: Infinity War’.  Since James Gunn, director of the ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy: Volume 2’ has already confirmed that the sequel will not feature another Stone as the first film did, all eyes are on ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, especially given the significance that Thor played at the end of ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’ and the knowledge he acquired that brought life to the character of Vision.

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ releases November 3rd, 2017. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elbar, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Karl Urban, Ray Stevenson, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Sam Neil, Jamie Alexander and Benedict Cumberpath. Directed by Taiko Waikiki.