This is noir for 2026: lean, ruthless, and dripping with modern menace. Stylish without being indulgent, cool without being hollow, Crime 101 doesn’t just pay homage to the genre, it straps it into the driver’s seat and floors the accelerator.

An elusive thief, eyeing his final score, encounters a disillusioned insurance broker at her own crossroads. As their paths intertwine, a relentless detective trails them hoping to thwart the multi-million dollar heist they are planning.

A Modern Noir Engine, Built For Speed

Writer-director Bart Layton adapts the work of crime fiction heavyweight Don Winslow with a fierce sense of momentum and precision. From its opening moments, Crime 101 announces itself as something urgent — a crime film that breathes, sweats, and surges with life.

Structured around four distinct narratives, Layton drops audiences into the full spectrum of Los Angeles’ criminal ecosystem. Each storyline operates independently at first, yet all are subtly, inexorably pulled toward collision. It’s an approach that keeps the tension constantly simmering, and when those lines finally intersect, the results are explosive.

Drawing deeply from classic noir tropes — fatalism, obsession, moral compromise — while injecting Winslow’s modern pulp sensibility, Crime 101 becomes a sustained adrenaline rush. Once locked in, you’re holding on tight until the final frame.

Four Players, One Collision Course

At the heart of Crime 101 are four sharply drawn characters, each representing a different pressure point within the criminal underworld.

Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is a veteran wheelman and professional thief, operating with military-grade precision along California’s 101 Freeway. LAPD Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) is a rumpled, instinct-driven cop whose career is winding down, but whose hunches remain razor sharp. Sharon (Halle Berry) is a corporate insurance adjuster staring down professional and personal obsolescence, desperate for one last shot at relevance. And Ormon (Barry Keoghan) is a volatile, psychotic wannabe gangster itching to make his name, no matter how much blood it spills.
Layton’s great strength is how he balances these threads, never allowing one to overshadow the others. Each perspective adds momentum, layering tension until the film becomes a ticking time bomb of intersecting motivations and bad decisions.

Chris Hemsworth – Channeling Film Noir Cool as a Noir Icon

What truly elevates Crime 101 is how it allows its cast to play against expectation — and nowhere is this more striking than in Chris Hemsworth’s career-best turn as Davis.

This is Hemsworth stripped of bombast and bravado. Davis is a man of order, restraint, and discipline; a professional whose robberies are executed with near-surgical precision. There’s an unmistakable ex-military aura to him, but his past remains deliberately obscured. He speaks little, reveals less, and lets his actions define him.

Operating primarily along the 101 Freeway, Davis plans high-risk heists with obsessive attention to detail. But when a job goes wrong, something cracks. A conscience, unexpected and inconvenient, begins to emerge, and it’s here that Hemsworth finds the character’s most compelling edges.

Channelling a Steve McQueen-style, man-of-few-words cool, Hemsworth delivers a performance rooted in physicality, silence, and internal tension. Vulnerability seeps through the cracks, and it’s that emotional pressure; not just the action — that makes Davis such a magnetic presence. It’s gritty, restrained, and quietly electric.

Ruffalo, Berry & Keoghan – The Perfect Counterweight

Opposite Hemsworth is Mark Ruffalo’s Lou Lubesnick, a detective who feels like the inverse reflection of Davis. Where Davis is controlled and precise, Lubesnick is messy, instinctual, and worn down by years on the job. He’s got one foot out the door, but when patterns begin to emerge, he can’t let go.

Ruffalo plays him with weary intelligence, layering deduction and desperation into every scene. The cat-and-mouse tension between Lubesnick and Davis becomes the film’s backbone,two men circling each other, each recognising something familiar in the other.

Halle Berry offers a sharp tonal shift as Sharon, an “everywoman” corporate executive whose fear of fading relevance pushes her toward moral freefall. Casting Berry in a grounded, straight-edged role is a smart subversion, and her slow descent into danger adds unpredictability to the narrative.

Then there’s Barry Keoghan, once again proving he has cornered the market on cinematic chaos. As Ormon, he’s a live wire — volatile, reckless, and terrifyingly eager to prove himself. Every scene he’s in hums with threat. You don’t watch Ormon; you brace for him.

Pure Cinematic Style

From a technical standpoint, Crime 101 is immaculate. This is neo-noir crafted with absolute confidence — all atmosphere, tension, and tactile grit.

The opening 15 minutes alone rank among the coolest action sequences of the year. From that moment on, the film never lets the pulse drop. Los Angeles becomes a living, breathing noir playground; sun-bleached by day, razor-edged by night.

The car chases are the film’s crown jewels. Whether Hemsworth is muscling a grunty 2015 Dodge Challenger or carving asphalt in a classic 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, the action feels visceral and real. That’s because it is. Layton commits fully to in-camera stunt work, eschewing CGI in favour of raw man-and-machine power. Every squeal of rubber, every near miss, lands with authenticity and weight.

It’s old-school filmmaking, executed with modern precision, and it makes all the difference.

Final Verdict: Film Noir for 2026 Done Right

Crime 101 is a full-throttle rush of modern film noir, executed with style, confidence, and absolute control. It’s slick without being shallow, smart without being pretentious, and cool in a way that can’t be manufactured. For audiences craving pure cinematic swagger, the kind that grips you, rattles you, and leaves tire marks on your nerves: Crime 101 delivers in spades.

Image: Sony Pictures

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As the world falls, young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). While two Tyrants war for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa survives many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.

George Miller is a filmmaker unlike any other, and with a career spanning forty-five years, he’s created some of the most visually audacious, pulse-pounding and utterly moving pieces of cinema ever conceived. Bounding between genres and always seeking out new ideas and filmmaking techniques to experiment with, Miller is a visionary in the truest sense of the word, and audiences are now invited back to the Wasteland in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. As the follow-up to his critical and commercially lauded work on 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is a piece of narrative storytelling that helps to embolden the history of the Wasteland and gives context and a sense of origin to the living Valkyrie, Furiosa. Miller again utilises action as narrative, and Furiosa delivers on a far grander scope that is pure cinematic spectacle.

Miller and his creative team of fellow maniacs set about to do something broader with the narrative for this picture, and what we are delivered is a grand Odyessy in the purest of mythmaking styles. Drawing influence from the grand mythos of Ancient Greece and Rome, Miller fashions a narrative of survival and becoming, and gives audiences the blood-soaked saga of how Imperator Furiosa became who she is. This is a grand and lively cinematic experience, and it races towards you at high speed, and there ain’t no slowing down. Image and sound are Miller’s north star in bringing this picture to life, and you feel like you are witnessing some furious rock opera come to life before your eyes. With its organic textures and in-your-face action, there’s grit to the events that unfold on screen, which makes for a pure rush for audiences.

Rising British film star Anya Taylor-Joy is stepping into the Wasteland this time around, and she embraces the utter fury of Furiosa as she is thrown into the fray of battle and death that the Wasteland breeds. In a performance that is virtually devoid of dialogue, Taylor-Joy relies heavily on expression and action of movement in her performance as Furiosa, and this is a character that is running on pure instinct. The word best used to describe Taylor-Joy’s performance would most certainly be feral, and there’s an uncontrollable, almost animal-like quality to the seething rage that she brings to the screen. With one goal in mind, escape, Furiosa does all in her power to find her way back to the Green Place of Many Mothers, and there’s not a moment on screen where you don’t buy into Taylor-Joy’s commitment to Furiosa’s only goal. Her performance is one of equal parts bravery and savageness, and she won’t back down from taking her vengeance!

Chris Hemsworth is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and now he completely does a 180 with his performance in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. And he’s an utter scene stealer in every sense of the word as the Warlord Dementus. As utterly mad as a cut snake and thoroughly tweaked, Dementus is a despotic ruler of the great Biker Horde, a nomadic gang who roams and pillages the Wasteland of its resources. And his presence is utterly terrifying. Part messiah, part general, all maniac, Hemsworth’s Dementus is a physically imposing and dangerous presence, and his particular interest in Furiosa will entirely shape her life. This is Hemsworth like you’ve never seen him before. There’s absolutely no filter in his presentation of Dementus, and he gives an utter beast of a performance and creates one of the most lively, twisted and psychotic villains ever brought to the cinema screen!

George Miller is a filmmaker who attracts the best of the best when it comes to acting talent, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is no exception to this. Two of the film’s key supporting players, Tom Burke and Lachy Hulme, make an impression on audiences with their appearances, and both are rapidly different in their performances. Burke takes on the role of Praetorian Jack, the principal military commander of The Citadel, who instructs Furiosa in the art of ‘road combat’, and he’s an almost prototypical Mad Max character. Hulme, being the chameleon performer that he is, brings to life a younger and more sinister Immortan Joe, Furiosa’s liege lord, turned future enemy, and he’s damn scary in the role. It’s a lot of fun to watch Hulme square off with Hemsworth’s Dementus, and they’re just two bad bastards who will do whatever it takes to control the Wasteland. Returning Mad Max veterans Josh Helman and Nathan Jones return to the Wasteland as Scrotus and Rictus Erectus, the two scummy sons of Immortan Joe, and both are devilishly deranged in their performances.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is an example of pure action overload. George Miller and the entire cast and crew have done everything in their power to deliver some of the most adrenaline-spiking moments ever put on screen. The focus of this action is pure ‘road combat’, and with the film’s origin story, we get to see elements such as the construction of the War Rig and just how these early variants of this mechanical beast were tested on the ravaged outback highways. The most memorable moment in the film is the ‘Stowaway’ chase scene, and Anya Taylor-Joy is thrown headfirst into the carnage of a 15-minute chase scene filled with gunfire, explosions, and some of the most audacious action ever captured on screen. But action for Miller is not just mere spectacle; it has a key part in shaping the character of Furiosa, and these crazy beats will leave you wide-eyed with amazement.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is an opera of utter cinematic madness, and your adrenal gland will be working overtime with this full-on, all-out, shiny and chrome action spectacle. So sit down and buckle up for one hell of a wild rush!

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Check out the final trailer for Furiosa below:

Along with the final trailer, audiences have now been treated to two brand new featurettes, Darkest Angel, and Motorbike Messiah, which give audiences an inside look into Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth’s transformative performances into Furiosa and her arch-rival Dementus, Warlord of the Wasteland.

Furiosa recently had its world premieres in Australia and London and made a considerable impression on audiences at the Cannes Festival, where it received glowing reviews and took audiences by storm. Its characterization, action sequences, and world-building have received exceptional praise, including a 15-minute action sequence that took 78 days to shoot and featured nearly 200 stunt performers!

Cast and crew have put everything of themselves into this production, and all of it will show up in an action extravaganza on cinema screens that will flaw audiences!

Here’s the official synopsis:

As the world falls, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. While two Tyrants war for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa survives many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.

Ready yourself for the sheer barking madness of the Wasteland when Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga arrives on cinema screens on May 23.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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So says Chris Hemsworth’s sneering, monstrous Wasteland warlord, Dementus, in the explosive first teaser trailer for George Miller’s much-awaited prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is sure to have your blooding pumping with full V8 force!

Watch the EPIC new trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

As the world falls, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. While two Tyrants war for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa survives many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.

Starring emerging A-lister Anya Taylor-Joy in the role of the tough-as-nails Furiosa, this is the saga of how the enslaved child turned warrior avenger plays off two feuding warlords for the soul of the Wasteland, and this is going to be a cinema spectacle that you’re going to want to watch on the biggest screen possible.

2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road is regarded as one of the greatest films of the last decade, along with being cited as one of the best action films of all time, and the genius who is George Miller is now back to ramp up the action once more in this fast-paced and furious prequel film.

While the first teaser trailer only gives audiences an impression of what is to come with this monumental prequel film, it’s shaping up to be a hard-charging bit of excitement, and there’s plenty of full-bore V8 madness to get your adrenaline racing. Taylor-Joy looks slightly manic and unhinged as the brooding and vengeful Furiosa, who must face down the wrath and terror of Hemsworth’s Warlord Dementus. The Australian hunk is a grunge-up freak as Dementus and his alpha lord of the Wasteland bravado will make for plenty of interesting viewing for audiences.

This first teaser trailer is only a taste of what is to come, but Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will undoubtedly be one of 2024’s must-watch cinema events, and we’re eagerly waiting to learn more about the crazy that awaits with this colossal feature.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will arrive in cinemas on May 23, 2024.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor attempts to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster – who has become the Mighty Thor — to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.

New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi re-vitalised what a Marvel Cinematic Universe film could be with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, now, five years later, he’s back in the director’s chair and ready to take audiences on a wild ride into the outer cosmos with Thor: Love and Thunder. And this film is pure METAL! Bringing the unique trademark of his classic dry Kiwi wit and ability to conjure the fantastical from pure imagination, Thor: Love and Thunder is a film that is pure Taika, and audiences will fall in love with it all over again. Waititi’s mission with Thor: Love and Thunder is to take everything up a notch, and this film is a cosmos-hopping adventure of one lonely Thunder god who has to find a new purpose in his life, and re-kindle the feeling of what it means to be a hero again. And he absolutely delivers on it.

Packed out with bright colours and breathtaking creativity, Thor: Love and Thunder is poured from Waititi’s imagination with zeal and enthusiasm. Moments of epic planet-sweeping action and laugh-out-loud hysterics collide, with audiences swept up in all of it. It’s bold filmmaking on a new level, and Waititi takes what worked in Thor: Ragnarok and adds to it for an event movie that will resonate with so many people. Waititi has worked to make this film meaningful for everyone, and it’s an inclusive and fun romp that will have you smiling from ear to ear. His inventiveness helps bring to life previous unseen features of the MCU, and his neon palette makes for a vivid experience of visual wonder. Taika gets to play with all his action figures this time around, and it’s one hell of a show.

Aussie star and MCU legend Chris Hemsworth is once again centre screen as Thor Odinson, the ‘space Viking’, and Thor: Love and Thunder marks a new chapter in this character’s journey, and Hemsworth approaches it with zeal. Gone is the ‘Bro bod’ and instead we get the ‘God bod’, with Hemsworth looking every part the superhero in the film, and he has a blast swinging Stormbreaker around. But it’s not just hammer time for Hemsworth’s Thor, instead this Asgardian God undergoes quite a journey, and it’s a dramatic one. We get a greater insight into Thor’s motivations as part of his reinvention, and it’s clear to audiences that Hemsworth’s own life has impacted his performance. Waititi works to give Hemsworth’s Thor a new dimension, and he’s faced with a new challenge that tests him to his core as a hero.

Facing down Thor this time is Christian Bale as Gorr, a humanoid-alien who becomes possessed by the darkness of the Necrosword, and in his transformation, becomes known as ‘The God Butcher’. And his is a horrifically scary performance. Bale’s performance as Gorr could be likened to a combination of classic villains such as Nosferatu and The Child Catcher, and Gorr has a diabolical and bleak sense of humour that he torments his victims with. And Bale’s delivery is sure to make you shudder. Gorr is a truly worthy villain for Thor to face down, and Bale brings him to life in vivid detail, and audiences will be animated as the God and the God Butcher battle it out. Bale’s performance as Gorr ranks up with other top-tier Marvel villains such as Thanos and Eric Killmonger, and he’s sure to haunt the dark reaches of your nightmares.

Making her return to the MCU as Jane Foster is Natalie Portman, one of the MCU originals, and what a return it is! Faced with a life or death battle, Portman’s Foster harnesses the power of a reconstructed Mjolnir and becomes the Mighty Thor…and she wields the lightning with absolute authority. Foster picks up her terrific mix of chemistry and banter with Hemsworth once more, and the two of them get to have so much fun together in this new adventure. Whether they’re battling shadow monsters or falling in love with one another again, Portman and Hemsworth make a great pair on screen together, and their joint control over thunder and lightning makes this return that much more fun to watch.

Audiences should also expect a great mix of supporting performances as well. This time around the Guardians of the Galaxy are also along for the ride, and it’s fantastic to see our favourite characters back for all the fun. And then there’s Academy Award winner Russell Crowe who makes his MCU debut as the King of the Gods himself, Zeus, and he’s utterly enchanting in the role. Best described as a self-absorbed fop, Crowe’s Zeus has a very memorable interaction with Thor, Foster and their team, and Crowe gets plenty of laughs out of his audience. Plus stay around for the end credits for an incredibly important MCU debut that will get you amped for the future.

As a cinematic experience, Thor: Love and Thunder is a full-on heavy metal, superhero rock opera, and this film will have you amped from beginning to end. Packed full of bright colours, heavy riffs, and monster-bashing goodness, Thor: Love and Thunder is a flat-out fun ride, and you’ll be in full headbanger mode with this one. Waititi’s choices as a director are packed full of surprises, and the film’s third act delivers one hell of a roar that rocks the cinema with energy. From his unique incorporation of Norse mythology to his bold, imaginative worldbuilding, Waititi succeeds with Thor: Love and Thunder, and MCU fans will be pleased with this one.

Lightning strikes with Thor: Love and Thunder, and this is a film of pure fun for everyone. Every frame is energetic, animated and crackling with passion and brilliance, and it makes for a fabulous time out at the cinema.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, with half of the universe killed in an event dubbed “The Decimation”, the universe lies in shambles and the remaining Avengers and their allies must reassemble to repair the damage caused by Thanos and bring harmony back to the universe

Be forewarned. This review will be written to be completely spoiler free and so in keeping with this I will not be delving into any specific plot points. As an experience, it’s far better to go into Avengers: Endgame completely blind and just let the entire film experience wash over you with it’s amazing collection of characters who find themselves facing the biggest fight of their lives.

For Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of a journey that has been a long time in the making and it completely takes you by surprise. There’s no way that you can expect what is coming here and the narrative is particularly clever. Weaving in and out of the events of a post Infinity War universe, while also calling back to the past 21 MCU films that have come before it. All of it makes Avengers: Endgame a very seamless watch and you’ll be absolutely wired into the events that play out on screen.

One thing that I absolutely loved about Avengers: Endgame was how we were witnessing the way in which the events of Infinity War changed the core Avengers roster of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and just how each of these individuals reacted to Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) mighty snap. The growth and change in our heroes is definitely interesting, and their new status in a changed universe provides an interesting foundation for their heroism to grow from again.

The Russo’s pack this film to the brim with incredible action sequences and some astounding visual effects that really bring out the inner-Marvelness of Endgame, but through all of this the film feels like a distinctly character driven drama. While I would use the word epic to describe the events of Avengers: Endgame in detail, it was great to go on this journey with these characters as their heroism is tested to the limit and together this combination of epic visual spectacle, and intimate character storytelling makes for a very beautiful film to watch.

Narrative, spectacle and character are all parts of the filmmaking process, and Avengers: Endgame is the ultimate example of this art form coming together in perfect symphony. Cast and crew give their all to this production and it shows in every single frame of film. From the Russo Brothers narrative and direction to the cast’s commitment to performance to the gorgeous cinematography of Trent Opaloch, the kinetic pacing of editing by Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt and the heart pounding and emotive score provided by the great Alan Silvestri, Avengers: Endgame comes together perfectly and the result is simply incredible to behold. This film is a true testament to to the passion and energy of so many people with a desire to deliver something truly marvelous.

Avengers: Endgame is a film heavy with emotions and it touches on many important themes throughout its narrative. Love, loss, family and above all else heroism are explored to their fullest in this three hour long extravaganza and the Russo Brothers really deliver on the depth of the MCU, along with all the visual fanfare that we’ve come to expect from Marvel. The core idea at the heart of Avengers: Endgame is heroism and how no matter how broken or beaten down we may be we can always rise to the challenge when we are called upon, just as the Avengers do time and time again. While we thought that Infinity War would have been their greatest test, it is in Endgame that they really find their strength most challenged and their will to meet it and do the right thing is an extremely powerful message. With each new Marvel film we find out just what it means to be a hero and Avengers: Endgame is the ultimate thesis on this idea.

I never thought I could see a film bigger than Avengers: Infinity War. Well I did and that film was Avengers: Endgame. A true cinematic marvel that delivers on every single level and provides a fitting closure to Marvel Studios Phase Three and the past 11 years. This is the film that every single Marvel fan has long waited for and everyone involved in it delivers a hundred and ten percent to its success. They don’t get much better than this. Excelsior.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Picking up the actin of both of the first teaser and this year’s Super Bowl spot, the action moves both backwards and forwards as our heroes trace both their pasts and their new mission to re-write what Thanos did and save the universe for good.

Watch this amazing new trailer below:

Here’s the full synopsis:

Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, with half of the universe killed in an event dubbed “The Decimation”, the universe lies in shambles and the remaining Avengers and their allies must reassemble to repair the damage caused by Thanos and bring harmony back to the universe

This new trailer really gets to the heart of who the Avengers are and how their heroic nature cannot be tamed and now more than ever these heroes are ready to stand up and fight for what is right.

The new footage on display is just amazing, not only do we see the return of the original core Avengers who include Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and the likes of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) now also join their ranks. And this time they’re coming for Thanos with a fury to avenge the universe, as well as sporting all-new white and red suits, which has me thinking that our heroes might be taking their fight to the cosmos.

Get ready for the epic final showdown that is Avengers: Endgame where our heroes will do whatever it takes to save the universe, and which will arrive in cinemas on April 24.

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The new trailer is here and it’s a real mindbender. Check it out below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past in 1969. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. A young concierge (Lewis Pullman) greets the strangers: a down-on-his-luck priest (Jeff Bridges), a singer (Cynthia Erivo), an impressionable Southern girl (Cailee Spaeny) and her older sister (Dakota Johnson), a vacuum cleaner salesman (Jon Hamm), and a charismatic cult leader (Chris Hemsworth).

Following on from the first trailer we know get a deeper dive into Goddard’s twisting 1960s mystery world as seven strangers are forced together for a wild and unpredictable night. Goddard appears to have grabbed the noir genre and has really spun it 360 degrees in the other way.

Along with his trippy narrative he’s also got a stellar cast with some knockout performances, chief among them is Hollywood’s leading hunk, Chris Hemsworth, who delivers a sinister and scary performance as a cult leader by the name of Billy Lee who has his eyes set on the younger sister of Dakota Johnson Southern criminal Emily Summerspring.

In addition to Hemsworth and Johnson the cast also features Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, Cailee Spaeny and newcomer Lewis Pullman…and all of them have their secrets to hide in what will be a very tense piece of noir infused cinema.

The film’s unique setting of the El Royale, a bi-coastal hotel that is situated directly between Nevada and California also has plenty of secrets of its own, and with the addition of a stunning soundtrack featuring the likes of Deep Purple and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons you can be sure that this will be a rocking good time.

Get ready to have your mind warped when Bad Times at the El Royale arrives in cinemas on October 11.

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Check out the brand new trailer below:

Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past in 1969. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. A young concierge (Lewis Pullman) greets the strangers: a down-on-his-luck priest (Jeff Bridges), a singer (Cynthia Erivo), an impressionable Southern girl (Cailee Spaeny) and her older sister (Dakota Johnson), a vacuum cleaner salesman (Jon Hamm), and a charismatic cult leader (Chris Hemsworth).

Directed by Drew Goddard, Bad Times at the El Royale looks like it will be an instant classic when it is released thanks to it’s sharp story and one hell of an assembled cast. With the likes of Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Chris Hemsworth on board you can guarantee that this will be a film  to savor.

While this first trailer doesn’t give a whole lot away what is apparent is that nothing and no-one is what it seems and that audiences will be in for one twisted tale here. Goddard also appears to be shifting things around here and he’s really using his cast to his advantage and playing them off against type. This is particularly true of Hemsworth’s mysterious and sinister cult leader who arrives at the hotel with ill intentions and who is most definitely the villain of the piece.

You can expect a whole lot of twists and turns when Bad Times at the El Royale arrives in cinemas on October 18.

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After his actions lead to the rise of the goddess of death Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the absent minder of Asgard finds himself lost on the alien world of Sakaar. Placed into the world of gladiatorial combat, Thor has a run in with The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the two of them form a pack to escape Sakaar and return to save Asgard from the impending apocalypse of Ragnarok.

Marvel has redefined the notion of what scale means in the blockbuster business and as far as blockbusters go they don’t get bigger or bolder than Thor: Ragnarok. And then there’s the fact that Thor: Ragnarok is so much fun!

As Earth’s mightiest avenger Chris Hemsworth has his power pushed to the limit and his heroism tested as he finds himself scattered to the farthest corners of the universe with his very purpose stripped from him. Of all the Marvel characters Hemsworth’s role as Thor has been the character that most aligns to the notion of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth or what is commonly referred to as The Heroes Journey. And while Hemsworth as Thor had already completed this roundabout cycle in the previous Thor films, Waititi essentially gives audiences the post-script of what comes next. The director puts his hero in an uncomfortable position by essentially removing Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, from our hero and forcing him to rediscover his inner character and strength as a result. It’s an action that forces our hero to rise to the occasion and leads to plenty of amazing discoveries on Thor’s part.

But while Thor still might be his essential stoic self, this time Hemsworth gets to tap into his brilliant comedic timing, and the jokes come flying. This focus on comedy is of course part of Waititi’s influence on the film, but it also makes for something that is different and fresh for a long time Marvel audiences. While I can’t go too much into Thor’s journey for Ragnarok without heading into spoiler territory I can say that Hemsworth’s embrace of the lighter side of himself leads to a stronger character and many unexpected laughs.

Thor: Ragnarok could essentially be described as the ‘odd couple’ movie as Thor finds himself in the company of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk on the alien planet of Sakaar. Waititi borrows material from the critically acclaimed ‘Planet Hulk’ storyline for this part of the film, and the coupling of Thor and Hulk is awesome to see up on screen. We get both equal moments of comedy and drama with these two, and Mark Ruffalo brings a sense of both misspent time and a deep sense of loss as the dishevelled Bruce Banner. Watching both he and Hemsworth’s relationship up on screen took me back to classic memories of film’s such as Midnight Run and Lethal Weapon, buddy film’s where the action and emphasis was on each character and their unique interaction’s with one another.

However it’s not a Thor film without the appearance of Thor’s treacherous half-brother Loki, and once again British thespian Tom Hiddleston shows up bearing gifts. While we’ve grown to know Loki as a scheming, Machiavellian force, here he’s dropped that facade in order to be a far more casual and fun-loving type of dude. Essentially Loki got what he wanted at the end of Thor: The Dark World, and that’s essentially made him a far more sloth-like character. This is party boy Loki, and when his big brother does turn up he’s non-to pleased at having all of his fun taken away from him. While there’s still the usual love/hate moments between the two brothers here the comedic stylings of Taika Waititi take that to the next level, and with it I say bring on more Loki!

Every hero needs a villain to test them, and Thor finds his in the visage of death herself thanks to Cate Blanchett’s performance as Hela, The Goddess of Death. As the first ever female big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Blanchett had plenty of responsibility resting on her shoulders…and she completely owns it. Hela is one mean girl who would reduce Regina George to tear’s and this goth princess recoils in her pleasure to unfurl death upon Asgard and pound the snot out of bickering princes Thor and Loki. What I loved about Blanchett’s performance was that she clearly placed herself above the two of them and was interested in making Asgard her own personal playground. As death incarnate Hela is also unstoppable and Blanchett throws out plenty of sick fight moves that she picked up from New Zealand’s first lady of the stunt world Zoe Bell.

But if I have to name a scene stealer then it’s definitely Jeff Goldblum as the eccentrically kooky Grandmaster. This immortal of the universe, who is the brother to Benicio del Toro’s sinister Collector, is a benevolent entertainer and ruler of the planet of Sakaar. Here this galactic style Emporer stages mighty gladiatorial games…along with mixing his own solid turntable beats. Goldblum was born to play this role and Marvel fans will revel in the extremeness of his character. All of it fits perfectly in the world of Thor: Ragnarok and as an audience member, you’ll find yourself demanding more of The Grandmaster. The Grandmaster also introduces audiences to two distinctively Kiwi characters. The first is his right-hand woman Topaz played to dry comedic perfection by Rachel House, while Waititi himself joins in on the action with his performance as the softly-spoken rock giant Korg who is essentially a Maori bouncer in space and who will have you in fits of laughter with his laugh-out-loud dialogue.

Thor: Ragnarok succeeds as the grand entertainment that it is thanks to the vision of the great Taika Waititi. The world of Thor and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a giant play chest for Waititi and he undoubtedly is a kid in a candy store with this grand canvas. From the film’s pascal colouring to it’s synthesized score, every part of this film is imbued with Waititi’s sense of child-like wonder. As far as reference points go the 1980s definitely plays a part here and I can just feel that Waititi’s aesthetic choices were inspired by his admiration for 80s pop culture such as Flash Gordon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Thundercats. The director has a large canvas with Thor: Ragnarok and he absolutely fills every part of it with spectacle and then of-course there’s the comedy. If ever a Marvel movie called for comedy it was Thor: Ragnarok and with Taika at the helm, the laughs come pretty easily.

As a New Zealander myself I can also say that I could really feel the distinctive Kiwi vibe that Taika and his crew were going for with Thor. It’s great to see this in something as big and grand as a Marvel movie, and it really put a smile on my face.

Waititi is also a champ when it comes to handling the film’s epic action sequences. While I don’t want to reveal too much the film’s impressive gladiatorial main event had all the calling cards of the coolest WWF matches, and Hulk clearly lived up to his name with plenty of throwbacks to the actions of cult wrestling icons such as Randy ‘The Macho Man’ Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and off-course the one and only Hulk Hogan! Banging combat doesn’t get much better than this, and in 3D it’s one AWESOME spectacle.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a playground for diverse directors with voice and vision. Taika Waititi is one of those directors. Just like James Gunn and The Russo Brothers, Waititi has his own way of doing things and this defined sense of who he is as a director leads the way for an extraordinary film experience. After watching Thor: Ragnarok all I want is more Marvel film’s made by Taika Waititi and judging by the reactions of those who were lucky enough to see Ragnarok early I feel that we’ll see him back in the director’s chair very shortly.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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