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

The post ‘Avengers: Endgame’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

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

The post ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Here’s the synopsis:

Held captive on the alien world of Sakaar without his hammer, Thor (Hemsworth), must win a gladiatorial fight against his former ally – The Hulk (Mark Ruffolo) – in order to escape Sakaar and return to Asgard to combat the forces of Hela (Cate Blanchett), as she intends to unleash Ragnarok upon Asgard.

Set to Led Zepplin’s classic rock anthem Immigrant Song, the new teaser promises fans something fresh, fun and less dark than the previous Thor solo outing, which is exactly what we’d expect from director Taika Waititi.

Thor: Ragnarok will arrive in theatres on October 26 in New Zealand and Australia, and on November 3 in the US and UK.

The post The god of thunder returns in first teaser for ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.