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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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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The latest trailer was released as a part of this year’s San Diego Comic Con celebrations and looks to be a whole lotta fun. Check it out below:

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.

Building on the elements of the previous trailer which dropped earlier this year, the new trailer focuses in on the growing bromance between Hemsworth’s Thor and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk. Finding themselves lost on an alien world, the two of them have to fight it out in the ring before coming together alongside the noble Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Thor’s treacherous half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to defeat new arch-villain Hela (Blanchett).

Waititi appears to have gone for a massive sense of scale with this cosmic set action spectacle, and there are plenty of different villains and baddies for Thor and his plucky team to battle. Chief among them is Blanchett’s Hela, who is sporting a surly Old-English accent and one very spiky headpiece as she seizes control of Asgard and plans to unleash the fabled Ragnarok.

The Marvel Universe has long been waiting for a female villain and they sure hit the jackpot with Blanchett’s casting. Not only is she exceedingly powerful, but her cunning and intelligence are sure to get the better of the noble Thor. Standing beside Hela is Karl Urban as her fearsome lieutenant Skurge, and then there is the delightful Jeff Goldblum as the very colourful Grandmaster.

Thor: Ragnarok looks like one wild-ride and 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 ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ 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.

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