Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: November 3rd, 2017
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Mark Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander
Director: Taika Watiti (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: The character of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is probably the hardest to work with. He’s a demi-god who can fly and has an unstoppable hammer as a weapon. His appearance in two solo feature films and two Avengers films has been half good, half bad. He’s not much to do in Age of Ultron, and The Dark World had moments but didn’t really have enough to stand out. With a third Thor movie on the horizon, what can you do to really separate from what has come before? -LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: Despite the strong reception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall I feel like it’s generally accepted that the two Thor films are some of the less essential films in the franchise. But now Taika Waititi is at the helm, arguably one of the most unique directors in the MCU so far. His hilarious films What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople have laid the groundwork for what could be a very interesting take on the Thor mythos. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 5 out of 5. Wisely taking a page out of Guardians of the Galaxy‘s playbook, the Thor: Ragnarok trailer features a fantastic song as the backbone (“Immigrant Song” by Led Zepplin), retro title cards, and a good chunk of humor. Slow-mo shots with pops of color also are in the formula, and there’s a cameo at the end that brings about the best part of the trailer. In addition, Thor’s loyal form of melee attack is immediately taken from him at the beginning of the footage, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the Nordic god deals with those coming to attack. In any case, this trailer was fantastic. Bravo to the editor. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 5 out of 5. Everything about this trailer has surpassed my expectations. These two minutes were more enjoyable than a majority of Thor: The Dark World. The use of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” was just icing on the cake for one the more entertaining trailers this year. Much of the design of the film is incredibly colorful and draws heavily from Jack Kirby (notice the logo background even includes the famous Kirby Krackle). The space setting also gives off some very strong Guardians of the Galaxy vibes, as does the humor injected throughout. Of course, the highlight of the trailer was the cameo from the Hulk sporting his gladiatorial gear from the “Planet Hulk” storyline, a fun moment made even better by Thor’s own excited reaction to seeing him. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. I would have probably seen this on the big screen eventually, but what I’ve seen thus far has made it an opening weekend viewing. Let’s just hope the movie is as good as the trailer. -LJF
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. After the decent Thor and the lackluster Thor: The Dark World there needed to be a massive revamp of the way Marvel handled their Thor movies and it looks like bringing in Waititi was the key. This trailer alone has got me marking November 3rd on my calendar. – JTM
