{"id":458,"date":"2017-11-07T21:17:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T21:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dylanmaddalena.com\/?p=458"},"modified":"2017-11-07T21:18:22","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T21:18:22","slug":"thor-ups-the-game-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dylanmaddalena.com\/?p=458","title":{"rendered":"Thor Ups the Game… AGAIN!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Went to see Thor: Ragnarok<\/strong>\u00a0last week. Man was that fun. There\u2019s something going on with the superhero genre, if that\u2019s actually a \u201cthing.\u201d \u00a0The last Thor movie, The Dark World<\/strong>, was a little bit derivative. It gets a bad rap, but not because it\u2019s a bad movie. Just that there\u2019s a formula and we had seen it a few times already. Since then, Marvel and Fox in particular, have been experimenting with the style of the films. Captain America: The Winter Soldier<\/strong> was a spy thriller. \u00a0X-Men First Class<\/strong> was a period piece, Deadpool<\/strong> and Logan<\/strong> were both envelope pushers. They\u2019re making movies in certain genres that are populated with comic book characters. This is why I wonder is \u201ccomic book\u201d is a genre at all.<\/p>\n

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Either way, Thor: Ragnarok<\/strong> was something new and different; wildly different from the previous installments in the Thor series. Obviously, the comedy was paramount, tossed in with a pinch of Guardians of the Galaxy<\/strong>. The result is one of the most refreshing, fun and exciting Marvel entries yet.<\/p>\n

How can they keep redefining themselves with every single movie?!? I was talking to a friend after we saw Thor and we both agreed this was one of their best movies. Not only that, but Marvel movies seem to get better and better with each new release. When is the last time there\u2019s been a bad Marvel movie? Could have been Ant-Man<\/strong>. I mean… Ant-Man<\/strong>. That movie had no business being as good as it was. Dr. Strange<\/strong>? Nope. Despite being a bit of a throwback to Phase 1 origin stories, the visual elements and the introduction of magic were enough to separate it from the pack. Age of Ultron<\/strong> may have been the last time a Marvel movie wasn\u2019t refreshing and new. It was just after that when the new releases seemed to each have an angle; something to rest on that made them different. And Ultron<\/strong> wasn\u2019t even a bad movie!! Like Thor: The Dark World<\/strong>, the only real issue with it was it felt a little like walking down a well-tread path.<\/p>\n

Can you remember a time – a very recent time – when each movie had one special person with abilities? That\u2019s the old way. Now, after Avengers<\/strong>, there\u2019s some legit question as to why nobody else would show up if there were a world-altering event. Iron Man 3<\/strong> exposed that flaw. Dr. Strange<\/strong> was able to avoid that pitfall because nobody else in the MCU was a magic user. But now? I can\u2019t even really see Dr. Strange 2<\/strong> happening without at least Scarlett Witch showing up.<\/p>\n

None of this is what I\u2019m thinking about though. I\u2019m concerned. The reason is because Justice League<\/strong> is right around the corner.
\nThis is a movie I\u2019ve been waiting my entire life to see. Was it fun seeing Avengers<\/strong>? Yes. Has it been great seeing C and D-list characters thrive? Sure.
\nBut now, we have lesser characters like Ant-Man, Dr. Strange and yes, even Thor, all enjoying a cultural moment while Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Superman are loaded into the back seat of the comic book movie car.
\nIf it were 2011 or 2012, a straight up world threat leading to a team up of superheroes would be novel. And that\u2019s what we got in 2012. But it\u2019s been several years and as discussed, the dynamic has evolved.
\nIt\u2019s no longer enough to have a couple characters in the same movie. My larger worry is that DC seems to have abandoned the thing that separated them: the tone, the color palette, and the deconstruction of what it means to be a hero in today\u2019s world. I really have enjoyed that aspect of those movies. I\u2019m the one who really loves Man of Steel<\/strong> and BvS<\/strong>. Everyone loved Wonder Woman<\/strong>. But that had a \u201cthing\u201d: the 1st female-led superhero movie.
\nAll I\u2019m saying is I\u2019m really hopeful Justice League<\/strong> is good. Not just good, GREAT. Based on trailers and clips, it looks good. However, instead of continuing down their own path, they\u2019ve clearly diverged from the serious tone and integrated some light-hearted banter. I love the Marvel movies, but that\u2019s not what I want to see when I watch Justice League<\/strong>.
\nIt\u2019s a bummer that MoS<\/strong> and BvS<\/strong> were so divisive. I still don\u2019t quite know why. I\u2019ve written about it endlessly in past posts. Mostly it seems like people have an expectation of who these heroes are and if they\u2019re anything but that narrow vision in the movie, people complain. Which is unfortunate.
\nHopefully I\u2019m wrong and Steppenwolf\u2019s CGI looks better on the big screen. Hopefully there are still stakes and consequences. Hopefully DC can be what it should be: the world\u2019s best, most famous superheroes saving the world. And not just an Avengers knock off. Hopefully Thor: Ragnarok<\/strong> isn\u2019t the best superhero movie in theaters this holiday season. At this point, that\u2019s a tall order. We\u2019ll know more in a week!!<\/p>\n

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