-
[QUOTE=Naked Bat;4114892]I finally watched Thor Ragnarok yesterday. It took me a long time to watch it, because all the talk about how hilarious it was scared me. I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. But I didn't think it was that funny. Some jokes I did like, especially when he and Hulk are screaming at each other, but I wouldn't say the movie as a whole was hilarious to me. That said, I really liked it, which is a relief. It was way more enjoyable than Thor 1 and especially Thor 2 (which is probably the MCU movie I like the least. I'm not even sure I like it at all to be honest).[/QUOTE]
Coincidently I just rewatched it having not seen it since the cinema. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it on rewatch. Originally I had a great time, but afterwards felt the humour undercut the weight of the action. Perhaps because jokes never land quite as hard the second time one watches something, I found myself being much more impressed with how the more serious content was handled and my overall impression of the movie has risen quite a bit. Also it is a move that rewards rewatching on a purely visual level. It would be impossible to appreciate all of the great design work and the numerous Kirby nods on a single watch.
-
I agree that the film gets better on re-watch - the first time I saw it I liked it for the performances and the action, but found the Asgard scenes (which are very important to Thor's overall mythology) jarred with the light-hearted Sakaar section (which is the true heart of the movie,imo); upon re-watching it I find that doesn't bother me at all any more. It's now one of my favourite Marvel films and perhaps my most re-watched Marvel movie.
-
I think it's a really entertaining Marvel movie, but still my least favorite Thor film :).
-
[QUOTE=Frontier;4124361]I think it's a really entertaining Marvel movie, but still my least favorite Thor film :).[/QUOTE]
That’s exactly opposite to my view. For me 1 is passable but too simplistic. 2 is one of the least satisfying MCU movies. It has a promising first two acts but throws it all away in the pointless fight scene ending. Both enjoyable but both at the bottom of my MCU list alongside Strange and Hulk.
-
[QUOTE=JKtheMac;4124955]That’s exactly opposite to my view. For me 1 is passable but too simplistic. 2 is one of the least satisfying MCU movies. It has a promising first two acts but throws it all away in the pointless fight scene ending. Both enjoyable but both at the bottom of my MCU list alongside Strange and Hulk.[/QUOTE]
I think the first film was a strong solo outing for a Phase 1 MCU film, but [I]Dark World [/I]just squandered all of it's potential which led to [I]Ragnarok[/I] chucking everything that made Thor Thor.
-
[QUOTE=Frontier;4125108]I think the first film was a strong solo outing for a Phase 1 MCU film, but [I]Dark World [/I]just squandered all of it's potential which led to [I]Ragnarok[/I] chucking everything that made Thor Thor.[/QUOTE]
I wonder if you have also given Ragnarok a second viewing. As I said, I was not it’s biggest fan originally but it is a much more serious and interesting story than that. Far from throwing anything away it simply plays towards a lighter tone. Given how poorly the darker tone worked out for it, that seems a sensible decision don’t you think? Hemsworth is great at doing ironic comedy, and can clearly carry a movie when given the opportunity.
Whether you consider irony to be appropriate to the character is perhaps the key. It feels to me that Thor has always had the potential for this. Many of my favourite Thor stories have contained that situational comedy element of a character who doesn’t quite belong on Midgard, at least not in the 20th century. Who is drawn to Earth out of affection and duty. Who is a mostly forgotten and unappreciated deity in a more secular age, that gets noticed mostly because he stands out. That incongruity is what separates Thor from Superman for me. Less ernest, less like a boy scout or role model. He may not be played for out and out laughter very often in the comics, but that humor sits just below the surface.
It is harder for the movies to go for pure fantasy. The master plan has always played to Thor as an Avenger. By playing up the alien and playing down the mystical we are left with ‘Thor Space Viking’. That isn’t something that demands earnestness. At least Ragnarok reclaims the idea of Thor being a god. The tension in his character, between the divine and the profane, is restored. The comedy springs from this.
-
Ragnarok was the most fun MCU movie but not something I expected for Ragnarok.
I still have zero vibes that he is a divine being... at all.
-
[QUOTE=K7P5V;4123496]Sorry to hear about that. But from your list, I really enjoyed Simonson's run. And DeFalco's run was old-school, but I liked it.[/QUOTE]
Tom De Falco run was old school but it had some very cool story arcs and the art was great i think.
The Dan Jurgens run in Thor and the Langridge/Samnee Thor run are stories that i will be reading eventually.
-
[QUOTE=JKtheMac;4125541]I wonder if you have also given Ragnarok a second viewing. As I said, I was not it’s biggest fan originally but it is a much more serious and interesting story than that. Far from throwing anything away it simply plays towards a lighter tone. Given how poorly the darker tone worked out for it, that seems a sensible decision don’t you think? Hemsworth is great at doing ironic comedy, and can clearly carry a movie when given the opportunity.[/QUOTE]
It's definitely a lighter tone, but I still think they just threw a lot away in the end and with little fanfare (right down to Asgard itself).
Again, very funny and cool movie, just not to my taste as a fan of Thor and his universe.
I get why they course-corrected the films but I think there were better ways they could've done it then such a massive tonal and characterization shift. Like, I dunno, go full on Simonson for a grandiose and mythic adventure but without the irreverence. Make Thor more like [I]Earth's Mightiest Heroes[/I] Thor instead of Hercules.
But that's just me.
[QUOTE]Whether you consider irony to be appropriate to the character is perhaps the key. It feels to me that Thor has always had the potential for this. Many of my favourite Thor stories have contained that situational comedy element of a character who doesn’t quite belong on Midgard, at least not in the 20th century. Who is drawn to Earth out of affection and duty. Who is a mostly forgotten and unappreciated deity in a more secular age, that gets noticed mostly because he stands out. That incongruity is what separates Thor from Superman for me. Less ernest, less like a boy scout or role model. He may not be played for out and out laughter very often in the comics, but that humor sits just below the surface.[/QUOTE]
I definitely don't view Thor as an ironic character.
[QUOTE]It is harder for the movies to go for pure fantasy. The master plan has always played to Thor as an Avenger. By playing up the alien and playing down the mystical we are left with ‘Thor Space Viking’. That isn’t something that demands earnestness. At least Ragnarok reclaims the idea of Thor being a god. The tension in his character, between the divine and the profane, is restored. The comedy springs from this.[/QUOTE]
I definitely think a major part of Thor is the fantasy-aspect and I think the first film did a good job of being able to capture that while balancing with the Earth stuff.
Ragnarok to me continued the "we're calling them Gods and they kind of are, but kind of not?" thing that's been with the MCU since the beginning. I found this especially true for how they handled Hela.
-
Happy Thor's Day!
[CENTER][SIZE=5][COLOR="#0000FF"][I]Journey into Mystery #100[/I] Jan 1964[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]"The Master Plan of Mr. Hyde!"[/SIZE]
Mister Hyde kidnaps Don Blake and Jane Foster
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Edd_ZR-EJI/VnezGOp1PfI/AAAAAAAAPXE/J1Uk5C3oGnw/s1600-Ic42/RCO006.jpg[/IMG]
and then tries to steal a submarine using Jane as a hostage;
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a9HjiJd_dlI/VnezHH7LpMI/AAAAAAAAPXc/DYYg0RnTNIQ/s1600-Ic42/RCO013.jpg[/IMG]
Jane stops Thor from catching Hyde because she thinks that Don is still in danger;
The police realize that Hyde framed Thor for the bank robbery,
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e1LT4qXZy3k/VnezHXv-III/AAAAAAAAPXY/yUIXe-3Qcg8/s1600-Ic42/RCO014.jpg[/IMG]
but Jane's actions convince Odin that she is unworthy of immortality.
[B]Script[/B] by Stan Lee, [B]art[/B] by Don Heck[/CENTER]
-
[CENTER][SIZE=3]Fourth "Tales of Asgard" installment,
"The Storm Giants!" [/SIZE]
This is the first "Boyhood of Thor" story;
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Nyzg1afu28/VnezHvJbSCI/AAAAAAAAPXE/cXlThD1Tr-8/s1600-Ic42/RCO015.jpg[/IMG]
Thor and Loki (as children) track down three Storm Giants
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1IXbTAnErw/VnezHjBmMwI/AAAAAAAAPXE/TTVzm-MZ800/s1600-Ic42/RCO016.jpg[/IMG]
in order to return the Golden Apples to Iduna.
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc-PiwjUcyY/VnezHyVAbkI/AAAAAAAAPXE/fAVeJNXqf50/s1600-Ic42/RCO017.jpg[/IMG]
[B]Script[/B] by Stan Lee, [B]pencils[/B] by Jack Kirby, [B]inks[/B] by Paul Reinman[/CENTER]
-
After doing one for 2008's Iron Man I figured I would make a Choose Your Adventure style cover for Thor: Ragnarok since it happens to be my favorite MCU film so far! Should hopefully make ones for the other Thor films as well!
[img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/intermediary/f/ac81ecba-242e-4e70-9176-63647f7f5201/dcwqxwm-786ef27d-bdeb-4faa-829c-c30026b81b66.png[/img]
-
[QUOTE=JKtheMac;4123945]Coincidently I just rewatched it having not seen it since the cinema. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it on rewatch. Originally I had a great time, but afterwards felt the humour undercut the weight of the action. Perhaps because jokes never land quite as hard the second time one watches something, I found myself being much more impressed with how the more serious content was handled and my overall impression of the movie has risen quite a bit. Also it is a move that rewards rewatching on a purely visual level. It would be impossible to appreciate all of the great design work and the numerous Kirby nods on a single watch.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Panic;4124054]I agree that the film gets better on re-watch - the first time I saw it I liked it for the performances and the action, but found the Asgard scenes (which are very important to Thor's overall mythology) jarred with the light-hearted Sakaar section (which is the true heart of the movie,imo); upon re-watching it I find that doesn't bother me at all any more. It's now one of my favourite Marvel films and perhaps my most re-watched Marvel movie.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=JKtheMac;4125541]I wonder if you have also given Ragnarok a second viewing. As I said, I was not it’s biggest fan originally but it is a much more serious and interesting story than that. Far from throwing anything away it simply plays towards a lighter tone. Given how poorly the darker tone worked out for it, that seems a sensible decision don’t you think? Hemsworth is great at doing ironic comedy, and can clearly carry a movie when given the opportunity.
Whether you consider irony to be appropriate to the character is perhaps the key. It feels to me that Thor has always had the potential for this. Many of my favourite Thor stories have contained that situational comedy element of a character who doesn’t quite belong on Midgard, at least not in the 20th century. Who is drawn to Earth out of affection and duty. Who is a mostly forgotten and unappreciated deity in a more secular age, that gets noticed mostly because he stands out. That incongruity is what separates Thor from Superman for me. Less ernest, less like a boy scout or role model. He may not be played for out and out laughter very often in the comics, but that humor sits just below the surface.
It is harder for the movies to go for pure fantasy. The master plan has always played to Thor as an Avenger. By playing up the alien and playing down the mystical we are left with ‘Thor Space Viking’. That isn’t something that demands earnestness. At least Ragnarok reclaims the idea of Thor being a god. The tension in his character, between the divine and the profane, is restored. The comedy springs from this.[/QUOTE]
I was actually surprised by the more serious parts, I thought they worked very well. Visually, it's a really interesting movie. I wasn't convinced by Hela CGI when she fights the army, though. It looked really bad. Other than that, it's visually striking.
-
[QUOTE=Frontier;4127771]
I definitely don't view Thor as an ironic character. [/quote]
For me, if you remove the sense of irony from Marvel you are left with very little of value. Lee may have been inspired by Shakespeare but I don't think he was ever under the illusion that he was actually writing Shakespeare.
-
Thor #9 is stunning. In the panel with Jane in the street it feels like del Mundo is channeling Albert Uderzo, it is so full of character.
The story is equally fascinating. Full of Wakandan hubris with a distinct flavour of tragedy and portentous pointers. The final page begs so many questions and hints at something I have been concerned about for a very long while.