By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter
This year’s highly anticipated mythology-meets-Marvel romp “Thor: Ragnarok” opens this weekend, exciting franchise fans with its promise of action-packed comedy and a hunky Shakespearean hero to boot.
Returning to Asgard is Chris Hemsworth—sporting a short haircut—as Thor, the hammer wielding son of Norse Viking god, Odin—played by Honorary Palisadian Mayor emeritus Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Admirers of Mark Ruffalo will be pleased to find that they’ll be seeing a whole lot of Hulk in “Ragnarok,” as the mean and green monster will have to square off with Thor in a part sci-fi, part Gladiator-style superdome.
Such a seemingly offbeat plot has led fans to wonder if the third “Thor” installment of “The Avengers” franchise will be more than meets the eye: Some are speculating that the film may be Marvel’s Trojan horse for a stand alone Incredible Hulk film, which is currently owned by Universal Studios.
Bringing the feminine fury is Cate Blanchett, who joins the Universe as Thor’s icy older sister Hela, a vampy villain with the strength and vitriol to destroy whatever crosses her way.
Hela, alongside Loki— played by Tom Hiddleston—takes the thunder god’s tally of sibling rivals up to two, a story move that seems a little too safe for the franchise, but let’s be honest here: Marvel fans aren’t expecting “Ragnarok” to be the next “Citizen Kane.”
And judging by its trailer, there’s really only one word to describe the Taika Waititi-directed (“What We Do in the Shadows,” “The Hunt For the Wilderpeople”) superhero flick: fun.
With its retro ’80s soundtrack, colorful cinematography and witty dialogue, moviegoers will find their hopes for a fun, experience-driven superhero flick revitalized after this year’s “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” letdown.
Be sure to catch the action on Nov. 3 when “Thor Ragnarok” opens in theaters everywhere.
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