Gee, this whole Marvel movie thing seems to be going splendidly, don't you think?
The Captain America franchise feeds into the Thor movies that feed into the Avengers mega-romps, which adds pieces from Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Black Panther, etc.
Although the plot lines and scripts are getting a little worn and weary (how many times can you save the world?), there is no shortage of characters or cross-pollination opportunities.
That is most evident in Marvel's latest entry, "Thor: Ragnarok."
The third Thor stand-alone film finds our hero (Chris Hemsworth) in deep doo-doo, thrown into prison and forced to fight his way to freedom. Do you think he gets away and lives to scorch his enemies and save the citizens of his beloved Asgard? Are you kidding me? Ragnarok (the prophesied end time for Thor's homeland) is not about a dark, twisty story. It's about having a good time.
While its plot is mindless, its character development nil and its fiery dramatic moments soggy, it's also a lot of fun.
"Thor: Ragnarok" has its tongue firmly planted in cheek. It's not just self-aware and self-obsessed, it's self-mocking. It's as if the hunky Hemsworth is looking at the audience and saying, "We all know this is utterly ridiculous, but let's have some laughs. What do you say, mate?"
Thor is more smart-alecky this time out, as if he is channeling Chris Pratt's Star Lord from the Guardians movies, or Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.
He finds himself dropped on the planet of Sakaar, a kind of vast waste dump that looks like something out of "WALL-E." It is controlled by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), who delights in setting up gladiator-like showdowns in his giant arena.
Thor's great challenge comes in the form of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Normally, I would not share this fact, but it has been shown endlessly in trailers and commercials. Had it not been repeatedly revealed, it would have been a real kick-in-the-head moment. As it is, the big payoff gets deflated. But fear not. Thor: Ragnarok keeps jumping and spinning and the fighting _ cue Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song _ is furious.
In addition to old favorites, like Tom Hiddleston's always verbally nimble, and allegiance-shifting Loki, and Anthony Hopkins' pronouncement-heavy Odin, there are some new wrinkles.
We meet Thor's long-hidden sister Hela, aka the Goddess of Death. She'd like to rule the nine realms and then some. Drowning under tons of eye makeup, a goth Cate Blanchett relishes spewing Hela's evil invective from under some sort of spiky-antler headgear.
Blanchett is a hoot. She delights in chewing the scenery, but not nearly as much as Goldblum, who runs his planet like a galactic Studio 54. Other fine performers like Idris Elba, Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban are also on hand.
The cast is nothing short of stellar. But there are so many characters that their appearances are more like cameos. Even director Taika Waititi doubles as Korg, a funky fellow prisoner of Thor's who speaks with a New Zealand accent and is made of rocks (think The Thing from Fantastic Four, but funnier).
One painfully forced interlude involves Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who briefly banters with Thor and Loki and displays his magical skills. The scene is utterly bland and unnecessary, but it's Marvel's way of checking that self-promoting box.
Fortunately, the charismatic Hemsworth is such good company, you're willing to play along and cruise past the roadblocks. And if you just can't get enough of Thor, hang in there. "Avengers: Infinity War" will be out in May.
