With the exception of James Gunn and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, it’s feeling more and more like Marvel, as a corporation, is itself the auteur behind their MCU films. Irrespective of director — and Marvel has had their share of otherwise distinctive filmmakers (Jon Watts, Kenneth Branagh, Shane Black) — each film is distinctly “Marvel,” with the filmmakers barely leaving a trace of their own character on the work. This is especially true of the Thor films, which are widely regarded as the worst Marvel’s film offerings.
READ MORE: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Will “Drastically” Change MCU, Lead Into ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
And yet, I find myself eagerly anticipating the November release of “Thor: Ragnarok,” for one potent reason: it’s being directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi. Waititi could well be the hero Marvel needs to course-correct the Chris Hemsworth-led franchise. In the starkest possible contrast to “Thor” and “Thor: The Dark World,” Waititi’s last two films are “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” both of which are contemporary classics. Epitomizing auteurism, Waititi infuses each of his films with a dry, distinctly New Zealand wit; to this point, a Waititi film has been markedly a Waititi film. Fingers crossed that Waititi’s distinctive voice as a filmmaker has made it through the MCU production process intact and that it’s his influence over Marvel that’s won out and not the other way around.
“Thor: Ragnarok” has, in addition to a phenomenal director, a pretty fantastic cast which includes (but is not limited to) Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, and Anthony Hopkins. Here’s the official synopsis:
In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk.
“Thor: Ragnarok” hits theaters on November 3rd.
Update: An international version of the trailer featuring Doctor Strange has surfaced.