Thor: Ragnarok: Weird Avenger

Through the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its main players have managed to not only fulfill their individual role but also stick completely to them (Iron Man is the smart one, Captain America is the wet blanket). While this helps viewers relate to these characters by humanizing them, the one Avenger that never quite manages this humanity is the most obvious: Thor the Thunder God. While the rest of the universe tries to maintain some semblance of varied reality, Thor is more a super powered version of Flash Gordon (insane plotlines, goofy villains, unintentionally hilarious dialogue). Apparently realizing this wonky 70s vibe of the series, director Taika Waititi (that name's just fun to write) has decided to just take the whole concept, crank the crazy up as far as possible and roll with it. The result: the best Thor movie currently on the market.

Yes, Thor: Ragnarok, despite being the third entry in what is considered to be the least interesting Avenger movies, is awesome. The plot is ridiculously fun, the improvisational script is hilarious and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) continues to be both the most relateable villain (he just wants what he thinks is his) and, perhaps, the greatest anti-hero Marvel has yet to offer (he's still capable of good deeds even if they do not benefit him). Throw in a continuing-to-improve Chris Hemsworth as a more relateable Thor (he's funny because of the fish-out-of-water aspect) and the previously mentioned wonky 70s aesthetic that complements the Thor mythos so well and you have what the Thor movies should have been from the beginning: a quirky, almost-joking story about a thunder god who fights evil with a hilariously tiny hammer and his awesome hair. Hey, stupid fun is still fun in my book.

Unfortunately, despite the mostly stellar cast, the movie ultimately suffers from having too many stars at the top. Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Doctor Stranger (Benedict Cumberbatch) are both criminally underused in this entry and, probably because it runs north of two hours, the movie tends to drag around segments not tightly related to the actual plot (the Hulk Arena bit is overlong and outstays its welcome). Throw in a rather jarring transition mechanic that leaves too many dangling threads (your invested in a sequence that abruptly stops for something less interesting) and you have a movie that mostly nails it but can't seem to stick the landing where it counts. You're already awesome, movie! You don't have to drag yourself down for the sake of the boring side plots.

As for watching it, got anything better to do? While Ragnarok remains in my mind as the best of the Thor trilogy, it will likely benefit this weekend from a complete lack of competition. Do you love the Avengers movies and follow them religiously? You've seen this one at least three more times than I have. Do you hate superhero movies in general? Chances are nothing I say will convince you and this isn't the movie for that. Do you like the weird 70s and 80s sci-fi (Flash Gordon, Tron)? This is a loving homage to that era and that's the best compliment I can give it.

Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows) expands upon his Team Thor web shorts with Thor: Ragnarok, a colorful, mostly great look at what would happen if Thor got trapped in a Pink Floyd album and just rolled with it. What do I say without spoiling anything? Thor (Hemsworth) gets into a pickle involving his sister and death goddess Hela (Cate Blanchett) and must find a way to save his people. Along the way, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) will smash things, Loki (Hiddleston) will have humorous flashbacks from the first Avengers movie and you won't be able to get Led Zeppelin's “Immigrant Song” out of your head for the foreseeable future. Thank you, Marvel?

My score: 8/10. Is it weird that this movie makes me kind of nostalgic for the 1984 sci-fi movie The Dungeonmaster? Probably weird...

Stranger Things Season 2: More like Season 1.5 (in a good way)

Due to the fact that most current horror movies treading around movie theaters are either some version of a shameless retread (Jigsaw), a shameless cash grab sequel (Insidious 4), a shameless attempt to show off non-existent talent in a failed attempt at relevancy (Tyler Perry's Boo 2!) or a pretty awesome comedy that totally tricks you into believing its just another run-of-the-mill horror flick (Happy Death Day), how about I just review a TV show for a change? Sound good? Good! Here's Stranger Things Season 2.

The thing most critics, and, as a byproduct, most viewers, of the Netflix original series Stranger Things seemed to like about its first season was usually built more around what it wasn't (an E.T./Stephen King hybrid) than what it actually was (a confidence-free, bygone-era sci-fi series that ran too short and had little real need to exist in the first place). Regardless of the quality that Season 1 actually displayed, most people tended to roll over themselves either praising a poorly written throwaway character (Shannon Purser's Barbara) or not realizing that no one in the Byers Clan (Wynona Ryder, Noah Schapp, Charlie Heaton) was actually that interesting. And, while the the season was able to salvage itself in the final two episodes with some downright amazing production value (The Bathtub might be one of the best hours of television in Netflix's history), the season ultimately struggled with anything resembling a cohesive narrative, instead being forced into a lousy cliffhanger ending and a tacked on “Coming Soon” moment that felt pandering at best. The Duffer Brothers' (the creators) response? Make a second season and ANSWER THE STUPID QUESTIONS. The result? What season 1 should've been: an awesome E.T./Stephen King hybrid that focuses on its talented young cast and its own mythology. Why did it take a year to figure THAT out?

Yes, readers, Strangers Things 2 is the awesome we were promised that finally delivers in the amazing way we should have expected. The new additions to the cast (Sean Astin, Paul Reiser) are fun and show unexpected depth, new group member Max (Sadie Sink) is both a welcome female foil to the boys club she joins while displaying enough vulnerability to make you care about her and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is just as awesome as you would expect a telekinetic middleschooler to be. Throw in a competent narrative that finally tries to give the audience nuggets of information about its own universe (The Upside Down actually makes a little more sense now) and you have the easiest reason to argue with Netflix about extending their episode allotment. Its like the entire season was dedicated to answering its own stupid questions. That's meta.

Unfortunately, much like season 1, the short episode run (9 this time) tends to feel cramped with the amount of information they are trying to feed us and, as a result, certain plot threads feel like filler segments meant to draw something out that didn't need to be explored in the first place. Eleven's weird journey to Chicago to find her adoptive sister (Linnea Berthelsen) felt like little more than a training montage that expanded over an entire 50 minute episode before being completely abandoned for the sake of the main plot and Sheriff Hopper's (David Harbour) two-episode adventure into the Upside Down was both underwhelming and forgettable. Maybe these were just arcs meant to be explored in later seasons and I'm just being nitpicky, but it felt like the writers were trying too hard here. You managed to impress me in 9 episodes, guys. You don't have to trip over your own legs trying to take a victory lap.

As for watching it, yeah, go for it. Considering the lackluster catalog currently running through Netflix (Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, 13 Reasons Why) that seem to be absorbing resources from much better productions (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), this feels like a breath of fresh air in terms of creators understanding what paying customers actually want to see. Go for the pretty outstanding young cast, stay for the gonzo plot lines and Cthulu monsters. What else would you need for the Stephen King fan in you?

The Duffer Brothers (I'm not naming them because that's literally how they name themselves) finally, mercifully find their footing in a series that has more popularity than value with Stranger Things Season 2, a brilliant follow-up that does what follow-ups are supposed to do (close narrative gaps, fix plot problems, explore characters properly). What can I say here? Have you seen season 1? Go watch it, temper your disappointment, watch season 2 and then wonder why they didn't just combine both seasons and thereby spare us all the suffering of having to wait a year for all those stupid loose ends to tie up. Need more convincing? A telekinetic tween uses her mind powers to fight inter-dimensional slime monsters named after classic Dungeons & Dragons villains. The nerd power is strong in this one...

My score: 9/10. Does anyone like this idea of me reviewing TV series? Or is it just more of me ruining your favorite TV shows by pointing out their inconsistencies and lack of intelligence? If that second part is the case, I can promise to never review Big Bang Theory or Supergirl out of the fear of making you feel like you've given up too much of your life watching underwhelming and overrated TV shows. Did I just ruin those shows for you?