THOR: RAGNAROK

Chris Hemsworth     Tom Hiddleston     Cate Blanchett     Mark Ruffalo     Tessa Thompson

Anthony Hopkins     Benedict Cumberbatch     Idris Elba     Jeff Goldblum     Karl Urban

     Thor has seen rocky times in two previous versions (Thor, 2011; Thor:  The Dark World, 2013), but in the hands of the gifted director Taika Waititi, Thor:  Ragnarok is deemed much more successful.  Additional factors contributing to quality are the writers (Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and original Marvel comics); the diverse, finely talented cast; the imaginative cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe; and the special and visual effects. 

One of the distinctions of this action film is the inclusion of emotional elements (sibling rivalry, family issues, friendship, loyalties, humor) and depth of story, along with the stronger roles given to women, more so than almost any other action film, except for Wonder Woman.  Cate Blanchett as Hela and Tessa Thompson as a Valkyrie have special powers and hold their own in physical combat with the men. 

    In searching for the Infinity Stones, a holdover from the Avengers franchise, Thor (Hemsworth) is captured by the fiery demon Surtur (voice of Clancy Brown) who prophesies the end of Asgard (Odin’s realm) in an apocalypse called Ragnarok.  Thor is not about to let that happen, and escapes the demon, thinking he has prevented Ragnarok from happening.  But his father Odin (Hopkins) is missing, so he enlists the help of Dr. Strange (Cumberbatch) in locating him, which he does with a number of flashy demonstrations.  Thor talks to his father, and learns that his sister Hela (Blanchett), who has been in prison, will be released, will be claiming the crown, and will implement Ragnarock as the Goddess of Death.  It turns out that she has higher ambitions than her father, with wishes to control the whole world.  Thor decides to take her on, and goes to Asgard.

     But the black-clad Hela with a gorgeous body and an antler headdress is formidable, and not only does Thor lose his hammer, he is banished to the world of Sakaar, ruled by the weird Grand Master (Jeff Goldblum).  He finds his brother Loki (Hiddleston) already there, and sees that he has gained the confidence of the Grand Master.  The brothers are as competitive as always, and Thor winds up being made a gladiator scheduled to fight the current champion—none other than The Hulk (Ruffalo).  Thor is delighted to see him, but soon discovers that Bruce Banner is no longer present, and The Hulk fully intends to destroy him.  Eventually, Thor, Loki, the Valkyrie, and The Hulk wriggle out of the confines of Sakaar, and rally the support and arms they will need to thwart Hela’s ambitions.

     Back on Asgard, the people are unhappy with Hela’s merciless rule and destructiveness, and under the leadership of Heimdall (Elba), attempting to avoid Hela’s soldiers and escape to a safer place.  Thor and his team of “Revengers” will be fighting the battle of their lives when they arrive.

     Balancing out the action scenes are many allusions to a wry kind of humor.  Calling their team the “Revengers” is one; the Grand Master insisting on calling Thor the “Lord” of Thunder, rather than a god, rankling Thor, is another; and key people refusing to join the Revengers because they “don’t want to get into a family squabble” still another example.  Many of these jokes were sprinkled throughout the action sequences late in production, increasing the run time twenty minutes, but Waititi considers it well worth it.  I would agree.

Thor:  Ragnarok easily entertains with adventure, challenges, family fights, and humor. 

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

PETE'S DRAGON

Bryce Dallas Howard     Robert Redford     Oakes Fegley     Oona Laurence     Wes Bentley     Karl Urban

               Ah…magic is still alive and all’s right with the world!  When five year-old Pete has to fend for himself in the forest after a car accident, a dragon who had been spotted occasionally in that forest through the years suddenly appears.  Without speaking, of course, he lets the child know that he is a friendly dragon, and Pete knows from his book about a dragon to name him Elliot.  They spend the next six years playing together, building a tree house, finding shelter in a cave, and foraging for food. 

        When civilization starts to encroach upon the forest in the form of housing development, the idyllic lives of the two friends are about to change.  Pete has a gradual introduction when he is spotted by a girl about his age named Natalie (Laurence) who is the daughter of the man responsible for clearing the forest.  She is a curious child and immediately wants to make friends and chases after him.  He runs up a tree, with her right behind him, but she is not as experienced as he is and falls.  This brings her parents, who must figure out who Pete is and where he came from.

               Pete has vague memories of his mother, and he is reminded of her when Natalie’s mother Grace (Howard) gently talks to him, so he warms up to her.  Grace has grown up in the region and knows the forest very well and some of the lore about it told to her by her father (Redford).  She will work on finding out about Pete’s origins and see that he is well taken care of.

            However, she doesn’t anticipate that greed and mass hysteria among people in town are going to hamper her efforts.  When Elliott is spotted looking for Pete, trigger-happy Gavin (Urban) whips up the townspeople to get out their guns and give chase.  They are afraid, but it’s also evident that they love the sport of hunting just for the fun of it.  This is one of the good messages in the film for children—that they don’t have to run and get their guns anytime they see something strange or try to exploit it for profit.

            In the course of dealing with this issue and trying to help Pete find his friend, Director David Lowery gives us excitement aplenty, mixed with tender moments after close calls and significant discoveries.  I think this Disney production does a fine job in balancing the scariness and tension with the joys of discovery in the natural world, as well as showing the warmth of a loving family.  I especially appreciated seeing that Natalie was better than the adults in understanding Pete and introducing him to things he has never seen or has forgotten.  Once again, it’s good for children to see that model of behavior with a stranger, as opposed to rejecting him because he is different.

          Robert Redford is a powerful figure onscreen, and when the movie opens and he is telling a group of children about a dragon, he captures our interest right away.  Bryce Dallas Howard plays her role as daughter, wife, and mother in a natural, loving way, giving assurance that Pete is in good hands.  Both child actors, Fegley and Laurence, merge into their roles with ease and are delightful to watch.  Daniel Hart’s music choices are just right in using well-known American songs that give a sense of place and time.

For a bit of thrilling magic, go see Pete’s Dragon.

Grade:  A                        By Donna R. Copeland

STAR TREK BEYOND

Chris Pine   Zachary Quinto   Karl Urban   Simon Pegg   John Cho   Zoe Saldana   

Anton Yelchin   Idris Elba   Sofia Boutella   Lydia Wilson

          After three years in space, the crew of the USS Enterprise is getting a bit antsy.  Captain Kirk (Pine) applies for the job of vice admiral because he’s a bit bored, those with families are feeling the separation, and Chief Engineer Scottie (Pegg) is dithering about budget problems.  Suddenly, an escape pod appears, and its occupant, Kalara (Wilson) requests Captain Kirk’s help after an alien warlord attacked her ship and captured her crew.

In all good faith, the Enterprise heads to the crippled ship, only to find out it is a trap.  The remainder of the story entails taking on the warlord at great risk, suffering severe threats and requiring all the ingenuity, tactics, and memory the captain and his crew can muster simply to survive. 

          They do encounter an ally in Jaylah (Boutella) when she saves Scotty from soldiers about to capture him.  Her people were already captured and killed by the warlord Krall (Elba).  Much to Scotty’s surprise, she has come upon the Federation’s missing USS Franklin, making it her home, and ingeniously getting key equipment up and running.  Moreover, she has the ability to put a hologram around it to conceal it.

        Star Trek fans will be thrilled with the returning cast from previous films, like Pine, Quinto, Saldana, Pegg, Urban, Cho, and Yelchin (sadly, Yelchin died earlier this year in an accident).  Beloved Spock actor, Leonard Nimoy also passed away this year, and tributes are made to both in the film.  Two new key figures have been introduced, played by Elba (Krall) and Boutella (Jaylah).  

          All the actors kindle the human/bot dramas into a warm and glowing fire, but the film is almost completely overrun by warring spectacles—including, of course, the obligatory hand-to-hand combat.  (How I wish filmmakers of blockbuster movies would eliminate this completely unnecessary motif, particularly in the context of futuristic technology).  The special effects are impressive, but it’s too bad they overpower interesting stories.  This feature clearly marks the influence of Director Justin Lin, known for his The Fast and the Furious action films.  Many will prefer such a hyped up version, whereas the rest of us are more focused on human drama.

A fast and furious rendition of the Star Trek franchise.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland