by Emily Nagle
Today marks the premiere of the latest installment in Marvel’s “Thor” film series: Thor: Love and Thunder. True to its name, this summer blockbuster has lots of heart and lots of action, and puts a fun, fresh spin on Marvel’s successful, action-packed superhero films.
In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) quest for inner peace comes to a halt when Gorr (Christian Bale) sets out to eradicate all gods. Now, he must band together with Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and Jane (Natalie Portman) to defeat him once and for all.
Back in summer 2020, one of the first details released about the film was that Waititi was writing Love and Thunder to be a romance film, as he had never created one before. And a love story it is: instead of being completely focused on fight scenes and action, this movie has a bit of rom-com mixed in. For the first time in 8 years, we see the return of Thor’s ex-girlfriend, astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster. The duo has parted ways and led their own lives since splitting up, but now, unbeknownst to Thor, Jane is battling stage 4 cancer. She’s also become the Mighty Thor, wielding a reconstructed version of Mjolnir and gaining powers much like Thor’s.
The more light-hearted vibe of Love and Thunder actually didn’t detract from the viewing experience or story at all! Yes, a lot of Marvel’s previous films are super action-focused, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. With that being said, it’s nice to see Waititi try something slightly different. Due to so many mixed reviews early on, I walked into the theater not knowing what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that the “love” and the “thunder” parts actually go really well together!
Taika Waititi is known for injecting quirky humor into his films, and Love and Thunder is no exception. This particular Thor film is different from previous ones because it’s more light-hearted compared to its predecessors; it’s got lots of silliness, but not so much that it’s overwhelming. There’s a running gag in the film with magical screaming space goats (who are actually based on real creatures in Norse mythology!) who are gifted to Thor by planetary leaders. They pull Thor’s sleigh throughout his journey to defeat Gorr, and every time they appear onscreen, they’re yelling their hearts out. There’s also plenty of witty dialogue.
Love and Thunder is badass in all the right parts. One of the main plot points is that in addition to stopping Gorr from killing all the gods, Thor and the gang have to rescue a group of terrified Asgardian children he kidnapped and banished to the Shadow Realm. When Thor shows up to bust them out, he assembles them into a makeshift army, arms them with the powers of Thor so they can defeat Gorr and go home. The ensuing scene in which the kids obliterate everything in the Shadow Realm is super cool; similarly, it’s a sweet reunion when they’re finally returned to their families back on Earth.
My final thoughts on Thor: Love and Thunder? It’s a sweet, action-packed film that’s sure to dominate the box office this summer. It’s a little bit different from previous Thor films, but it puts a fun new spin on the God of Thunder’s adventures.
by Emily Nagle
Critic reviews for “Thor: Love and Thunder” have come storming in, and they’re already tearing the Internet apart. Despite the film not releasing until this weekend, Marvel fans are debating over the quality of the film based on the small amount of reviews that are out.
Lots of viewers are comparing the upcoming film to its predecessor, “Thor: Ragnarok“, which, like “Love and Thunder”, was directed by Taika Waititi. “Ragnarok” scored a 93% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and to date is the most successful film in Marvel’s “Thor” trilogy. Comparatively, its successor only has a 71% critic rating.
“In some ways, Thor: Love and Thunder feels like Ragnarok redux,” the critic summary on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “but overall, it offers enough fast-paced fun to make this a worthy addition to the MCU.”
Some critics have described “Love and Thunder” as watered-down compared to its predecessor, with humor that falls flat, awkward pacing, and confusing tone. On the other hand, many critics have praised the film for its eye-popping visuals, emotional depth, and Waititi’s unique direction.
Now, Marvel fans who haven’t even seen the film yet are debating whether or not it’s a quality film based on critic feedback. More specifically, they have found problems with viewers criticizing the vastly different tone of the film compared to previous Thor films; it has been described by some as reminiscent of a rom-com. With critics blasting Marvel for using the same formula for most of their projects, fans find it strange that when the studio finally decides to put a new spin on their usual techniques, critics find problems with that as well.
Those who attended advance screenings yesterday have also tweeted about how much they ended up loving the film. YouTuber iNabber praised the film’s visuals, writing, “am seeing so many people complain about how Thor 4 looks visually but trust me after seeing the movie i can happily say it’s easily top 3 best looking MCU movies, in the third act it’s genuinely absolutely gorgeous.”
Even still, there’s still a couple of days left before passionate Marvel fans can decide on the quality of “Love and Thunder” for themselves. “Thor: Love and Thunder” is rolling out to theaters this Friday, with an opening weekend projected to surpass that of “Ragnarok”; studios have predicted a domestic gross of $140 to $160 million, included in a total of $300 million worldwide.
by Emily Nagle
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for Weekend of July 1-4, 2022
5. The Black Phone ($14.5 million)
4. Jurassic World Dominion ($19.7 million)
3. Elvis ($23.5 million)
2. Top Gun: Maverick ($33 million)
1. Minions: The Rise of Gru ($125.2 million)
While the long Independence Day weekend was a quiet one in terms of new film releases, it served as the perfect debut for the long-anticipated “Minions: The Rise of Gru”. The latest installment in the “Despicable Me” film franchise – which recalls the villain origin story of a young Gru (Steve Carell) and his newly recruited Minions – grossed over $120 million during the long weekend, rising to number one after making $48.3 million on its opening day.
After getting delayed for 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” has become the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year, right behind “The Bad Guys”. It’s also the second-biggest film of the summer so far, right behind “Top Gun: Maverick”. However, its worldwide gross of $221.6 million is nowhere close to that of “Maverick”, which broke $1 billion last weekend after 5 weeks in theaters!
As for changes since last weekend, “The Black Phone” overtook Pixar’s “Lightyear” for number 5. After being overtaken by “Elvis” last weekend, “Top Gun: Maverick” made it to number two this weekend, grossing about 14% more than last weekend.
by Emily Nagle
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a departure from Illumination’s “Despicable Me” films. Instead of following the reformed supervillain and his family, it serves as a prequel, following the 2015 spinoff “Minions“. “The Rise of Gru” introduces us to young Gru (Steve Carell), whose ultimate dream is to become a supervillain. When he scores an audition for a spot in the Vicious 6, his favorite team of supervillains, Gru sees this as his big chance to make his fantasy a reality. However, the gang of baddies turns up their noses at him – how could a tiny kid who’s only 11 (and three quarters!) be villainous enough to join their squad? It is this moment that compels Gru – along with his newly hired Minions – to go on the run and prove himself to the Vicious 6.
One strength of the “Despicable Me” films has always been great soundtracks, and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is no exception. Because it’s about Gru’s childhood, the film takes place in the 1970s, and features catchy tunes from that time period. There’s also several references to musicians from that era, which will probably be appreciated by parents whose kids dragged them to the theater.
The introduction of the Vicious 6 is admittedly fun, with each villain having their own distinct aesthetic. It would’ve been nice to see more of them in the film, especially since they’re voiced by some big stars, including Danny Trejo, Lucy Lawless, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. The characters with the most screen time in this film are, unsurprisingly, the Minions, who are…well, their usual goofy, banana-loving selves. Nothing new here. If you’re a diehard fan of these gibberish-speaking yellow creatures, then this movie is right up your alley. But other than their antics, not much else goes on in this movie.
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” has a short runtime of only 88 minutes. As a result, the story is chaotic and rushed, and that’s why we don’t really get to know any of these new, intriguing characters. Sure, we know Gru and the Minions, but that’s because we already met them 12 years ago. When the end credits started rolling, I was left confused, and thought to myself, “Wait…what just happened?” The story moves so fast that we’re not given enough time to get engrossed in it.
My final thoughts on this long-awaited summer flick? Unless you’re bananas for the Minions, you probably won’t be wowed by it. If you’re itching for some animated goofiness this summer, then you’ll get a kick out of “The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog“, available now on demand on Watch It KID!, or en español on ZAZ, exclusively on Galxy TV!
by Emily Nagle
Come on Barbie, let’s go party! Over the past several days, pictures and videos from the ongoing “Barbie” film shoot in Venice Beach have made waves online, particularly on Twitter. Leaked photos depict costars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – who play Barbie and Ken, respectively – sporting matching neon roller skates and athletic wear.
Principal photography for the film began in England back in March, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden. However, this week the fantastic plastic feature has taken to California, where they were spotted filming various scenes, including one where Barbie and Ken are chased by a store owner while wearing vibrant Western apparel. The film’s plot has been kept under wraps, but speculations have been made based on leaked set photos; for example, after seeing Will Ferrell rollerskating in a suit and pink tie, fans and news sources have guessed that he will play a villainous character in the film.
Fans have also responded to the vibrant set pics with fan art and memes, as well as comments on the abundance of photos and videos. Some even joke that with all the pictures and videos circulating the Internet, the whole movie has been spoiled. One user wrote, “greta gerwig needs to send a cease and desist to filmupdates before we watch the whole barbie movie thru the tl”.
“Barbie” remained in development hell for over a decade. Plans for a movie based on the successful doll line materialized in 2009, but Mattel switched studios, directors, and writers so many times before getting to the point it’s at now. In fact, the film was first slated to release in June 2017 before getting delayed several times to July 2023.
The only detail that’s set in stone is that “Barbie” boasts an all-star cast. While Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Will Ferrell have all been spotted on set, sources have confirmed that the cast will also include Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, and Issa Rae.
As for the film’s story, all Robbie has said is that it’s nothing like what you think it will be, describing it as “a little left of center.” In a 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Robbie explained that audiences will be surprised by “Barbie”, in the sense that “Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, “Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,” but our goal is to be like, “Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.”” The film is directed by Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”, “Little Women”), who co-wrote the screenplay with her partner Noah Baumbach.
by Emily Nagle
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for Weekend of June 24-26, 2022
5. The Bob’s Burgers Movie ($18.1 million)
4. The Black Phone ($23.6 million)
3. Jurassic World Dominion ($26.7 million)
2. Top Gun: Maverick ($29.6 million)
1. Elvis ($31.2 million)
The last box office weekend of June saw the release of several new movies, two of which made it into the top 5 across the United States! First up, “Elvis” made it to number one in its premiere weekend, scoring more than $30 million.
“Top Gun: Maverick” soared to second best after being overtaken by newer releases “Jurassic World Dominion” and “Lightyear” for the past two weekends. After grossing nearly $30 million this weekend, the film has surpassed $500 million in the United States, and $1 billion worldwide. As a result, it has now beaten out “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” as the highest-grossing film of 2022. “Maverick” has been much better received than its 1986 predecessor, featuring newcomers Miles Teller and Jon Hamm, as well as stars from the original, including Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, and Val Kilmer. Due to Kilmer undergoing treatment for throat cancer back in 2014, the post-production team reconstructed his voice using AI to keep his character, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, a part of the film. Cruise even told the directors that he would not return to the franchise unless Kilmer was returning as well.
“The Black Phone”, a horror film based on Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, made it to number four during its first weekend in theaters. Having grossed more than $23.6 million, it exceeded studio projections of opening to $15-20 million. “The Black Phone” stars Mason Thames as Finney, a teen who gets kidnapped by a serial murderer (Ethan Hawke), and then uses a mysterious disconnected phone to communicate with the killer’s previous victims while he figures out how to get back home.
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