“GOD OF THUNDER!!!”
With Black Panther dominating the box office, Marvel is on cloud nine right now, which is only added by the release of Thor Ragnarok on Blu-Ray/DVD. Following the psychedelic third installment into the Thor story, there is plenty of entertainment and laughter to go around. What sets this installment of the franchise apart is the difference in tone, which to compare, more closely matches the humor levels of Guardians of the Galaxy. This set is filled with little amusements that pair well with the main feature, which will be sure to be a quick smile for any hardcore MCU fans.
One of the main featurettes, “Finding Korg”, brings you into the wacky and unique mind of director, Taika Waititi. He guides you on a tour of how the new character was brought to life and how much of an impact he has made on the attitude of the cast. Playing both director and Korg, Waititi has proved to be one of the most interesting things about the process of this film. He’s playful, a bit on the odd side, and open to playing with the team’s imagination to bring forth the full capability of the film. It’s a nice change of pace, and definitely provides some new life into the series.
Team Darryl comes back into the mix, as The Grand Master is featured in his own new storyline with Thor’s former Aussie roommate. It appears that Goldblum’s character has managed to survive, which may lead to other cameos in the future. It would be fantastic to see him up to his foolish schemes with the likes of The Collector.
This set is also unique in the sense that it has a whole feature dedicated to the “unstoppable women” of the film. It’s a great nod to the impact and power of both Valkyrie and Hela on the series and the shift towards empowerment and equality in the MCU. It’s light and to the point, which is a great way to share in with the cast and crew on their thoughts on bringing these characters into the larger scope of the cinematic universe.
Other quick surprises include two special 8 bit scenes from the film. The retro styled moments were created by the crew to help the special effects team plan out some key sequences in the film. Laced with dialogue and arcade references, it’s entertaining and very unorthodox from a production standpoint. It’s a great add on, which is fast and easy to watch.
Here’s a list of full features available on the Blu-Ray set!
- Director’s Introduction
- Deleted/Extended Scenes – Deleted Scenes: The Sorcerer Supreme, Skurge Finds Heimdall & Hulk Chases Thor Through Sakaar and Extended Scenes: Thor Meets the Grandmaster, Stupid Avenger vs. Tiny Avenger & Grandmaster and Topaz
- Gag Reel – Watch a collection of goofs, gaffes and pratfalls starring the cast
- Exclusive Short/Team Darryl – Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It’s been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl’s “Roommate Needed” ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in.
- Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – The Evolution of Heroes – Marvel’s universe is vast and transcends both time and space. We’ll examine the Cinematic Universe as a whole and revisit each of our heroes’ current location and their place in the current MCU timeline, as it all leads up to the one culminating event: “Avengers: Infinity War.”
- Getting in Touch with Your Inner Thor – “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi has brought his unique sensibility and sense of humor to the film in a great many ways but it is the evolution of Thor’s own sense of humor, which stands out the most in the new film. This piece explores the impact Chris Hemsworth has made on the development of his widely-loved character and celebrates the mighty cast and crew who reveal the fun and hard work that went into assembling Thor’s eccentric counterparts.
- Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie – This piece explores the strong female characters in “Thor: Ragnarok,” their importance in the MCU, their incredible casting and their epic comic origins.
- Finding Korg – A tongue-in-cheek interview with Taika on casting Korg. He describes the difficult search for just the right evolution of the character design, and the nuances of this instantly classic character in the MCU. This conversation will also delve into all the extraordinary visual effects that brought Korg, Sakaar and the worlds of “Thor: Ragnarok” to life.
Some of the director’s commentary can be seen below, which includes a look at the incredible strobe effects used for the flashback battle scene between the Valkyrie and Hela.
- Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown – Sakaar is the collection point for all lost and unloved things. This documentary will answer all known and unknown questions while also exploring the hard work and creativity that went into creating the look and feel of Sakaar. From design inspired by Jack Kirby’s classic artwork to the dedication of the visual development team to the awe-inspiring physical and digital production, you will see this distant world come alive.
- Journey into Mystery – A deep dive story piece with the writers, director and producer Kevin Feige about the inspirations for “Thor: Ragnarok” within the comics. Most notably, the contest of champions limited series where the Grandmaster pitted our favorite heroes against one another as he does in the film. This piece also further explores Thor’s comic book origins and classic arcs through interviews with some of the most important comic creators, such as Walt Simonson and Jack Kirby.
- 8bit Scenes – Final Bridge Battle + Sakaar Spaceship Battle. Dive into these climactic sequences presented in retro video-game format.
- Directors Commentary
This additional piece of commentary highlights the bright colors and inspirations provided in the ship design for the film. Both Australia and New Zealand were heavy influences on the aesthetics of the picture.
Digital Exclusives:
- Evolution of Thor and Hulk’s Bromance – We’ll examine this Super Hero friendship, which has spanned through several Marvel films. From their original Helicarrier fight match to the now iconic Hulk punch from Avengers 1, see how Marvel’s most powerful Super Heroes become the most extraordinary Super Hero buddies.
- Additional Deleted Scenes – Travel to Asgard & Race To The Wormhole
There are plenty of variations of this set available, which can be purchased at most major retailers. You can find the right set for you below:
http://marvel.com/movies/movie/222/thor_ragnarok#relatedProducts
The shows comedic elements are perhaps overshadowed by the overuse of “etcetera”, but The King of Siam is hilarious and the royal children help with the cuteness comedy. But above all else, I will always fall back to Laura Michelle Kelly’s onstage warmth and demeanor that is practically perfect in every way… shoot, wrong show.
