Thor: Ragnarok
In the shadow of Marvel's glorious "Black Panther" mania, Thor gets his Blu-ray release with this "Ragnarok" iteration.
The God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) must stop the prophesized destruction of his homeland Asgard from the giant fire monster Surtur (perhaps played by the Balrog from "Lord of the Rings?") and his lost sister, she of the smoky eye and prickly headdress, the hellish Hela (hot and hilarious Cate Blanchett).
His brother Loki (hot and hilarious Tom Hiddleston), both a protagonist and antagonist one of the featurettes notes, tags along to wreak havoc, as is his wont, as they run into and afoul of the Valkyrie (tough Tessa Thompson), the Hulk (marvelous Mark Ruffalo), and the Grandmaster (goofy, giddy Jeff Goldblum).
Solid references abound, including a Shakespearean play-within-a-play (watch for some excellent cameos), an appropriate insertion of the Willy Wonka theme, and the use of Led Zeppelin's Nordic "Immigrant Song" we've all been waiting for (that happens to provide the perfect accompaniment for kicking ass). Mark Mothersbaugh's overall score is apt as well.
The Blu-ray extras include a gag reel and deleted scenes. "Journey Into Mystery" explains how the movie's look is an homage to Jack Kirby's original drawings. "Team Darryl" follows the Grandmaster trying to get along with a new roommate in modern-day L.A.
Hemsworth reflects on 11 years of playing the part in "Getting In Touch with Your Inner Thor," noting that the more formal accent has been softened with time and that the character has "picked up sarcastic rhythms from Tony Stark." He and Hiddleston also appreciate getting to deepen their character and personal relationships over this long period of collaboration. Hiddleston is also surprised that even though Loki is an outsider and misfit, he is still popular with the crowds that throng shooting locations. There is also the celebration of Hela as the first female villain, who is also unstoppable, as is Valkyrie.
The most interesting bit of news is in "Finding Korg." The shy stone man gladiator is sotto voce-d by the movie's Kiwi director Taika Waititi, who made his bones on indie films (and also provides a humorous intro to this disc). He wore the motion capture suit as well for many of the movie's most successful scenes, delivering deadpan zingers like, "I'm made of rocks. You don't need to be afraid unless you're made of scissors."
"Thor: Ragnarok"
Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Set
$35.98
http://marvel.com/movies/movie/222/thor_ragnarok