Thor: Ragnarok

I think I'm turning a corner on Marvel, guys - but only because Marvel itself is turning a corner!

I shouldn't overstate this; I've liked and disliked Marvel movies in roughly equal measure for ten years now, so the idea that I've enjoyed the latest Thor and Guardians and Spider-Man movies shouldn't be surprising. But, still - one thing these movies all seem to have in common is that they're very much their own things, beyond just being "superhero movies." Spider-Man Homecoming was as much a high school movie as it was a Marvel movie (although the Marvel parts - the third act in particular - were really, really dumb). Guardians felt exciting and boldly crazy and zany. And now Thor: Ragnarok is a legitimately funny movie, and legitimately a Taika Waititi movie.

I mean this is so fucking dumb, and it knows it. Look at the poster. That's the Incredible Hulk in Fisher Price gladiator armor. That's Cate Blanchett amping up the glam-camp in her Maleficent-on-steroids helmet. That's a 1980s WWF typeface aesthetic, no doubt about it.

Is Marvel good now? Marvel might be good now. Marvel was never bad, but it was aggressively bland for such a long time. Is Marvel fun now? I think Marvel might be fun now. And that's such an exciting prospect to me, this multi-billion dollar franchise just throwing caution to the wind and not taking itself so damn seriously.

[Sees Black Panther trailer.]

Aww, fuck. Marvel still takes itself way too seriously, you guys.