I saw Thor 3: Ragnarok!

[lizbee]

In terms of managing expectations, I just feel like people should go in knowing that Valkyrie's bisexuality was vastly overstated, but it's hard to tell because the movie fails the Bechdel test so hard that the only interaction between two women is via a male intermediary.

This is my main complaint, and otherwise? I loved it, and I'll see it again on account of how I missed so many jokes because the audience was laughing too loudly. (Or, in the case of Benedict Cumberbatch's cameo, squealing. I mean. Guys.)

Content notes: nothing hyuuuuuuuuuuge aside from the bright lights, flashes and special effects you'd expect from a Marvel movie, and I figure that audience members with ocular sensitivities are probably aware of that issue anyway. Women are used as set dressing in a lot of scenes with the villains, which is irritating, but there's no overt sexual violence.

Good things:

- it is so funny
- and full of Australian and New Zealand references which I assume will go over the head of everyone else
- like, it almost has enough Australian culture to justify the tax dollars that went into it
- background scenes are incredibly diverse, and there are a lot of First Nations extras, especially on Asgard
- Cate Blanchett
- her performance leaves so little scenery for Hiddleston to chew that he has to tone it down and actually give a slightly more subtle performance than last time, which he is quite good at and I hardly thought of Hiddleswift at all
- Tessa Thompson is a delight, and her "Asgardian" accent is so good, I actually checked to see if she was an Aussie
- (I'm not saying that Asgard is NIDA, but, you know)
- so many Aussie and Kiwi actor cameos
- look out for one of the lesser Hemsworths
- I missed so many things

Comments

[weaver]

I've been thinking about this and trying to figure out why the Bechdel fail didn't bother me, because I'm usually pretty sensitive to that sort of thing, and I think for me it comes down to: the Bechdel test is a handy shorthand for "are there at least a couple of female characters who have thoughts and motives that don't just revolve around wanting to fuck the male hero?" but that's all it is. So it's a fail by the letter of the law, but a pass by the spirit, and I'm okay with that.

I'm not about to pretend that it's a feminist wonderland movie or anything, but also, I'm Too Gay To Function whenever Tessa Thompson is storming about drinking heavily and mocking people and looking amazing, so I might be biased.

[lizbee]

Yeah, it didn't even occur to me that this was a problem until the next day, whereas the last few MCU films I've seen, the issue started annoying me right there in the cinema.

And honestly, Valkyrie didn't seem that into Thor. Like, maybe a little, but alcohol and hanging out with her bro the Hulk is a higher priority. And I respect that.