2017 Movie Preview: Part 3

You can read Part 2 of this series here: 2017 Movie Preview: Part 2

by Jim Scroggs
December 2, 2016

Thor: Ragnarok

The Thor franchise has been the hardest egg to crack in the MCU and I can certainly understand that. It’s not quite Game of Thrones but it isn't quite a space epic. The first film in the trilogy is the best one so far and The Dark World is considered by many to the worst film in the MCU. The heads at Marvel Studios had to think outside the box on this one and I think they accomplished that given some of the rumors/confirmations of appearances from new actors and MCU staples. Jeff Goldblum will be the Grandmaster, an eccentric character that can go across the galaxy to learn as many gaming styles as he can so he can outsmart anyone that he comes across. I think this is perfect for an actor like Goldblum, especially with his history of playing Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. Other notables that shouldn’t be downplayed are Cate Blanchett as Hela, who could be the “Death” that Thanos is courting, Tessa Thompson will play Valkyrie, Sam Neill has been cast in the film as well and I’m praying there is a scene between him and Jeff Goldblum.  Mark Ruffalo will appear in as Hulk and maybe Bruce Banner in a small adaptation of the Planet Hulk/World War Hulk storyline. (My next sentence contains a spoiler for Doctor Strange so i’m giving you the chance to stop reading if you haven’t seen it…..Ready……...Ok.) Thor will get some help from Doctor Strange as they both search for Odin and probably come across the final Infinity Stone as well so add those arcs with the direction of Taika Waititi and Ragnarok will clearly be something new and desperately what the Thor franchise needs. Thor:Ragnarok will be in theaters on November 3rd, 2017

Justice League

I’ll file this under “Cautiously Optimistic”. The usual analogy when something doesn't perform is saying it hasn’t been a home run. It’s fair to say that in the eyes of some, the DC Films have been a base hit that strands the lead runner because he collided with the 3rd base coach who couldn’t get out of the way in time. Man of Steel was fine, BVS should only be judged by the Ultimate Edition meaning I'll never watch the theatrical version ever again and Suicide Squad had some interesting choices in regards to editing, song placement and writing but it’s a passable film for fans. I think this is when we’ll see the first couple but not full changes with the structure at DC/WB with Geoff Johns in charge. If I’m playing Marketing Executive for a second, the first thing that needs to be done is only release 2 trailers. That's it. I count what was released at Comic-Con as a full trailer so you've got 1 more to release before November of next year. In my opinion, one of the many reasons why BVS didn't perform as well was the amount of trailers and we didn't need to see 4 full trailers for that movie. Leave something to the imagination and you could actually have more excitement for this than what we saw leading up to March. The casting has never been an issue and I really hope they focus on Arthur Curry, Barry Allen, Victor Stone and how they come into play in all this.  Maybe get some insight on Bruce and if he has regrets on the amount of killing that he’s done and with the news of the Green Lantern Corp possibly making an appearance, this could be a nice redirection that DC/WB needs going forward. Justice League will be in theaters on November 17th, 2017

Star Wars: Episode 8

I'm going to be upfront about this. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan and that's not to say that I don't appreciate and care about the characters. I know that compared to some of my friends, I will never come close to their level of knowledge and fandom, which I greatly respect. I thought Episode 7 was a great start to this new era of films and even with the loss of a major character, the new cast of Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac should give fans plenty of confidence in the next 2 films that could close out the Skywalker saga. The questions of how does Luke play into story along with is Rey a Skywalker have been asked ever since opening night and to be honest, I hope Rey has her own family name, own roots and not part of the Skywalker legacy just to show that there is much more to this universe that one family. I have faith in what Kathleen Kennedy is doing and along with the influence of JJ Abrams that will continue on with Rian Johnson into another chapter of this epic series. Star Wars: Episode VIII will be in theaters on December 15th, 2017



This truly is the Golden Age of movies for geeks and nerds alike but we should always remember that it wasn’t like this a decade ago. All it takes is a few less than stellar films in a row to put an end to this gravy train so as I write this, cherish each moment that we see Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and even Hawkeye because it won’t be like this forever. The characters will probably survive but the way we see and experience them will change before we know it so even if you hate Superman or Spider-Man, I hope you can appreciate their appearances on the silver screen