Thor: Ragnarok Has Screened, Here's What Joss Whedon Thinks

Loki and Valkyrie fighting in Ragnarok

Marvel studios has releasing blockbusters down to a science, with new installments in the MCU coming every few months to enthrall the fans and make buckets of money. And we're just a week or so away from the latest addition, Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok. The threequel is bringing color, action, and laughs in spades, already proving itself as a game changer for the franchise before its release. Early reception for Ragnarok is almost unanimously positive, with MCU figureheads like James Gunn singing the film's praises. And now director Joss Whedon has lent his two cents, after jumping over to Marvel's competitor as a contributor for the DCEU.

Joss Whedon took to Twitter after seeing a screener of Thor: Ragnarok, with a glowing review. Check it out.

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Well, you don't get praise much higher than this. Joss Whedon presumably doesn't throw the term "modern masterpiece" around lightly, so Thor: Ragnarok must have really impressed the Avengers director.

One thing that is clear from the early reception to Thor: Ragnarok: the movie is funny. The first two Thor movies featured some fish out of water moments for Chris Hemsworth to ham up, but Ragnarok is a bonafide comedy. Director Taika Waititi apparently made this a priority from the start, attempting to inject more laughs and color than the franchise had ever had. Unfortunately, this choice of story also came with the abandonment of classic Thor characters like Natalie Portman's Jane Foster.

Joss Whedon has an interesting journey in the world of comic book properties, as the only director who has had a hand in both the MCU and DC Extended Universe. Whedon was a major figure in the first two phases of the MCU, directing the first two Avengers films and helping to shape the overall narrative of the shared universe.

But he's since departed the MCU, and has gotten in bed with the DC side of things. After Zack Snyder departed Justice League in the wake of a family tragedy, Whedon stepped in to complete the project. He's apparently been the source of many of the reshoots, helping to lighten up the blockbuster after Snyder's previous two divisive entries. Whedon will also be directing the DCEU's upcoming Batgirl movie, which sounds like a perfect choice for the man who brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse.

You can judge Thor: Ragnarok for yourself when it arrives in theaters on November 3, 2017, and you can catch Joss Whedon's contribution to Justice League on November 17, 2017. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.