Thor: Ragnarok trailer

Holy schnikies. Marvel has dropped the first teaser trailer for Thor: Ragnarok today.

What can I say? People are losing their collective shit over this for a couple of reasons.

First, there’s Cate Blanchett as Hela, our requisite villain. And she looks 100% bad-ass.

First-and-a-half, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, the quasi-immortal who loves to play games with lesser life forms. Who doesn’t love Jeff Goldblum?

Second, there’s the much-rumored, uber-anticipated appearance by the Incredible Hulk. In a gladiatorial arena. Run by Grandmaster. Against Thor.

Third, the trailer is set completely to Led Zeppelin’s “Hammer of the Gods,” probably in an attempt to re-create the bushel full of awesome that was Iron Man/”Iron Man”

So, at first blush, there’s a lot to like about this trailer.

So what’s not to like?

First: they gave the director’s chair to a guy that has almost nothing big to his name (Taika Waititi), which I get runs exactly into Marvel’s wheelhouse of late: get a smaller director they can control and keep to the Marvel “formula.” Whatever. This is a battle amongst GODS, man. You can’t bring any old person who calls themselves a director and put them in charge of that. I’ll call myself a director; can I direct a Marvel movie?

Second: maybe, and perhaps I’m nit-picking here, but maybe showing us IN THE FUCKING TRAILER that Hela destroys Mjolnir wasn’t the brightest move. Major shift for Thor’s character (not just without Mjolnir, which we’ve seen before, but now there’s NO MJOLNIR at all), so maybe save that for the Fucking Film? Who made that call? Can you imagine seeing that in the theater without knowing it was coming and just screaming “Oh, Damn!”

Missed opportunity for an actual shock-and-awe moment for the fans.

Finally, I’m not convinced on the tone of the film, based on the trailer. After the rampaging tomfoolery that was The Dark World, I was hoping for a more even tone from this one.

But no. No, this time we get lines like “I know him! We’re friends from work!”

Seriously? Who wrote that shit?

This doesn’t even bring up Loki, out and about, hands full of knives, beautiful Jheri-curl mane, striding across the battlefield…

I can only hope that, much like Hollywood is wont to do, the movie will look almost nothing like the trailer when all is said and done. I would hate to think that I’m watching the stylistic sequel to The Dark World.

I’m not passing judgement on Ragnarok, yet, but I’m paying closer attention to it than I was previously.