Everything Seems to Work Out: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Director: Taika Waititi

Notable Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba, Karl Urban, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch

 

Even within the now-rather-infamous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the Thor series represents a fascinating part of it. While Iron Man set the tone for the series, the initial run of films was meant to represent various genres within the franchise. Sure, there was a common thread of spectacle, humor, and just enough heart; the Thor series felt so much more serious than the rest. For Thor’s first two films, the Shakespearean tones that blended with the fantasy elements of gods and monsters were initially met with mixed results from audiences and critics. While Thor represented a key cornerstone of the MCU, the character’s adventures were the weakest part of the initial ‘Avengers Initiative.’ 

 

However, during the ‘second phase,’ the MCU found a way to get the more cosmic aspects of the Marvel world to resonate with audiences: by making them funnier, brighter, and more entertaining. It worked for James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, so it could work for Thor, right?

 

Back to Extract: Extraction 2 (2023) Review

Director: Sam Hargrave

Notable Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Tornike Gogrichiani, Tornike Bziava, Tinatin Dalakishvili, Andro Japaridze, Justin Howell, Idris Elba, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt

 

Netflix is making some entertaining films, but I feel like there is a problem. 

 

Extraction 2 recently dropped on Netflix instead of theaters, green-lit after whatever imaginary numbers that Netflix made up for the viewership of the first film. Like many sequels, Extraction 2 suffers from a bit of sequel-itis as it attempts to go bigger, badder, and broader with what fans loved in the first one and, like many sequels, it tends to lose some of its grip on the ground in doing so. Those who loved that its predecessor was a gritty old-school action hero thrust into exponentially rising action with exponential chances of failure will appreciate the larger scope of this one and Hemsworth’s stone-cold performance. Those fans who loved the militaristic and earthy realism of the original may find themselves lost in the sillier action formulas that Extraction 2 starts to dabble in. 

 

To say it simply, Extraction 2 is more of a mixed bag, but it is the kind of throwback action flick that’s meant to be seen on the most giant screen possible. It's loud and proud of itself, but seeing it at home takes away some of the fun of it. And it feels as though its hero and his plight in Georgia (the country, thanks) deserve more than just decaying in the Netflix Graveyard where streaming films go to die. 

 

Extraction (2020)

Director: Sam Hargrave

Notable Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahani, David Harbour, Priyanshu Painyuli, Sam Hargrave

It’s become quite apparent over the last few years that we are, in fact, living in a post-John Wick world. At least when it comes to action cinema. This is something that I have discussed briefly in a few other reviews, but with Extraction, it truly comes out like a shotgun blast. Now, technically speaking, director Sam Hargrave has worked with the 87Eleven team before in some regard so the John Wick connection can be somewhat apparent, but Hargrave has been working as a stuntman and coordinator for years. If that’s not known beforehand, all you have to do is watch Extraction once to know that it’s directed by a stuntman. Not only are the stunts, coordination, and choreography exceedingly fantastic, but the film uses action as a truly dynamic storytelling tool. The combination proves to be a structurally sound foundation for the rest of the film.