Happy Friday all and welcome to another edition of Talk Nerdy to Me – the pop-culture heroes haven for all your unsolicited, incredibly insightful and entirely useless opinions on all things nerdy.

While the world around us literally burns to the ground, we’re here to report on the really important thing everyone was talking about this week…Thor 3: Asgardians of the Galaxy. The movie picks up where Avengers 2: Age of Bore-tron as The Better Hemsworth travels back to his home of Asgard just in time to get a haircut and see all hell break loose. Hilarity ensues.

Incase you’ve been too busy reading about Syria, United Airlines and the atrocities of Pepsi to watch the trailer yet – don’t you worry, we got you covered:

youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7MGUNV8MxU

Holy Hype Machine Batman, that was AWESOME!!! Take Thor, add a hearty helping of the coolness of Guardians of the Galaxy, mix in some amazing locations, a dash of Planet Hulk and a whole-lotta Jeff Goldblum? Well I think we got ourselves a winning formula!!

We’ve rambled enough for now, we’ll go ahead and dissect the newest trailer for the Mousehouse’s latest masterpiece – Vic-Thor-ia’s Secret. So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy and turn off your brain for a minute as AJ Speck and Shaun Curran jump right into a little bit of Q&A regarding the Good, The Bad, and The Dafuq-we-just-saw? Enjoy!

Well, I think we can both say – that was unexpected! This seems like a BIG change of pace for this franchise…Is that a good thing? What’s your initial reaction?
Shaun: This was huge for me. I’ve liked Thor more in comics and the Avengers movies than his own films. They’ve just been meh at best…and that’s a shame when you have two of the best characters available in Loki & Thor. However, when I heard Taika Waitit was directing this I saw a glimmer of hope and got really excited. For those that don’t know, Waititi is a New Zealand director/comedian with credits including collaborations on hilarious & heartwarming projects like “Flight of The Conchords”, “What we Do in the Shadows”, and most recently “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”. So with him on board I had a feeling things would be going in a new direction. And this new direction is EXACTLY what Marvel needs!! Things are starting to seem stale and repetitive in their assembly line format – so taking a great character like Thor, mixing in a touch of Planet Hulk, and a whole bunch of inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy..this looks like a winner to me!!

AJ: I’m definitely with you on everything but the expectations. I honestly did expect this from Ragnarok after having read about the alien theme that we’re getting out of this movie, and man did they knock this out of the park. Obviously there was a massive reveal with the Hulk coming out and while that was fun, it was the overall feel of the worlds, the people, the colorful/futuristic vibes I was getting that have me the most excited. The comedy that Waitit will bring to this movie is already evident and I think this may be one of the only movies I’d be okay with bringing in a ton of humor. It just feels like such a fun movie.
Shaun: I agree – and I think this will be funny in a different way…not incredibly forced humor (i.e. Doctor Strange’s stupid Aladdin Cape)
AJ: Definitely, the work buddies line was hilarious, but was immediately cast aside once the Hulk started charging him. Little things like that can go a long way.

What were your 2 favorite things about what we saw?
AJ: This is easy! I know very little about Planet Hulk and I’m dying to dive into that more before the movie comes out, but seeing him in his armor fighting Thor HAS to be up there, right??? I just re-watched this again and noticed for the first time that Loki is watching their battle so my hopes of seeing him fighting alongside our battling buddies (and Dr. Strange?) seems to have taken a hit (though I’m sure they will at some point in the movie). On top of seeing them battling, my second thing has to be the exploration of the Marvel universe. I’m ready for more locations that don’t look like New York, Chicago, etc. and it seems we’ll be seeing a LOT of that. So far the locations look colorful and have a ton of personality, but the one I’m most excited about is seeing how Asgard deals with the apocalyptic setting their in.
Shaun: Well first off, I absolutely LOVED seeing a battle ready Loki walking fiercely & spinning daggers…Tom Hiddleston is one of the best/most charismatic actors in Marvel’s stable – and he steals every scene he’s in for me. To see him get ready to kick some ass again has me all sorts of hyped!! My second favorite thing is a no brainer – it was simply Thor’s reaction to Battle Armor Hulk. That was basically everyone at home watching that teaser. We’d seen leaked images of Hulk and knew that they’d be drawing inspiration from some of Planet Hulk – so that was nothing new…but that reaction was one of the greatest moments in any Marvel Trailer in my opinion!

What criticisms do you have or what’re the things you didn’t like?
Shaun: While I do understand WHY they showed Hela destroying Mjölnir to really double down on the gravity of the situation, I really think that would have been a much cooler scene on the big screen and goes right into that spoiler territory we keep seeing. It’s a slippery slope – you want to give the potential audience a reason to get excited, but in trying to do so they keep over-revealing huge scenes that would be better left for the big screen reveal in my opinion. They should have saved that tidbit.

AJ: My biggest qualm with the trailer was that it didn’t connect the dots between Hela destroying Asgard and Thor getting to the arena. Now, that is a mix of two things: my ignorance in the backstory, and their not wanting to give too much away. The backstory I’ll know soon, and I definitely understand not wanting to give too much away (hell, that was my issue with Homecoming), BUT for the casual fan who doesn’t know any of this, the two settings seem night and day different from one another. I will say though, this issue that I have should solve itself when I become more informed and could even end up being much better for me as I can experience it all for the first time.
Shaun: Very true – but for me not knowing some of the source material (like Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-man) have actually led to me having a somewhat more enjoyable experience in some cases.
AJ: Yeah and I definitely think the reason I’m so excited about this movie is that I know so little about it. I dissect DC movies to find plot details and back stories but I have left this one alone because I want it to be new for me. The fact that this is my “complaint” shows just how excited I am for this.

What would you like to see out of this film?
AJ: I could keep talking about Thor and Hulk, but I’d like to bring more magic into this discussion. I love magic as many who follow us know (What up Zee!), so bringing in a powerhouse like Dr Strange is waaaaay up on my list of exciting possibilities for this one. I’m dying to know how he fits in, what his power levels/control look like, and how he fits into the overall plan for Marvel moving forward. He’s a badass in his own right and I’d like to see him elevated from a doctor who got powers into one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes.
Shaun: This is where we differ a bit. I’d just like to see a GOOD THOR movie. I want to see a good mix of Planet Hulk, but not TOO much of the typical “Marvel Universe Building” set up for other films. Maybe at the end have a tie in with the Guardians of the Galaxy just to connect the dots, but only in an end credits scene. Maybe one with Strange at the end…but I don’t want to be bogged down with this being another set-up for the next big thing. I just really, REALLY want a good Thor movie (and finally no more wet-noodle Natalie Portman sucking the life out of every scene).
AJ: Well, you won’t have to worry about Ms. Portman ruining any scenes since the Guardian of Asgard dumped her to live a Starlord life of promiscuity.

We made a big deal about Spider-Man being pitched as an Ironman movie…Yet we’re ecstatic to see Hulk..are we being hypocrites? How is this different?
Shaun: While we do teeter that line of being objectively hypocritical…I’d say this is different because it’s being sold as Hulk in a Thor movie…not a Thor movie with Hulk as the star/headliner. Also, Hulk’s been MIA since that hot turd “Age of Ultron”, and Tony’s been causing trouble in everyone else’s films & f*ing up his “friends’” lives at an average of once a year since then.
AJ: I have been asked this before and I’m sticking with my reason for saying no, we are not. Tony is in everything now and is seen as the father of the Avengers, when clearly he just isn’t meant to be. I think the difference for me is that Hulk may be in most of these movies, but he’s not in every conversation and he’s coming into this movie in a whole new light with armor, weapons, etc.
Shaun: Exactly. Side note – while it looks incredibly badass in every way, isn’t giving Hulk Weapons and Armor a bit redundant? Kinda like giving Superman a gun…not really necessary.
AJ: haha yes, but it’s so cool! Thor hits him without the weapons at the end of the trailer so I think the weapons go out the window pretty quick.

Final Question:
Describe your hype level in rating and meme form:
AJ: This one is one step above Wonder Woman and one below Justice League for me.

Okay like 5 steps below Justice League but that’s a given.

All in all, I’m giving this a “Daryl let me pay rent in Asgardian coins!” level of hype!

Shaun: haha, well while I won’t even pretend this is in the same stratosphere of hype as Justice League for me, this just slid into 2nd place tying Wonder Woman, edging out Guardians vol 2.

I’d say I’m a solid “7th Grader getting to first base” level hyped!!

So, that’s it – our officially unofficial opinion on the trailer for the next MCU Megahit – Thor Loser: We’re Here to See the Hulk. So, were we on point in our analysis? Are you as hyped up as we are? Did you agree with our perspective, or are will this just be a snooze fest? Let us know in the comments below!!

Now, while we’re both big boys and can take a joke or jest, let’s try to play nice in the comments at least towards each other. Vitriol, bullying and unnecessary trolling is strongly frowned upon. Let’s keep it fun, and we welcome your thoughts and memes!