Thank the gods! Thor: Ragnarok explodes onto Empire this month, with a a choice of two covers offering a riot of colour and intergalactic pizazz. Those dazzling covers (or the Russell Dauterman-illustrated cover, if you're a subscriber) are just the tip of an 146-page iceberg, of course. Here's a little taste of what you'll find inside issue #340 of the world's biggest movie magazine, on sale Thursday. Or, if you will, Thorsday.
Thor: Ragnarok
"It's probably the most fun I've had on a Marvel film," says Chris Hemsworth, and this months's bulging eight-page cover feature attempts to find out how, reporting direct from outer reaches of Asgard (actually Pinewood Studios in Atlanta). In the process, we chat to Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Jeff Goldblum about why the Thor threequel is one to look forward to. Thor blimey!
Comic-Con Special
Ah, Comic-Con: the Glastonbury of geekery, the cathedral of cosplay, the carnival of queuing. For this year's event, a team of very tired Empire staffers packed up a small corner of the office and set it up in San Diego, a stone's throw from the hallowed Hall H. Our epic 26-page bumper coverage features exclusive interviews and photoshoots with stars from Doctor Who, Star Trek, Marvel and DC's respective universes, and a gentleman by the name of Mr. Stan Lee. Plus, pick up the digital edition of Empire for some spectacular bonus content from the Con, including exclusive pictures and video direct from the Empire interview room.
The Empire Interview: James Cameron
This month's long interview goes really long, and with good reason: it's James Cameron, director extraordinaire, erstwhile king of the world, and officially The World's Most Successful Director™. Surrounded by memorabilia from his many classic movies, Cameron talks candidly about his many career ups and occasional downs, and divulges a few hints about the future of the Avatar series and its increasingly multitudinous sequels.
Stephen King's It
Stephen King is enjoying something of a King-aissance on the big and small screen at the moment. Could this be the most faithful adaptation yet? Empire heads to Derry, Maine to find out, along the way encountering toddler blood, genuine nightmares, terrified children – and killer clowns. Don't read this feature alone, at night, or near a sewer.
God's Own Country
A quiet gay love story set in the uncompromising moors of Yorkshire is making serious waves on the festival circuit – and drawing significant if reductive comparisons to Brokeback Mountain. (Brokeback Pennines?) Here, the film's first-time director Francis Lee pens an essay on his experiences making the film, and how the unique landscape of Yorkshire shaped him as a person and an artist.
Pre.View
When he's not busy crushing the skulls of his enemies, Drax The Destroyer enjoys a nice brew like everyone else. Quizzing Dave Bautista on milk prices is just a tiny speck of this month's news section, which also has exclusives from Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, David Fincher's Mindhunter, and Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
On.Screen
This month's reviews section spans the full range of star ratings, from lowly one to venerated five. Who wallows in the wrath of our merciless critical fire, and who basks in the adoring glow of our benevolent admiration? You'll have to buy the issue to find out – but we can say that Detroit, Atomic Blonde, Logan Lucky and Dark Night (not that one, the other one) are among the films reviewed this month.
Re.View
Our back section starts with the meaning of life – or, rather, the meaning of Life, as writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick talk us through a viewing guide on their sci-fi thriller. Plus: Ben Wheatley talks Free Fire; Jordan Vogt-Roberts talks Kong: Skull Island, David Baddiel talks Tokyo Story, and Byran Cranston talks about his entire career.
All that, and genuinely so much more, can be found in the latest issue of Empire. The Thor: Ragnarok issue goes on sale from Thursday 10 August – to get exclusive covers days before anyone else, saving on the cover price, you’ll want to subscribe to Empire here{
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