Welcome to the future.
James Corden is re-inventing the way we view cinema, introducing audiences to 4D films — aka live-actions reenactments — which he performed with the cast of Thor: Ragnarok while crashing a screening of the film.
The segment premiered on Nov. 2 during CBS’ The Late Late Show. “Cinema is always evolving,” Corden says in the video. “Movies use to be silent, then we got sound. Then they were black and white, and then we got color. Then there was IMAX and 3D. People are always asking me […] what’s next? I think about it and I tell them — 4D. Action literally leaping off the screen.”
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In order to promote his new invention, Corden surprised a crowd attending an advance screening of Thor: Ragnarok, interrupting the film after it had already begun. He then brought out Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldlbum, Mark Ruffalo and Tessa Thompson on stage, much to the audience’s surprise and satisfaction.
Corden then proceeded to narrate the story, as the actors humorously played it out on a stage of cardboard backdrops and handheld special effects.
Offstage, most the performers didn’t share Corden’s enthusiasm for the project. “Is Thor 4D a practical business model?,” Hiddleston asked. “Probably not, because we can’t perform live in every movie theater in America. But perhaps they can tape one performance and stream it live. Oh, that’s just a movie, isn’t it?”
Blanchett was even less enthusiastic. “I think those poor people just want to watch the movie,” she commented.
Goldblum, however, seemed fascinated by the idea as he eventually sat down next to a couple of fans and watched the rest of the film play. Hemsworth also was energetic, adding that he “wants to do all his movies in 4D!”
Corden couldn’t have cared less what the audience was feeling, as he ended the night convinced that his new business model was a certified hit. “Is it the future of cinema, 4D? It’s not for me to say,” Corden said in the video. “But yeah, probably.”
Thor: Ragnarok is in theaters now. Watch the full video below, and let us know what you thought of it in the comments below.