The God of Thunder is Mighty Indeed
Jun. 8th, 2011 11:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gryfndor_godessI saw POTC two days ago and am going to see Bridesmaids in four hours, so I was going to save this all up for one long movie review post, but my love for Thor is too great to share a post.
I’ve always wanted to see Thor because I really like superhero movies, especially Marvel movies, but I wasn’t especially invested in the story compared to that of other Marvel heroes like Iron Man (I am even less interested in Captain America, though I will see that as well). I also wasn’t really in the mood to see it yesterday because I was so tired and headachy from jetlag, but there’s only one matinee showing of the non-3D version left in theaters, so I knew my opportunities were limited. I’m so glad I dragged myself to the theater, because I loved it.
I loved every single little thing about it, in fact, and while I’m not sure it’s my favorite Marvel movie (it’s kind of hard to beat Tony Stark in terms of pure fun), I think it might just be the best-constructed Marvel movie so far.
-Chris Hemsworth was surprisingly good and very attractive. I didn’t think much of him in the trailers b/c of all the facial hair and how dumb-jock he seemed (I so loved him as George Kirk, and I irrationally disliked the idea of seeing him play someone so radically regressed…however, now I’m glad because it really showed off his acting chops!), but he was actually extremely handsome (his blue eyes sparkled so much! Gosh, I am such a sucker for blue eyes). He also pulled off Thor’s emotional growth really well (now that I think of it, he even managed to wear Thor’s armor differently, looking like an overgrown boy in the beginning and like a real hero at the end). The cell scene with Loki was magnificent and heartbreaking.
-Tom Hiddleston as Loki was possibly even better. I was inwardly squeeing at the characters the second the young brothers appeared on screen (and good God did those two little kids look a lot like the adults; if I didn’t know better I’d think there was some Benjamin Button-y CGI work there), and then Tom Hiddleston stole my acting!heart. His facial expressions were so nuanced, and I was never quite sure what he was thinking or planning (which is intentional, obviously, since Loki is the Trickster). I still don’t know if his murder of Laufey was planned or if it was a contingency decision since Thor had returned (I suspect the former). Likewise, I’m pretty sure that he purposely baited Thor into attacking the Frost Giants at the beginning, but I’m not 100% positive. In any case, Loki is certainly not innocent, but I still feel for him quite a bit, and I can mostly understand why he did what he did. I’m super glad that he’ll presumably return in The Avengers.
-Natalie Portman was great as well, and I really like Jane because she was neither a stereotypical nerdy-genius-who-is-completely-and-unrealistically-oblivious-to-the-really-hot-guy-in-front-of-her, nor was she the other stereotype, nerdy-girl-who-completely-abandons-her-intellect-once-the-hot-hero-appears. She was girlishly taken by Thor and yet never lost her focus on her work; she also listened to common sense about not driving him to the hammer when he was a total stranger.
-I thought the romance was very sweet and well done because I can understand how they fell for each other, yet neither professed love at the drop of a hat, nor acted like simpering, desperate idiots. Obviously they are OTP to me and had better be endgame (if there is any screwing around with Sif or contrived love triangles, I shall be extremely pissed), but I am content with their temporary separation at the end.
-So pretty much every actor was excellent actually…Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba were both BAMFs, Stellan Skarsgard was a great loving father figure, Kat Dennings was just snarky enough without seeming clichéd or annoying, Clark Gregg was in fine form as always, and Sif and the Warriors 3 were lots of fun to watch.
-The graphics were gorgeous. Asgard and Jotunheim were both really cool, and the Bifrost was beautiful.
-I loved the score. The instrumentals were beautiful, and I even liked the weird metal rock credits song.
-The pacing was really well done. The opening scene with Jane and co. was a good start, and then the back-story on Asgard was just long enough to explain everything clearly without becoming long-winded. The interplay between the worlds was well done so that I never got bored of either and was interested in every character’s storyline.
-The scene after the credits was great (the idea of Samuel Jackson being signed on for nine films and making goodness knows how much money for these two-minute scenes makes me want to lol and headdesk at the same time). I don’t like the idea of Loki manipulating Selvig and turning him into an unintentional bad guy, but I suppose it will make for a good story.
-The women! Oh, I was so happy about the portrayal of women in Thor, and I think it is definitely the best to date of any Marvel movie. Passing the Bechdel test may be a bit iffy since Jane and Darcy didn’t really talk to each alone and I’m not sure that snarking counts as a conversation, but I’m happy for several reasons:
-The movie had four women (Jane, Darcy, Sif, Queen) when it could easily have just stuck with Jane and Sif.
-As I mentioned, Jane was a character in her own right and not just The Love Interest.
-The Queen didn’t do much, but she did immediately go for a sword to defend herself and Odin when the Frost Giants attacked. Also, I noticed how when Loki lied that she wanted Thor to remain exiled, Thor didn’t question her right to command such a thing.
-Not once, IIRC, were women objectified or dressed/posed provocatively. Jane wasn’t sexualized, the ladies on Asgard wore beautiful robes and gowns instead of typically skimpy, revealing goddess outfits, and Sif’s armor didn’t sexualize her at all! There were no half-bare, heaving bosoms or revealing corsets for Sif! She was a kickass, sexy lady warrior who didn’t need to be half naked to be either kickass or sexy (cough*Wonder Woman costume*cough)! She did wear high-heeled boots, but I can forgive that since they were short, sensible heels that looked fine for fighting (unlike Buffy and Beckett's stupid shoes) and Thor's boots were kind of heel-y too. All in all, there was actually a lot more objectification of males than females what with Thor's pecs. I really liked the dialogue:
Thor: Who proved that women can be just as good warriors…
Sif: I did!
Thor: Oh. Right. And I supported you!
Overall, this movie was such a joy to watch. Kenneth Branagh, I tip my hat to you, and I wish you were directing The Avengers.
So yeah, let me talk about The Avengers for a minute…
I don’t really have any interest in Captain America. I’m sure the movie will pull off the premise well, but the idea of a small, “weak” man needing to be buffed up to be a hero doesn’t sit right with me, and I actually liked Chris Evans as the Human Torch quite fine, thank you very much; I don’t want to see him play a different superhero. However, I’ll probably still go see CA since I am a Marvel Movie Fanwoman.
I am more excited about The Avengers, but I am also extremely wary because I doubt that the heroes’ individual storylines will get enough closure, and I suspect the romances will get the short end of the stick (frex, the Jane/Thor reunion will probably be unsatisfying, I don’t know if Betty Ross will be included [and while I like Mark Ruffalo, I really liked Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. ☹ ], I want more Tony/Pepper dammit, etc.).
Honestly, I’m really unhappy about the idea of Joss Whedon directing it. Joss doesn’t seem to believe in happy endings. He also doesn’t seem to believe in happy love. Both of those things piss me off, and I don’t want him ruining these characters’ lives like he’s ruined so many of his original characters’ lives. I don’t want angst for angst’s sake, which he also goes for quite often. I also don’t think he deserves the “feminist writer” accolades for which he’s known, and if Black Widow is the only notable female character or if he fridges a love interest like he fridged Jenny and Tara, I will be so angry. Actually, come to think of it, he probably is going to kill someone, maybe even one of the Avengers themselves 'cause that's what JW does. Asshole.
I trust Whedon to pull off the ensemble work (must be so daunting to bring all these heroes together in one two-hour film) since that’s what he excels at, but I don’t trust him with anything else. I don’t want him messing with my beloved Marvel movie characters.
I’ve always wanted to see Thor because I really like superhero movies, especially Marvel movies, but I wasn’t especially invested in the story compared to that of other Marvel heroes like Iron Man (I am even less interested in Captain America, though I will see that as well). I also wasn’t really in the mood to see it yesterday because I was so tired and headachy from jetlag, but there’s only one matinee showing of the non-3D version left in theaters, so I knew my opportunities were limited. I’m so glad I dragged myself to the theater, because I loved it.
I loved every single little thing about it, in fact, and while I’m not sure it’s my favorite Marvel movie (it’s kind of hard to beat Tony Stark in terms of pure fun), I think it might just be the best-constructed Marvel movie so far.
-Chris Hemsworth was surprisingly good and very attractive. I didn’t think much of him in the trailers b/c of all the facial hair and how dumb-jock he seemed (I so loved him as George Kirk, and I irrationally disliked the idea of seeing him play someone so radically regressed…however, now I’m glad because it really showed off his acting chops!), but he was actually extremely handsome (his blue eyes sparkled so much! Gosh, I am such a sucker for blue eyes). He also pulled off Thor’s emotional growth really well (now that I think of it, he even managed to wear Thor’s armor differently, looking like an overgrown boy in the beginning and like a real hero at the end). The cell scene with Loki was magnificent and heartbreaking.
-Tom Hiddleston as Loki was possibly even better. I was inwardly squeeing at the characters the second the young brothers appeared on screen (and good God did those two little kids look a lot like the adults; if I didn’t know better I’d think there was some Benjamin Button-y CGI work there), and then Tom Hiddleston stole my acting!heart. His facial expressions were so nuanced, and I was never quite sure what he was thinking or planning (which is intentional, obviously, since Loki is the Trickster). I still don’t know if his murder of Laufey was planned or if it was a contingency decision since Thor had returned (I suspect the former). Likewise, I’m pretty sure that he purposely baited Thor into attacking the Frost Giants at the beginning, but I’m not 100% positive. In any case, Loki is certainly not innocent, but I still feel for him quite a bit, and I can mostly understand why he did what he did. I’m super glad that he’ll presumably return in The Avengers.
-Natalie Portman was great as well, and I really like Jane because she was neither a stereotypical nerdy-genius-who-is-completely-and-unrealistically-oblivious-to-the-really-hot-guy-in-front-of-her, nor was she the other stereotype, nerdy-girl-who-completely-abandons-her-intellect-once-the-hot-hero-appears. She was girlishly taken by Thor and yet never lost her focus on her work; she also listened to common sense about not driving him to the hammer when he was a total stranger.
-I thought the romance was very sweet and well done because I can understand how they fell for each other, yet neither professed love at the drop of a hat, nor acted like simpering, desperate idiots. Obviously they are OTP to me and had better be endgame (if there is any screwing around with Sif or contrived love triangles, I shall be extremely pissed), but I am content with their temporary separation at the end.
-So pretty much every actor was excellent actually…Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba were both BAMFs, Stellan Skarsgard was a great loving father figure, Kat Dennings was just snarky enough without seeming clichéd or annoying, Clark Gregg was in fine form as always, and Sif and the Warriors 3 were lots of fun to watch.
-The graphics were gorgeous. Asgard and Jotunheim were both really cool, and the Bifrost was beautiful.
-I loved the score. The instrumentals were beautiful, and I even liked the weird metal rock credits song.
-The pacing was really well done. The opening scene with Jane and co. was a good start, and then the back-story on Asgard was just long enough to explain everything clearly without becoming long-winded. The interplay between the worlds was well done so that I never got bored of either and was interested in every character’s storyline.
-The scene after the credits was great (the idea of Samuel Jackson being signed on for nine films and making goodness knows how much money for these two-minute scenes makes me want to lol and headdesk at the same time). I don’t like the idea of Loki manipulating Selvig and turning him into an unintentional bad guy, but I suppose it will make for a good story.
-The women! Oh, I was so happy about the portrayal of women in Thor, and I think it is definitely the best to date of any Marvel movie. Passing the Bechdel test may be a bit iffy since Jane and Darcy didn’t really talk to each alone and I’m not sure that snarking counts as a conversation, but I’m happy for several reasons:
-The movie had four women (Jane, Darcy, Sif, Queen) when it could easily have just stuck with Jane and Sif.
-As I mentioned, Jane was a character in her own right and not just The Love Interest.
-The Queen didn’t do much, but she did immediately go for a sword to defend herself and Odin when the Frost Giants attacked. Also, I noticed how when Loki lied that she wanted Thor to remain exiled, Thor didn’t question her right to command such a thing.
-Not once, IIRC, were women objectified or dressed/posed provocatively. Jane wasn’t sexualized, the ladies on Asgard wore beautiful robes and gowns instead of typically skimpy, revealing goddess outfits, and Sif’s armor didn’t sexualize her at all! There were no half-bare, heaving bosoms or revealing corsets for Sif! She was a kickass, sexy lady warrior who didn’t need to be half naked to be either kickass or sexy (cough*Wonder Woman costume*cough)! She did wear high-heeled boots, but I can forgive that since they were short, sensible heels that looked fine for fighting (unlike Buffy and Beckett's stupid shoes) and Thor's boots were kind of heel-y too. All in all, there was actually a lot more objectification of males than females what with Thor's pecs. I really liked the dialogue:
Thor: Who proved that women can be just as good warriors…
Sif: I did!
Thor: Oh. Right. And I supported you!
Overall, this movie was such a joy to watch. Kenneth Branagh, I tip my hat to you, and I wish you were directing The Avengers.
So yeah, let me talk about The Avengers for a minute…
I don’t really have any interest in Captain America. I’m sure the movie will pull off the premise well, but the idea of a small, “weak” man needing to be buffed up to be a hero doesn’t sit right with me, and I actually liked Chris Evans as the Human Torch quite fine, thank you very much; I don’t want to see him play a different superhero. However, I’ll probably still go see CA since I am a Marvel Movie Fanwoman.
I am more excited about The Avengers, but I am also extremely wary because I doubt that the heroes’ individual storylines will get enough closure, and I suspect the romances will get the short end of the stick (frex, the Jane/Thor reunion will probably be unsatisfying, I don’t know if Betty Ross will be included [and while I like Mark Ruffalo, I really liked Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. ☹ ], I want more Tony/Pepper dammit, etc.).
Honestly, I’m really unhappy about the idea of Joss Whedon directing it. Joss doesn’t seem to believe in happy endings. He also doesn’t seem to believe in happy love. Both of those things piss me off, and I don’t want him ruining these characters’ lives like he’s ruined so many of his original characters’ lives. I don’t want angst for angst’s sake, which he also goes for quite often. I also don’t think he deserves the “feminist writer” accolades for which he’s known, and if Black Widow is the only notable female character or if he fridges a love interest like he fridged Jenny and Tara, I will be so angry. Actually, come to think of it, he probably is going to kill someone, maybe even one of the Avengers themselves 'cause that's what JW does. Asshole.
I trust Whedon to pull off the ensemble work (must be so daunting to bring all these heroes together in one two-hour film) since that’s what he excels at, but I don’t trust him with anything else. I don’t want him messing with my beloved Marvel movie characters.