._.

[xt1me]

Uh.

I probably shouldn’t have gone to the cinema today.

Oh well.

 

Just saw Thor.

I liked it.

There was really no chemistry between Thor and Natalie Portman’s character save for girl-ogles-the-hot-guy. And they come together with all the inevitability that can be afforded in a Hollywood movie but it’s not coming out of left field so I suppose it’s all right.

Other then that, though, it was good. The character and set design look like they stepped straight off the pages of Jack Kirby’s work. And to do that and not end up looking hooky is impressive. I mean take the destroyer for example:

It’s done very well.

I also like Loki. We all know going in that he’s going to evil (anyone who doesn’t needs to read some basic Norse mythology) but I was worried they were going to just make him stupid evil, evil-‘cause-the-plot-says-I-am-evil. Thankfully they gave him reasons. Yeah it may just be daddy-never-loved-me-like-he-loved-Thor-and-I’m-jealous but that is his character.

 

 

Loki undoubtedly loses it when he finds out but the fact that he didn’t know he was a frost giant before is something I liked. It really gives the feel that he always felt something was off from his treatment from his dad when all he wanted was to make him proud. I mean, never feeling like you do as well as you brother and not knowing why will give anyone issues but that fact that it’s revealed that he something he’s been told all his life are the bad guys gives good reason for him to snap. And I do think he snapped. Yeah he was a dick, bringing frost giants in to stir up trouble on Thor’s big day but even when he was goading his brother to get into trouble there was no malice in it until he found out the truth. He treats the frost giants like pawns but until Thor had his character arc he was no better. Just wanting to smash them all and be a hero.

This does make Odin seem like he was a terrible dad though, which I liked. I know he’s supposed to be the all-knowing all-farther, but having a blind spot to family is a character trait I can get behind.

Another thing about Loki. I like how he never actually raises a hand to Odin. Odin collapses because of stress (ok, goes into Odin sleep, but that’s always been just a convenient plot device so who cares) and not because of anything Loki intended, which suits his character. The fact that Loki never attacks him directly fits as well, ‘why wont you love me daddy’. Odin does say he loves Loki and he doesn’t listen but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Loki, as the god of lies, knows of how little their worth. He’s also someone who I can see lying to himself. He is pretty messed up. It’s also obvious he hates himself. He didn’t seem to get the idea of mass slaughter of the frost giants until he finds out he was one. My interpretation of the final fight between Thor and Loki was basically him begging his brother to end it, end him. After all, what kind of god of trickery and deceit gets into a direct confutation with a warrior who he’s already made mad unless for a reason.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it and giving the movie too much credit but I think Odin’s last words to Loki sum up all the poisons misconnections. His “No Loki” shows us his inability to speak to his son coupled with Loki’s inability to hear it in anything but a negative light. The fact that he lets go shows he would rather be dead then a disappointment, something that matches the Viking ‘death or glory’ upbringing he would have had. The scene after the credits not only shows us that lovely mcguffin but also seems to show that Loki’s decided that he decide if he’s going to be the bad guy, then damn it, he’s going to be the Bad Guy. (Because, cosmic cube? Fun times ahead. Roll on Avengers movie)

 

Other then giving me a chance to gush about Loki (what can I say, I like tricksters) the movie did a lot of other things right. The secondary characters where interesting, and even though they didn’t get fleshed out they still seemed like there was depth there, even if it wasn’t shown. The comedy was funny and not waged in, you could have cut it altogether and the movie would have still made sense but it was better for it being there. There were a lot of fan winks, and obviously I don’t know if a non-fan would find them intrusive or puzzling but I don’t think so. The only thing that might confuse people would be the inclusion of Hawkeye (not name that in the movie) but I think that will probably be revealed in the Avengers movie so it’s more of a plot point then anything else.

 

All in all a good movie. Nothing ground breaking but certainly not the back slide into mediocrity I was worried it was going to be. I’m not the worlds biggest fan of Thor so the things they dropped from the main comics don’t worry me, and I’m glad for what they kept. I hope the Captain America movie turns out this good or better.

 

Here’s hoping the Avengers manages to deliver on all it’s promised with these movies.

 

By the way this fic really sums it up. Massive spoilers for the whole movie.