LIVEBLOG - THOR
Thor
Okay, I’m going to have to preface this one with a quick note. Earlier this year, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were nominated for a Best Newcomer award at the BAFTAs, for this film. They were COMPLETELY ROBBED by someone I have never heard of, and now, sadly, boycott on principle. (This may not make sense to those of you with more rational brains, but I hold grudges, sorry.) Therefore, occasionally, there might be some angry capslock as well as the more conventional squeeling capslock. ^_^
Also, this one is likely to be the longest of all of them. I have so many feelings about Thor, and I think this one is actually the most analysable. Something about it has a lot more depth than the other four.
Onwards!
- First up, I LOVE the music in this. Most of all of all the Marvel movies. It’s the only one I actually went and bought, because it is so wonderful.
- Hi Darcy!!! I LOVE HER. Also, Jane and Erik. Let’s face it, all the characters in this one are completely awesome.
- “I am not dying for six college credits!” This is why I love you, Darcy! You’re almost as good as Tony for the quotable lines. :D
- I do love the way they get up to the “Where did he come from?” and then explain it. It’s another nice method of exposition. Plus, it means we get Anthony Hopkins Voiceover! Also, I don’t know whether it’s Kenneth Branagh as a director, or the source material, but the feel of this movie is much more ‘epic’ than the others. The music helps, as well as the fact that a good portion of it happens on other planets, but still, even the Earth scenes feel a bit more grandiose.
- TINY THOR AND TINY LOKI!!!! I don’t know how they picked these kids, but they fit absolutely perfectly.
- “Both of you were born to be kings.” - Whoever did the script for this one is King of the Foreshadowing/Rewatch References. Honestly, I don’t think I really appreciated how tight the script is until my third or fourth viewing. Almost every scene has a hidden meaning or a callout to something that you probably wouldn’t notice the first time round. Heck, I might notice something else this time!
- CHRIS HEMSWORTH, YOU ARE A GOD.
- SIF, YOU ARE THE BEST.
- ODIN, STOP BEING SO JUDGEY.
- I’ll probably say this over and over again, but the facial expressions in this movie are almost another script on their own. Particularly Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. OH, THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. WHOEVER TAUGHT THESE BOYS TO ACT SHOULD BE GIVEN MEDALS.
- “I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you….. Frost Giants!” I can just imagine the onlookers going “Wuhuh? That’s not right!” Luckily, the awesome robot thing (the Destroyer) beats them pretty easily.
- I love Loki’s expressions in this scene. He’s all “I did it, but they don’t know that, and this is really funny, but also kinda not. Oops. And yet, heh.” In like, three expressions. :D
- The formal language is wonderful! I kinda love that Thor is the most formal. Loki’s a bit more relaxed, which totally works.
- “And who proved wrong all those who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?” “I did!” “… True, but I supported you, Sif.” SIF FOR THE WIN.
- WHOEVER DID THE LANDSCAPES FOR THIS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN OSCARS. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
- HEIMDALL!!!!!!!! Played by Idris Elba, who is freaking amazing, and gets seriously awesome lines, delivered wonderfully.
- “What happened? Silver tongue turn to lead?” Oh honey, you really shouldn’t tease Loki. It’s mean, and he holds grudges.
- I WANT ALL THE STAR PAINTINGS AS POSTERS. OR, MAYBE, AS A REALLY ELABORATE MURAL.
- “I have no plans to die today.” “None do.” Heimdall, seriously, how do you get so many awesome lines?
- I WANT A GO ON THE BIFROST. This is probably impossible, but still.
- I love that Jotunheim is really beautiful too, just in a really dark, spiky, icy way.
- Laufey is a stupid name, but an excellent character. However, calling Thor a princess was a really stupid idea. I love Loki’s little “Damn.” afterwards. :D
- The fight scene between the Asgardians and the Jotuns reminds me of sort of updated Ray Harryhausen. It’s high-fantasy, but cleverly shot so you don’t linger long enough on any one fight to notice any issues with it.
- Ooh, first sign that Loki is not what he thinks he is! I love his confusion.
- Thor gets a lot of character development in the movie, but this really shows that his fundamental character doesn’t actually change. He was always a good guy. He stays behind to hold off the Jotuns so his friends can get to safety. He is willing to die for his friends, it just takes him a while to work out that if he doesn’t put them in danger so much, he wouldn’t have to die for them.
- Odin and Laufey’s scene is pitch perfect. Laufey is clearly in the right - Thor invaded Jotunheim, not the other way around - but at the same time, he has a sort of grudging enemy’s respect for Odin. He knows Odin has beaten him before, and probably would again, but that doesn’t stop him from promising war. Odin, on the other hand, doesn’t want war, and he is completely furious at his son, but he’s enough of a diplomat that he’ll try to talk them all out of it, before making a calculated strike and getting the Asgardians out of there.
- Thor and Odin’s argument is perfect. It’s almost Shakespearian in it’s ferocity. Odin is so angry, and Thor is just young and arrogant enough to rile him up so much that he has no choice but to punish him in the most severe way he can think of - stripping him of his powers and throwing him away. I particularly love the way that all three actors play this. Loki, standing in the background, can’t believe his eyes. Later in the film, you find out that this is basically all his fault - if he hadn’t let the Jotuns in in the first place, Thor wouldn’t have gone to Jotunheim, et cetera, and I do think that at this moment, he regrets his actions. Later, he’ll exploit the situation, but right now, he is sorry.
Thor, on the other hand, is completely in shock. You can almost see the moment when he realises that he’s gone too far, and then, as his father rips his armour off, he gets tears in his eyes, and it’s plain that if he was capable of speech, he would be begging for forgiveness.
- And there, we’re back on Earth.
- DARCY TASERED THOR. *squeals*
- MJOLNIR!!!!!!!!!! Totally a Sword In The Stone moment, or, in this case, Hammer In The Rock.
- I love that it’s Darcy who sees Thor in the images. She’s very useful!
- See, Thor’s learning already! Sometimes, you don’t need brute force, you need finesse! Don’t break the bonds, work your way out of them.
- I LOVE AMERICANS. Give them a Hammer In A Rock, and they will bring beer, barbeques and pickup trucks.
- STAN LEE ALERT.
- COULSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In fact, it’s the post-credits sequence from Iron Man 2
- CHRIS HEMSWORTH, YOU ARE A GOD. ALSO, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. LIKE A GREEK STATUE.
- “This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance.” Um, I now say that a lot. It’s entered my regular vocabulary.
- I really can’t decide what Loki’s thinking in that scene with the warriors. He’s definitely jealous of Thor, and I think he likes the idea that he’s now the only son, but at the same time, I don't think he wanted it to happen like this. He wants to be the hero, not the spare.
- “The Casket wasn’t the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?” The first time I saw this, that blew me away. I honestly didn’t imagine for a second that this was a kidnapping situation. But when you look back, it really does make perfect sense. What better trophy from a war than your enemy’s abandoned son? Raise him as your own, use him to take over Jotunheim when he’s grown.
- One of my absolute favourite tropes in any story is a ‘bad guy’ who’s actually completely justified. Loki may twist situations to his advantage, but, in his favour, Odin and Frigg lied to him his entire life. They set him up to be Thor’s equal, but it’s obvious that they had ulterior motives for him. So, given the opportunity to knock Thor down a few pegs and be the hero of Asgard for a while (as he blatantly is - more on that later), why wouldn’t he grab it with both hands?
- THOR IN THE DINER. I love how naïve and adorable he is. He doesn’t understand the customs, but he’s so smiley and polite! Then he walks down the middle of the road and makes all the traffic angry!
- I really do love Erik. He and Jane really do have that father/daughter thing going on, and it’s lovely. There couldn’t be enough of that.
- Hehe, Thor kisses Jane’s hand and she goes all giggly. I’d do that too. :D
- COULSON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Coulson stealing all Jane’s equipment though, which is very naughty of him, even if he does pay her for it. Poor Jane. :( And poor Darcy - they took her iPod, and she’d just downloaded like 30 songs.
- Is the scientist in Gamma Radiation that Erik knows something to do with the Hulk? I think so, but I’m not sure who they mean.
- Back in Asgard, YAY LOKI! ALSO, YAY SIF!!! All four of the warriors are completely awesome, but Sif has just the best facial expressions.
- “I need a horse!” Thor, you are freaking adorable.
- Thor/Jane is my one absolute OTP in the Marvel Movieverse. I ship basically every other character in several iterations, but Thor belongs to Jane. *nods*
- “He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different.” Yeah, that didn’t work at all. Most of Loki’s issues are because he was blatantly treated as the second-born. Thor was always the crown prince. I didn’t think of this before, but it’s actually only when Frigg mentions that Odin might bring Thor back, that Loki really goes on the offensive, going to Earth, and orchestrating the invasion of the Jotuns. He wants to be special, he wants to be the favourite. He can’t stand the thought that Thor will come back and he’ll be cast aside again. Personally, I can’t blame him for that.
- THOR’S GOING TO CAUSE A THUNDERSTORM. OH YAY!
- I love the voicemail that Jane leaves Erik! “I did exactly what you told me not to. Sorry. So sorry. Bye!”
- HAWKEYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though he’s only in it for like, three minutes. Still. HAWKEYE!!!! Also, he gets two of my favourite lines in the whole film. “Do you want me to slow him down sir, or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?” and later, “Better call it, Coulson, ‘cause I’m starting to root for this guy.”
- THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SCENE. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WORKS.
THE MUSIC, SWELLS TO A TRIUMPHANT CLIMAX AS YOU THINK HE’S WON. COULSON, TELLS HAWKEYE TO WAIT. THEN, THE MUSIC CHANGES, AND YOU SEE THE CONFUSION AND PANIC AS THOR STRAINS, BUT CAN’T LIFT THE HAMMER. THE PAIN ON HIS FACE, THE STRUGGLE IN HIS MUSCLES, THE WOUNDED ANIMAL SCREAM AS HE STARES UP AT THE SKY, ILLUMINATED BY THE LIGHTNING. JANE LOOKS ON, DEVASTATED. COULSON STANDS STILL AND SILENT. THOR DROPS TO HIS KNEES, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW UTTERLY BROKEN HE IS. THEN THERE’S A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT WHERE EVERYTHING IS STILL AND THE MUSIC IS COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN. COULSON ORDERS HIS MEN TO TAKE THOR AWAY, AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT HE HAS COMPLETELY GIVEN UP. HE DOESN’T STRUGGLE. HIS SHOULDERS ARE SLUMPED, HIS HEAD DOWN. THEN HE LOOKS, AND SEES THE SYMBOL ON THE SIDE OF THE HAMMER. HE REALISES THAT HE’S NOT WORTHY OF HIS OWN POWERS. HE LETS HIMSELF BE TAKEN AWAY.
WHY THE FUCK DID HE NOT WIN AWARDS FOR THIS? WHY? WHY????
(yeah, I’m going to ease up on the capslock now, little bit)
And Heimdall is watching, all the way up on Asgard. :(
- “Magic is just science that we don’t understand yet!” Go Jane!!!
- Thor’s ‘interrogation’ with Coulson, and the ensuing conversation with Loki, are almost just as depressing as the Hammer scene. If ever there was a wounded puppy that just kept getting kicked, it’s Thor. Chris Hemsworth’s face throughout the entire section is just wonderful. It’s an open book. You can see how broken he is, how miserable. It’s actually rather brilliant - in the scene with Coulson, there are moments where he does look like a sullen little boy. He’s had his punishment, but the lecture is carrying on. He only makes eye contact when Coulson asks who he is, and even then, he really looks like he doesn’t know. He doesn’t care any more.
Then Coulson leaves and Loki appears. Thor’s whole demeanour changes dramatically, he’s relieved, but then he wonders why - what’s happened. Loki, in a move I understand but still think is almost incandescently mean, tells him that Odin is dead. There’s a moment where Chris Hemsworth frowns, just a little bit, which I think is unbelievably tragic. He almost looks like he’s going to be sick. The idea is just so bizarre, so completely unthinkable, that he doesn’t know how to react. Then Loki tells him that it’s basically his fault, but “You mustn’t blame yourself”, and of course, Thor does, because he is fundamentally a good person.
Then there’s a line: “It was so cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing you could never lift it.” And Chris has this beautiful reaction, like he hadn’t connected not being able to lift it before with never being able. Then Loki reveals he’s become king, and again, Chris has this wonderful moment, where you can see him struggling. He looks up, and in the most childlike, desperate voice, with tears in his eyes, he says “Can I come home?” Loki refuses him, and tells him that their mother has forbidden it. And, oh my gods, my heart is smooshed up on the floor right now. Chris is just amazing. Thor actually apologises and thanks him for coming. It’s painful to watch. The poor thing is completely destroyed. He realises that not only can he never go home, he has killed his father, shamed his mother, almost brought war on his homeland, and been deemed unworthy of his godhood. It’s the lowest moment of his life, and still, he thanks his brother and says goodbye.
WHY THE FUCK DID HE NOT WIN AWARDS FOR THIS? WHY? WHY????
- AND LOKI CAN’T LIFT THE HAMMER EITHER. HA.
- Then, Erik comes to save the day, and Coulson lets him, even though he knows Erik’s lying. And THOR RESCUES JANE’S NOTEBOOK!
- FOO FIGHTERS ALERT! (I love it when they use the theme song in clever ways, like here, on the bar jukebox!)
- “Anyone who’s ever going to find his way in this world has to start by admitting he doesn’t know where the hell he is.” - ERIK, THAT IS EXACTLY THE MOST SENSIBLE AND TIMELY PIECE OF ADVICE EVER. Thank you!
- Loki and Laufey! Loki’s plan does sound disturbingly foolproof. On the other hand, it also sounds really stupid. Laufey, if Loki has the power to disguise you and get you in Odin’s chambers, why don’t you imagine that he also has the power (on his home turf) to get you alone and kill you? Then he’d have Asgard and Jotunheim!
- I LOVE IT WHEN BOYS GET COMPETITIVE! “We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!” “I still don’t think you’re the God of Thunder, but you ought to be!” Go Erik!
- THOR/JANE FTW! <3 They are so cute together, and they teach eachother things! Perfect relationship!
- HEIMDALL/WARRIORS ALSO FTW! “You would defy the orders of Loki, our king, break every oath you have taken as warriors, and commit treason to bring Thor back?” “Yes.” “Good.”
- Okay, setting the Predator on Thor might be a step too far, Loki. It’s a little overkill.
- I LOVE THE REACTIONS OF ERIK, DARCY AND JANE TO THE WARRIORS!!!!! And then the warriors tell him Odin is still alive! YAY!
- HEIMDALL!!!!!!!! Now, that was definitely a step too far, Loki.
- “Is that one of Stark’s?” “I don’t know. The guy never tells me anything.” SURPRISE IRON MAN REFERENCE!
- *squeak* Thor offers to get all the civilians to safety rather than fighting with his friends - CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROOF! YAY!
- SIF IS TOTALLY MY FAVOURITE ASGARDIAN (aside from Thor, obviously) (maybe even including Thor) (aside from Heimdall)
- “Sif, you’ve done all you can!” “No, I will die a warrior’s death. Stories will be told of this day!” “Live, and tell those stories yourself.” (Thor/Sif FTW!!! - but only in a platonic, brother/sister sort of way)
- “I have a plan!” Thor, sweetie, giving yourself up to the Destroyer as a sacrifice, even in a beautifully shot, excellently scored way, is not a plan. I’m not sure it even counts as a notion. All it does is lead to Jane being all weepy and, okay, yeah, you getting Mjolnir back. I don’t think that was in your plan though, more of a lucky side-effect.
- “Oh. my. god.” - *laughs head off* THAT WILL NEVER STOP BEING THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER.
- “So is that how you normally look?” “More or less.” “It’s a good look.” - Jane, stop mentally undressing him.
- COULSON!!! Sorry, SON OF COUL!!!!!!! “Wait, I need to debrief you!” (Sorry Coulson, I think that’s Jane’s job now. *giggles* *is approximately 11*)
- BTW, I need to get a boyfriend who can fly. That looks like an insane amount of fun.
- HEIMDALL FOR THE WIN!
- “I will return for you.” *Thor kisses Jane’s hand* “Deal?” *Jane kisses Thor* “Deal.” *dies of happiness* BTW, I love the way he keeps flickering his eyes from hers to her lips and back as he moves away. It’s so cute - you can totally believe that that was his first kiss.
- “So that you may know that your death came at the hand of Laufey.” “And your death came by the son of Odin!” LOKI FOR THE WIN. Seriously, I do believe that this was his endgame. Loki didn’t want Asgard destroyed, he wanted to be better than Thor. Thor went to Jotunheim and came back disgraced. Loki invited Laufey to Asgard and killed him, right in front of Odin and Frigg (the people who raised him). He’s a total hero, in his eyes, and still, Thor’s messing everything up by coming back.
- Marvel really does love it’s self-hating heroes, doesn’t it? Iron Man, Hulk, and Loki… Even Captain America isn’t too fond of himself at times.
- Poor Loki. He’s so confused. He doesn’t know what he’s doing or why he’s doing it, only that he wants Thor to fight back. He does know exactly which button to push to make Thor attack him though - he threatens Jane, the woman who made him ‘soft’! Even so, Thor still wants to save him. Trapping him with the hammer was a very nice touch!
- The bit when he destroys the bridge - dear lord, I am in pieces, and I’ve been watching this one in pieces because I keep having to pause for deep analysis - this is another moment which I think proves that Loki is a deeply confused individual. He is genuinely shocked that Thor would even consider destroying the Bifrost, and what reason does he give? Not that it would cut Asgard off, or stop his plan to destroy Jotunheim (something Thor wanted to do earlier) - no, “You’ll never see her again!”
- More heartbreaking music. :(
- “He mourns for his brother, and he misses her.” - Poor Thor. :( All he ever wanted was to make his father proud, and now he has, but in doing so, he’s lost two of the most important people in his life.
- Thor’s scene with Heimdall is also lovely. “Can you see her?” “Yes.” “How is she?” “She searches for you.” And then that wonderful smile. :D
Post credits - LOKI IS BACK. Well, I knew that already, but still. And Erik is working with Fury! And seems to be possibly possessed by Loki. That’s a bit weird. Hey ho. Yay!
One minor point - apparently Jane isn’t going to be in The Avengers???? She’s supposedly not back until Thor 2, which isn’t coming out for another TWO YEARS. What? I really hope they explain that, otherwise I’m going to be very depressed.
Okay, last one! Captain America! Onwards, because it’s already 10:30pm. :)
(Um, this blog entry was over 3500 words. That's insane. Also, I have now done over 8700 words in total today, which is officially longer than my undergrad dissertation. And I've still got one to go. Shit.)
Okay, I’m going to have to preface this one with a quick note. Earlier this year, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were nominated for a Best Newcomer award at the BAFTAs, for this film. They were COMPLETELY ROBBED by someone I have never heard of, and now, sadly, boycott on principle. (This may not make sense to those of you with more rational brains, but I hold grudges, sorry.) Therefore, occasionally, there might be some angry capslock as well as the more conventional squeeling capslock. ^_^
Also, this one is likely to be the longest of all of them. I have so many feelings about Thor, and I think this one is actually the most analysable. Something about it has a lot more depth than the other four.
Onwards!
- First up, I LOVE the music in this. Most of all of all the Marvel movies. It’s the only one I actually went and bought, because it is so wonderful.
- Hi Darcy!!! I LOVE HER. Also, Jane and Erik. Let’s face it, all the characters in this one are completely awesome.
- “I am not dying for six college credits!” This is why I love you, Darcy! You’re almost as good as Tony for the quotable lines. :D
- I do love the way they get up to the “Where did he come from?” and then explain it. It’s another nice method of exposition. Plus, it means we get Anthony Hopkins Voiceover! Also, I don’t know whether it’s Kenneth Branagh as a director, or the source material, but the feel of this movie is much more ‘epic’ than the others. The music helps, as well as the fact that a good portion of it happens on other planets, but still, even the Earth scenes feel a bit more grandiose.
- TINY THOR AND TINY LOKI!!!! I don’t know how they picked these kids, but they fit absolutely perfectly.
- “Both of you were born to be kings.” - Whoever did the script for this one is King of the Foreshadowing/Rewatch References. Honestly, I don’t think I really appreciated how tight the script is until my third or fourth viewing. Almost every scene has a hidden meaning or a callout to something that you probably wouldn’t notice the first time round. Heck, I might notice something else this time!
- CHRIS HEMSWORTH, YOU ARE A GOD.
- SIF, YOU ARE THE BEST.
- ODIN, STOP BEING SO JUDGEY.
- I’ll probably say this over and over again, but the facial expressions in this movie are almost another script on their own. Particularly Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. OH, THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. WHOEVER TAUGHT THESE BOYS TO ACT SHOULD BE GIVEN MEDALS.
- “I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you….. Frost Giants!” I can just imagine the onlookers going “Wuhuh? That’s not right!” Luckily, the awesome robot thing (the Destroyer) beats them pretty easily.
- I love Loki’s expressions in this scene. He’s all “I did it, but they don’t know that, and this is really funny, but also kinda not. Oops. And yet, heh.” In like, three expressions. :D
- The formal language is wonderful! I kinda love that Thor is the most formal. Loki’s a bit more relaxed, which totally works.
- “And who proved wrong all those who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?” “I did!” “… True, but I supported you, Sif.” SIF FOR THE WIN.
- WHOEVER DID THE LANDSCAPES FOR THIS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN OSCARS. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
- HEIMDALL!!!!!!!! Played by Idris Elba, who is freaking amazing, and gets seriously awesome lines, delivered wonderfully.
- “What happened? Silver tongue turn to lead?” Oh honey, you really shouldn’t tease Loki. It’s mean, and he holds grudges.
- I WANT ALL THE STAR PAINTINGS AS POSTERS. OR, MAYBE, AS A REALLY ELABORATE MURAL.
- “I have no plans to die today.” “None do.” Heimdall, seriously, how do you get so many awesome lines?
- I WANT A GO ON THE BIFROST. This is probably impossible, but still.
- I love that Jotunheim is really beautiful too, just in a really dark, spiky, icy way.
- Laufey is a stupid name, but an excellent character. However, calling Thor a princess was a really stupid idea. I love Loki’s little “Damn.” afterwards. :D
- The fight scene between the Asgardians and the Jotuns reminds me of sort of updated Ray Harryhausen. It’s high-fantasy, but cleverly shot so you don’t linger long enough on any one fight to notice any issues with it.
- Ooh, first sign that Loki is not what he thinks he is! I love his confusion.
- Thor gets a lot of character development in the movie, but this really shows that his fundamental character doesn’t actually change. He was always a good guy. He stays behind to hold off the Jotuns so his friends can get to safety. He is willing to die for his friends, it just takes him a while to work out that if he doesn’t put them in danger so much, he wouldn’t have to die for them.
- Odin and Laufey’s scene is pitch perfect. Laufey is clearly in the right - Thor invaded Jotunheim, not the other way around - but at the same time, he has a sort of grudging enemy’s respect for Odin. He knows Odin has beaten him before, and probably would again, but that doesn’t stop him from promising war. Odin, on the other hand, doesn’t want war, and he is completely furious at his son, but he’s enough of a diplomat that he’ll try to talk them all out of it, before making a calculated strike and getting the Asgardians out of there.
- Thor and Odin’s argument is perfect. It’s almost Shakespearian in it’s ferocity. Odin is so angry, and Thor is just young and arrogant enough to rile him up so much that he has no choice but to punish him in the most severe way he can think of - stripping him of his powers and throwing him away. I particularly love the way that all three actors play this. Loki, standing in the background, can’t believe his eyes. Later in the film, you find out that this is basically all his fault - if he hadn’t let the Jotuns in in the first place, Thor wouldn’t have gone to Jotunheim, et cetera, and I do think that at this moment, he regrets his actions. Later, he’ll exploit the situation, but right now, he is sorry.
Thor, on the other hand, is completely in shock. You can almost see the moment when he realises that he’s gone too far, and then, as his father rips his armour off, he gets tears in his eyes, and it’s plain that if he was capable of speech, he would be begging for forgiveness.
- And there, we’re back on Earth.
- DARCY TASERED THOR. *squeals*
- MJOLNIR!!!!!!!!!! Totally a Sword In The Stone moment, or, in this case, Hammer In The Rock.
- I love that it’s Darcy who sees Thor in the images. She’s very useful!
- See, Thor’s learning already! Sometimes, you don’t need brute force, you need finesse! Don’t break the bonds, work your way out of them.
- I LOVE AMERICANS. Give them a Hammer In A Rock, and they will bring beer, barbeques and pickup trucks.
- STAN LEE ALERT.
- COULSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In fact, it’s the post-credits sequence from Iron Man 2
- CHRIS HEMSWORTH, YOU ARE A GOD. ALSO, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. LIKE A GREEK STATUE.
- “This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance.” Um, I now say that a lot. It’s entered my regular vocabulary.
- I really can’t decide what Loki’s thinking in that scene with the warriors. He’s definitely jealous of Thor, and I think he likes the idea that he’s now the only son, but at the same time, I don't think he wanted it to happen like this. He wants to be the hero, not the spare.
- “The Casket wasn’t the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?” The first time I saw this, that blew me away. I honestly didn’t imagine for a second that this was a kidnapping situation. But when you look back, it really does make perfect sense. What better trophy from a war than your enemy’s abandoned son? Raise him as your own, use him to take over Jotunheim when he’s grown.
- One of my absolute favourite tropes in any story is a ‘bad guy’ who’s actually completely justified. Loki may twist situations to his advantage, but, in his favour, Odin and Frigg lied to him his entire life. They set him up to be Thor’s equal, but it’s obvious that they had ulterior motives for him. So, given the opportunity to knock Thor down a few pegs and be the hero of Asgard for a while (as he blatantly is - more on that later), why wouldn’t he grab it with both hands?
- THOR IN THE DINER. I love how naïve and adorable he is. He doesn’t understand the customs, but he’s so smiley and polite! Then he walks down the middle of the road and makes all the traffic angry!
- I really do love Erik. He and Jane really do have that father/daughter thing going on, and it’s lovely. There couldn’t be enough of that.
- Hehe, Thor kisses Jane’s hand and she goes all giggly. I’d do that too. :D
- COULSON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Coulson stealing all Jane’s equipment though, which is very naughty of him, even if he does pay her for it. Poor Jane. :( And poor Darcy - they took her iPod, and she’d just downloaded like 30 songs.
- Is the scientist in Gamma Radiation that Erik knows something to do with the Hulk? I think so, but I’m not sure who they mean.
- Back in Asgard, YAY LOKI! ALSO, YAY SIF!!! All four of the warriors are completely awesome, but Sif has just the best facial expressions.
- “I need a horse!” Thor, you are freaking adorable.
- Thor/Jane is my one absolute OTP in the Marvel Movieverse. I ship basically every other character in several iterations, but Thor belongs to Jane. *nods*
- “He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different.” Yeah, that didn’t work at all. Most of Loki’s issues are because he was blatantly treated as the second-born. Thor was always the crown prince. I didn’t think of this before, but it’s actually only when Frigg mentions that Odin might bring Thor back, that Loki really goes on the offensive, going to Earth, and orchestrating the invasion of the Jotuns. He wants to be special, he wants to be the favourite. He can’t stand the thought that Thor will come back and he’ll be cast aside again. Personally, I can’t blame him for that.
- THOR’S GOING TO CAUSE A THUNDERSTORM. OH YAY!
- I love the voicemail that Jane leaves Erik! “I did exactly what you told me not to. Sorry. So sorry. Bye!”
- HAWKEYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though he’s only in it for like, three minutes. Still. HAWKEYE!!!! Also, he gets two of my favourite lines in the whole film. “Do you want me to slow him down sir, or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?” and later, “Better call it, Coulson, ‘cause I’m starting to root for this guy.”
- THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SCENE. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WORKS.
THE MUSIC, SWELLS TO A TRIUMPHANT CLIMAX AS YOU THINK HE’S WON. COULSON, TELLS HAWKEYE TO WAIT. THEN, THE MUSIC CHANGES, AND YOU SEE THE CONFUSION AND PANIC AS THOR STRAINS, BUT CAN’T LIFT THE HAMMER. THE PAIN ON HIS FACE, THE STRUGGLE IN HIS MUSCLES, THE WOUNDED ANIMAL SCREAM AS HE STARES UP AT THE SKY, ILLUMINATED BY THE LIGHTNING. JANE LOOKS ON, DEVASTATED. COULSON STANDS STILL AND SILENT. THOR DROPS TO HIS KNEES, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW UTTERLY BROKEN HE IS. THEN THERE’S A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT WHERE EVERYTHING IS STILL AND THE MUSIC IS COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN. COULSON ORDERS HIS MEN TO TAKE THOR AWAY, AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT HE HAS COMPLETELY GIVEN UP. HE DOESN’T STRUGGLE. HIS SHOULDERS ARE SLUMPED, HIS HEAD DOWN. THEN HE LOOKS, AND SEES THE SYMBOL ON THE SIDE OF THE HAMMER. HE REALISES THAT HE’S NOT WORTHY OF HIS OWN POWERS. HE LETS HIMSELF BE TAKEN AWAY.
WHY THE FUCK DID HE NOT WIN AWARDS FOR THIS? WHY? WHY????
(yeah, I’m going to ease up on the capslock now, little bit)
And Heimdall is watching, all the way up on Asgard. :(
- “Magic is just science that we don’t understand yet!” Go Jane!!!
- Thor’s ‘interrogation’ with Coulson, and the ensuing conversation with Loki, are almost just as depressing as the Hammer scene. If ever there was a wounded puppy that just kept getting kicked, it’s Thor. Chris Hemsworth’s face throughout the entire section is just wonderful. It’s an open book. You can see how broken he is, how miserable. It’s actually rather brilliant - in the scene with Coulson, there are moments where he does look like a sullen little boy. He’s had his punishment, but the lecture is carrying on. He only makes eye contact when Coulson asks who he is, and even then, he really looks like he doesn’t know. He doesn’t care any more.
Then Coulson leaves and Loki appears. Thor’s whole demeanour changes dramatically, he’s relieved, but then he wonders why - what’s happened. Loki, in a move I understand but still think is almost incandescently mean, tells him that Odin is dead. There’s a moment where Chris Hemsworth frowns, just a little bit, which I think is unbelievably tragic. He almost looks like he’s going to be sick. The idea is just so bizarre, so completely unthinkable, that he doesn’t know how to react. Then Loki tells him that it’s basically his fault, but “You mustn’t blame yourself”, and of course, Thor does, because he is fundamentally a good person.
Then there’s a line: “It was so cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing you could never lift it.” And Chris has this beautiful reaction, like he hadn’t connected not being able to lift it before with never being able. Then Loki reveals he’s become king, and again, Chris has this wonderful moment, where you can see him struggling. He looks up, and in the most childlike, desperate voice, with tears in his eyes, he says “Can I come home?” Loki refuses him, and tells him that their mother has forbidden it. And, oh my gods, my heart is smooshed up on the floor right now. Chris is just amazing. Thor actually apologises and thanks him for coming. It’s painful to watch. The poor thing is completely destroyed. He realises that not only can he never go home, he has killed his father, shamed his mother, almost brought war on his homeland, and been deemed unworthy of his godhood. It’s the lowest moment of his life, and still, he thanks his brother and says goodbye.
WHY THE FUCK DID HE NOT WIN AWARDS FOR THIS? WHY? WHY????
- AND LOKI CAN’T LIFT THE HAMMER EITHER. HA.
- Then, Erik comes to save the day, and Coulson lets him, even though he knows Erik’s lying. And THOR RESCUES JANE’S NOTEBOOK!
- FOO FIGHTERS ALERT! (I love it when they use the theme song in clever ways, like here, on the bar jukebox!)
- “Anyone who’s ever going to find his way in this world has to start by admitting he doesn’t know where the hell he is.” - ERIK, THAT IS EXACTLY THE MOST SENSIBLE AND TIMELY PIECE OF ADVICE EVER. Thank you!
- Loki and Laufey! Loki’s plan does sound disturbingly foolproof. On the other hand, it also sounds really stupid. Laufey, if Loki has the power to disguise you and get you in Odin’s chambers, why don’t you imagine that he also has the power (on his home turf) to get you alone and kill you? Then he’d have Asgard and Jotunheim!
- I LOVE IT WHEN BOYS GET COMPETITIVE! “We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!” “I still don’t think you’re the God of Thunder, but you ought to be!” Go Erik!
- THOR/JANE FTW! <3 They are so cute together, and they teach eachother things! Perfect relationship!
- HEIMDALL/WARRIORS ALSO FTW! “You would defy the orders of Loki, our king, break every oath you have taken as warriors, and commit treason to bring Thor back?” “Yes.” “Good.”
- Okay, setting the Predator on Thor might be a step too far, Loki. It’s a little overkill.
- I LOVE THE REACTIONS OF ERIK, DARCY AND JANE TO THE WARRIORS!!!!! And then the warriors tell him Odin is still alive! YAY!
- HEIMDALL!!!!!!!! Now, that was definitely a step too far, Loki.
- “Is that one of Stark’s?” “I don’t know. The guy never tells me anything.” SURPRISE IRON MAN REFERENCE!
- *squeak* Thor offers to get all the civilians to safety rather than fighting with his friends - CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROOF! YAY!
- SIF IS TOTALLY MY FAVOURITE ASGARDIAN (aside from Thor, obviously) (maybe even including Thor) (aside from Heimdall)
- “Sif, you’ve done all you can!” “No, I will die a warrior’s death. Stories will be told of this day!” “Live, and tell those stories yourself.” (Thor/Sif FTW!!! - but only in a platonic, brother/sister sort of way)
- “I have a plan!” Thor, sweetie, giving yourself up to the Destroyer as a sacrifice, even in a beautifully shot, excellently scored way, is not a plan. I’m not sure it even counts as a notion. All it does is lead to Jane being all weepy and, okay, yeah, you getting Mjolnir back. I don’t think that was in your plan though, more of a lucky side-effect.
- “Oh. my. god.” - *laughs head off* THAT WILL NEVER STOP BEING THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER.
- “So is that how you normally look?” “More or less.” “It’s a good look.” - Jane, stop mentally undressing him.
- COULSON!!! Sorry, SON OF COUL!!!!!!! “Wait, I need to debrief you!” (Sorry Coulson, I think that’s Jane’s job now. *giggles* *is approximately 11*)
- BTW, I need to get a boyfriend who can fly. That looks like an insane amount of fun.
- HEIMDALL FOR THE WIN!
- “I will return for you.” *Thor kisses Jane’s hand* “Deal?” *Jane kisses Thor* “Deal.” *dies of happiness* BTW, I love the way he keeps flickering his eyes from hers to her lips and back as he moves away. It’s so cute - you can totally believe that that was his first kiss.
- “So that you may know that your death came at the hand of Laufey.” “And your death came by the son of Odin!” LOKI FOR THE WIN. Seriously, I do believe that this was his endgame. Loki didn’t want Asgard destroyed, he wanted to be better than Thor. Thor went to Jotunheim and came back disgraced. Loki invited Laufey to Asgard and killed him, right in front of Odin and Frigg (the people who raised him). He’s a total hero, in his eyes, and still, Thor’s messing everything up by coming back.
- Marvel really does love it’s self-hating heroes, doesn’t it? Iron Man, Hulk, and Loki… Even Captain America isn’t too fond of himself at times.
- Poor Loki. He’s so confused. He doesn’t know what he’s doing or why he’s doing it, only that he wants Thor to fight back. He does know exactly which button to push to make Thor attack him though - he threatens Jane, the woman who made him ‘soft’! Even so, Thor still wants to save him. Trapping him with the hammer was a very nice touch!
- The bit when he destroys the bridge - dear lord, I am in pieces, and I’ve been watching this one in pieces because I keep having to pause for deep analysis - this is another moment which I think proves that Loki is a deeply confused individual. He is genuinely shocked that Thor would even consider destroying the Bifrost, and what reason does he give? Not that it would cut Asgard off, or stop his plan to destroy Jotunheim (something Thor wanted to do earlier) - no, “You’ll never see her again!”
- More heartbreaking music. :(
- “He mourns for his brother, and he misses her.” - Poor Thor. :( All he ever wanted was to make his father proud, and now he has, but in doing so, he’s lost two of the most important people in his life.
- Thor’s scene with Heimdall is also lovely. “Can you see her?” “Yes.” “How is she?” “She searches for you.” And then that wonderful smile. :D
Post credits - LOKI IS BACK. Well, I knew that already, but still. And Erik is working with Fury! And seems to be possibly possessed by Loki. That’s a bit weird. Hey ho. Yay!
One minor point - apparently Jane isn’t going to be in The Avengers???? She’s supposedly not back until Thor 2, which isn’t coming out for another TWO YEARS. What? I really hope they explain that, otherwise I’m going to be very depressed.
Okay, last one! Captain America! Onwards, because it’s already 10:30pm. :)
(Um, this blog entry was over 3500 words. That's insane. Also, I have now done over 8700 words in total today, which is officially longer than my undergrad dissertation. And I've still got one to go. Shit.)