Saw Thor 2!
Loads of fun. Nothing deep, but you don't go to a movie like this for deep. You go to it for action, brotherly banter and Chris Hemsworth's abs. It delivered on all three counts.
Space Vikings vs. Elves! I liked it. Sadly, Eccles was barely recognizable beneath the makeup (though his bone structure was perfect for a dark elf), and they distorted his voice as well. No likey. They made good use of his physical presence, though. He can do a seriously arrogant walk, which he deployed to great effect. Malekith felt like he contained 5,000 years worth of grudge. I hope some of his cut scenes show up on the DVD, especially the ones with Algrim, his second. That struck me as a relationship with a story behind it.
Enough of my crush, though. I think Hemsworth has come a long way since his first outing. His Thor felt more grounded in this movie, more thoughtful and less prone to letting his muscles make the decisions. It made for a more interesting dynamic between Thor and Loki. It's a testament to Hiddleston's charisma that he can make you feel for a character as inherently loathsome as Loki. He's not at fault for anything, it's the universe against him, so what that he broke New York City, I mean, who cares? And you have to wonder just how much Loki is fooling himself along with everyone else.
One thing he does know how to do, though, is to show people what they want to see and what they expect. That's why his illusion failed him when Thor came to spring him. Arrogant, uncaring Loki was of no interest to Thor in the wake of their mother's death, and he wouldn't believe in it. However, a Loki who would die a redemptive death? That was a story Thor wanted to believe, so Loki served it up for him. Dead Loki who would no longer create conflict for him? That was a story Odin wanted to believe. An Odin who wouldn't stand in the way of what Thor wanted to do? Another story Thor wanted to believe.
(Speaking of illusions, Loki's Captain America impersonation might just be the funniest thing ever. I saw a feature about how they did it. Chris Evans wasn't available, so Tom Hiddleston did the sequence in a Captain America suit, and later, Chris Evans watched his performance and matched his own to it. So it was Chris Evans imitating Tom Hiddleston as Loki imitating Chris Evans as Captain America. Wrap your head around that one.)
The movie was really Thor and Loki's story, but the ladies did get some good sequences. Frigga was awesome before she got killed, boo. I love that she could beat Malekith in fair combat while fooling him with an illusion. Jane, unfortunately, kept getting relegated to the position of Useless, but at least she got to put her brain to good use before the end. I also liked that she gave dragging Thor out of danger a good try. Darcy was fun, as usual, and Sif does kick ass.
On that general subject, I would like to state categorically that the people protesting that Thor chose the "wrong" woman have their asses on their heads. No, there wasn't much chemistry, but story-wise, there wasn't a "wrong" choice for Thor. Yeah, Sif is awesome on the battlefield and she's a long-term friend. The heart isn't swayed by logical choices, though. Thor fell for Jane Foster, who is very different from him or Sif, but that doesn't make her a lesser choice. She uses her mind rather than her body. That's still powerful--in fact, more powerful, in the end, than any sword. If Thor wants to love her for whatever time she has, that's his choice, and there's nothing wrong with it. I don't care how you feel about Natalie Portman.
Anyway, it was fun. Go and see it if you want an enjoyable action flick.
P.S. I'm waiting for the first Malekith/Rose fic. Don't disappoint me, fandom.
Space Vikings vs. Elves! I liked it. Sadly, Eccles was barely recognizable beneath the makeup (though his bone structure was perfect for a dark elf), and they distorted his voice as well. No likey. They made good use of his physical presence, though. He can do a seriously arrogant walk, which he deployed to great effect. Malekith felt like he contained 5,000 years worth of grudge. I hope some of his cut scenes show up on the DVD, especially the ones with Algrim, his second. That struck me as a relationship with a story behind it.
Enough of my crush, though. I think Hemsworth has come a long way since his first outing. His Thor felt more grounded in this movie, more thoughtful and less prone to letting his muscles make the decisions. It made for a more interesting dynamic between Thor and Loki. It's a testament to Hiddleston's charisma that he can make you feel for a character as inherently loathsome as Loki. He's not at fault for anything, it's the universe against him, so what that he broke New York City, I mean, who cares? And you have to wonder just how much Loki is fooling himself along with everyone else.
One thing he does know how to do, though, is to show people what they want to see and what they expect. That's why his illusion failed him when Thor came to spring him. Arrogant, uncaring Loki was of no interest to Thor in the wake of their mother's death, and he wouldn't believe in it. However, a Loki who would die a redemptive death? That was a story Thor wanted to believe, so Loki served it up for him. Dead Loki who would no longer create conflict for him? That was a story Odin wanted to believe. An Odin who wouldn't stand in the way of what Thor wanted to do? Another story Thor wanted to believe.
(Speaking of illusions, Loki's Captain America impersonation might just be the funniest thing ever. I saw a feature about how they did it. Chris Evans wasn't available, so Tom Hiddleston did the sequence in a Captain America suit, and later, Chris Evans watched his performance and matched his own to it. So it was Chris Evans imitating Tom Hiddleston as Loki imitating Chris Evans as Captain America. Wrap your head around that one.)
The movie was really Thor and Loki's story, but the ladies did get some good sequences. Frigga was awesome before she got killed, boo. I love that she could beat Malekith in fair combat while fooling him with an illusion. Jane, unfortunately, kept getting relegated to the position of Useless, but at least she got to put her brain to good use before the end. I also liked that she gave dragging Thor out of danger a good try. Darcy was fun, as usual, and Sif does kick ass.
On that general subject, I would like to state categorically that the people protesting that Thor chose the "wrong" woman have their asses on their heads. No, there wasn't much chemistry, but story-wise, there wasn't a "wrong" choice for Thor. Yeah, Sif is awesome on the battlefield and she's a long-term friend. The heart isn't swayed by logical choices, though. Thor fell for Jane Foster, who is very different from him or Sif, but that doesn't make her a lesser choice. She uses her mind rather than her body. That's still powerful--in fact, more powerful, in the end, than any sword. If Thor wants to love her for whatever time she has, that's his choice, and there's nothing wrong with it. I don't care how you feel about Natalie Portman.
Anyway, it was fun. Go and see it if you want an enjoyable action flick.
P.S. I'm waiting for the first Malekith/Rose fic. Don't disappoint me, fandom.