Thor: The Dark World
This is my 1000th post! Considering I've been on LJ for nearly 10 years now, I clearly don't post a lot. But I'm happy that my 1000th post is fannish squee about Thor: the Dark World. Non-spoilery: this is currently my favorite Avengers-series movie. I really, really enjoyed it except for one or two things. (Many many spoilers behind the cut).
I will start with the complaints, since they are few:
I hate that they fridged Frigga. I see the plot logic--it was one thing that would definitely bring Loki and Thor together to fight for a common cause--but they could have just had her kidnapped or something to the same effect. At least the writers let her be a badass first, but I was annoyed that they killed her.
I also wish Jane had had a little more agency once she was in Asgard + Svartleheim. She was great in all the scenes when she was on Midgard, and the interpersonal stuff on Asgard was good, but I do wish some of the fight stuff or battle with the Dark Elves prior to Earth could have used the power of her big brain.
Stuff I loved: EVERYTHING ELSE.
The two reasons I love the Thor franchise so much more than the other Avengers film (despite the fact that Thor is probably 5th on my list of favorite Avengers) are (a) lots of different, interesting roles for women and (b) humor. I love that we get Jane AND Darcy AND Sif AND Frigga--they're all badass in very different ways, and they all overturn expectations all the time.
True, Darcy was pretty much comic relief though most of this, but that actually made the movie for me--all long battle scenes should have that much humor in them!--plus she actually did quite a lot toward saving the whole freaking universe, like getting Jane to investigate the strange phenomenon rather than mope her way through a blind date, and rescuing Selvig from the mental hospital, and acquiring her own intern who turned out to be pivotal in world-saving (and yay for Darcy/Ian! That was extremely cute), and helping defeat the Dark Elves. I really thought the film might only have a couple minutes of Darcy, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how much screen time she got.
I also thought Sif got to be an awesome, fearsome warrior (in almost battle-appropriate attire, even!) and friend to Thor without falling into some awful love triangle plot that I was really fearing, so yay for that. She and the Warriors Three didn't get a lot of screentime, but what they did get was excellent--I loved the serial threatening of Loki, and how each of them did their part to help Thor & co. escape Asgard.
Frigga was also terrific--I loved both of her interactions with Loki (though the only time I actually cried at this movie was Loki denying to her that she was his mother), and the fact that she was the one who spared him the death penalty. I also loved the fact that she could hold her own in battle, and outwit Malekith to protect Jane/the Ether.
Like I said above, I wish Jane got more to do in the battles--I was kind of hoping she'd find some way to use the ether in her body in an actual fight scene--but I am overall happy with what they did with her. Her blind date was hilarious (I felt a little sorry for that guy! He seemed sweet), and it was great that she got to sock Loki in the face, and that she figured out a way to fight the Dark Elves on earth.
So I loved all the ladies, and in general all the minor characters were a joy. I laughed so hard at all of the Selvig scenes, especially when he was in his underwear, yet his "insanity" of course helped save the day. (And oh god, that hilarious bit where he's so happy that Loki's dead and then so embarassed that he just said that to Thor. Hee!)
Before I move on to talk about Thor and Loki, I wanted to say that the other thing I really liked about this film was the Asgardian worldbuilding. I hope this gets rid of some of the "Thor is a moron about technology" humor in Avengers-related fic, because now we see Asgard does in fact have advanced energy weapons and defensive shields; they simply have a cultural preference for swords, etc. And if Thor can pilot a spacecraft, then I think he can manage a toaster.
I am not really a Thor/Loki shipper, but I felt like this whole film was a giant gift to them. They kept Loki villainous (my god, that ENDING! Has he actually killed Odin?) and yet also made him extremely sympathetic again via his reaction to Frigga's death. He got fantastic banter with just about everyone: Jane, Sif, Volstagg, and of course Thor. (I love good banter, so I really enjoyed all his scenes). And he even got the wonderful "dying in Thor's arms" scene. I knew there was no way he was dead, of course, but it was still wonderful and emotional and I look forward to seeing where fic goes with this.
Like I said above, Thor isn't really among my favorite Avengers, but I loved that we got to see how much he has matured as a leader, and all the sacrifices he's made. So I'm glad he turned down the throne (at least temporarily) for Jane and Midgard, though I do wonder what Loki would have done had he wanted it. Maybe he just knew Thor didn't want it? I'm really curious, now, and also curious why he sent Sif and Fandral to take that weapon to the other storage place (other than to set up the next Avengers movie, obviously).
Edited to add: How did I forget the Captain America cameo? OMG, I have never been so happy to be unspoiled in my whole life. Codpiece jokes! Chris Evans playing Loki playing Captain America! So very, very awesome!
Now I get to read all those reviews I've been collecting--yay!
This entry is crossposted at http://norwich36.dreamwidth.org/261064.html, but feel free to reply at either place.
I will start with the complaints, since they are few:
I hate that they fridged Frigga. I see the plot logic--it was one thing that would definitely bring Loki and Thor together to fight for a common cause--but they could have just had her kidnapped or something to the same effect. At least the writers let her be a badass first, but I was annoyed that they killed her.
I also wish Jane had had a little more agency once she was in Asgard + Svartleheim. She was great in all the scenes when she was on Midgard, and the interpersonal stuff on Asgard was good, but I do wish some of the fight stuff or battle with the Dark Elves prior to Earth could have used the power of her big brain.
Stuff I loved: EVERYTHING ELSE.
The two reasons I love the Thor franchise so much more than the other Avengers film (despite the fact that Thor is probably 5th on my list of favorite Avengers) are (a) lots of different, interesting roles for women and (b) humor. I love that we get Jane AND Darcy AND Sif AND Frigga--they're all badass in very different ways, and they all overturn expectations all the time.
True, Darcy was pretty much comic relief though most of this, but that actually made the movie for me--all long battle scenes should have that much humor in them!--plus she actually did quite a lot toward saving the whole freaking universe, like getting Jane to investigate the strange phenomenon rather than mope her way through a blind date, and rescuing Selvig from the mental hospital, and acquiring her own intern who turned out to be pivotal in world-saving (and yay for Darcy/Ian! That was extremely cute), and helping defeat the Dark Elves. I really thought the film might only have a couple minutes of Darcy, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how much screen time she got.
I also thought Sif got to be an awesome, fearsome warrior (in almost battle-appropriate attire, even!) and friend to Thor without falling into some awful love triangle plot that I was really fearing, so yay for that. She and the Warriors Three didn't get a lot of screentime, but what they did get was excellent--I loved the serial threatening of Loki, and how each of them did their part to help Thor & co. escape Asgard.
Frigga was also terrific--I loved both of her interactions with Loki (though the only time I actually cried at this movie was Loki denying to her that she was his mother), and the fact that she was the one who spared him the death penalty. I also loved the fact that she could hold her own in battle, and outwit Malekith to protect Jane/the Ether.
Like I said above, I wish Jane got more to do in the battles--I was kind of hoping she'd find some way to use the ether in her body in an actual fight scene--but I am overall happy with what they did with her. Her blind date was hilarious (I felt a little sorry for that guy! He seemed sweet), and it was great that she got to sock Loki in the face, and that she figured out a way to fight the Dark Elves on earth.
So I loved all the ladies, and in general all the minor characters were a joy. I laughed so hard at all of the Selvig scenes, especially when he was in his underwear, yet his "insanity" of course helped save the day. (And oh god, that hilarious bit where he's so happy that Loki's dead and then so embarassed that he just said that to Thor. Hee!)
Before I move on to talk about Thor and Loki, I wanted to say that the other thing I really liked about this film was the Asgardian worldbuilding. I hope this gets rid of some of the "Thor is a moron about technology" humor in Avengers-related fic, because now we see Asgard does in fact have advanced energy weapons and defensive shields; they simply have a cultural preference for swords, etc. And if Thor can pilot a spacecraft, then I think he can manage a toaster.
I am not really a Thor/Loki shipper, but I felt like this whole film was a giant gift to them. They kept Loki villainous (my god, that ENDING! Has he actually killed Odin?) and yet also made him extremely sympathetic again via his reaction to Frigga's death. He got fantastic banter with just about everyone: Jane, Sif, Volstagg, and of course Thor. (I love good banter, so I really enjoyed all his scenes). And he even got the wonderful "dying in Thor's arms" scene. I knew there was no way he was dead, of course, but it was still wonderful and emotional and I look forward to seeing where fic goes with this.
Like I said above, Thor isn't really among my favorite Avengers, but I loved that we got to see how much he has matured as a leader, and all the sacrifices he's made. So I'm glad he turned down the throne (at least temporarily) for Jane and Midgard, though I do wonder what Loki would have done had he wanted it. Maybe he just knew Thor didn't want it? I'm really curious, now, and also curious why he sent Sif and Fandral to take that weapon to the other storage place (other than to set up the next Avengers movie, obviously).
Edited to add: How did I forget the Captain America cameo? OMG, I have never been so happy to be unspoiled in my whole life. Codpiece jokes! Chris Evans playing Loki playing Captain America! So very, very awesome!
Now I get to read all those reviews I've been collecting--yay!
This entry is crossposted at http://norwich36.dreamwidth.org/261064.html, but feel free to reply at either place.