"Shakespeare in the Park"--a Thor Review (SPOILERS:)
As long as Iv'e got my suit and tie....
Thor is a desirable origin story for Marvel's take on the God of Thunder, but a lot of us are left wondering: what the Hela just happened?
All right. Let's just get this out of the way. I actually really like this movie. Like seriously. But let's make fun of it, K? We good?
Thor is directed by Shakespearean director and actor, Kenneth Branagh, who my mom was straight up in love with. Yes, he directed a superhero blockbuster, and it does not disappoint. All I know is that he doesn't know how to direct the annoying mall-shopper scientist girls in the random New Mexico town. I mean seriously? These girls are too much in the hipster nerd category to be here, anyway. Selvig is fine, I guess, a good mentor to passive-aggressively in-love Padme Amidala of New Mexico, Jane Foster, and the most forced weekend romance since Attack of the Clones. She is somewhat believable, until she falls, hard, and doesn't get over Thor for TWO YEARS. Yes, you heard me. And they had ONE WEEKEND together. Talk about Taylor Swift levels of dwelling on past drama. But anyway, the whole straight-girl doesn't wanna date anyone else in movie-two trope can be ignored for now, since we already bashed Thor: the Dark World.
And before I go down this tangent, I actually sort of like Darcy Lewis, even though she's completely dorky in the cool sense. Regardless, these characters and this whole "Earth plot" is just distracting. Sure, it's cool to see, but I still can't decided if this film is trying to be E.T., or Close Encounters, or a low-budget 1950's Japanese monster movie. That destroyer, man.
Well, I would talk about Asgard, and Shakespeare, but why? When I can talk about Thor getting hit by Jane's car, who knows Selvig, who knows S.H.I.E.L.D., all for plot convenience, just to set up the next movie. S.H.I.E.L.D. is suddenly overly-obsessed with little disturbance in the desert, so they steal Jane's research. And the forced, dated 2011 iPod and Facebook jokes don't help Earth-Thor's case either. And of course, let's not forget the overly-complex, meandering plot, where nothing happens for an hour, unless you care about emotional stakes and setting up the *cough* main villain of The Avengers. And Sif and the Warriors Three just showing up in New Mexico is just...well, Dark World levels of stupid.
That's really all I need to say about the Earth side of the film, except for the fact that Thor goes to the hospital, then jail, and Loki shows up in a suit and tie to lie to his face. And this is just the first time he dressed nicely going to earth. Is this gay?
Okay, getting back on topic lets talk about the titular character, THOR! Well, you didn't have to explain it that way! Aside from the touching "sacrifice" that Thor finds himself having to make in the film, if he was supposed to be a likable character, he failed miserably. In Ragnarok and Infinity War he absolutely succeeded most of the time, and while nobody's perfect, I just think That Chris Hemsworth's one channel-acting sums it up. He's literally angry for the entire movie. "I SWEAR!"
And yes, I found the most ugly Thor face on the internet to prove a point. At least now I can stop swooning over Loki's runway walk....
In all seriousness, the Asgard storyline is handled expertly, focusing on family dynamic and morality over intense action, although that Jotunheim scene is absolutely fantastic. And yes, Tom Hiddleston absolutely steals the show as Loki. He may be the main antagonist of the film, but the story revolves around him, and everything that happens is revolving around his desire for his father's affection, and when he's disowned one last time he just gives up. Literally. Well, this is one hell of a setup for The Avengers where Loki works for the mad Titan Thanos, and the rest is history. Anyway, might I add that the Jotunheim and Asgard special effects still look great, the whole wildly different color-schemes of the worlds works to the films' advantage, and the emotional stakes, especially when the brothers fight on the bridge and Thor risks everything, or when Loki finds out his true parentage, are some of the best emotional scenes in the MCU. Thanks, Shakespeare. You may have heard me refer to The Empire Strikes Back as uncannily old-fashioned and Shakespearean as well as timeless in its family dealings and settings, and while Thor obviously doesn't reach these heights (I mean really, it's Empire.) there's definitely a lot for you packed in if you like dysfunctional space families.Don't worry, Odin. You're only the third worst parent in the MCU. *Cough, cough* Ego, *Cough* Thanos. But anyways, if that sort of exposition bores you and you're looking for Avatar levels of action, you aren't going to find it here. It's the 2nd best Thor movie. Enjoy. Or don't.
Thor is a desirable origin story for Marvel's take on the God of Thunder, but a lot of us are left wondering: what the Hela just happened?
All right. Let's just get this out of the way. I actually really like this movie. Like seriously. But let's make fun of it, K? We good?
Thor is directed by Shakespearean director and actor, Kenneth Branagh, who my mom was straight up in love with. Yes, he directed a superhero blockbuster, and it does not disappoint. All I know is that he doesn't know how to direct the annoying mall-shopper scientist girls in the random New Mexico town. I mean seriously? These girls are too much in the hipster nerd category to be here, anyway. Selvig is fine, I guess, a good mentor to passive-aggressively in-love Padme Amidala of New Mexico, Jane Foster, and the most forced weekend romance since Attack of the Clones. She is somewhat believable, until she falls, hard, and doesn't get over Thor for TWO YEARS. Yes, you heard me. And they had ONE WEEKEND together. Talk about Taylor Swift levels of dwelling on past drama. But anyway, the whole straight-girl doesn't wanna date anyone else in movie-two trope can be ignored for now, since we already bashed Thor: the Dark World.
And before I go down this tangent, I actually sort of like Darcy Lewis, even though she's completely dorky in the cool sense. Regardless, these characters and this whole "Earth plot" is just distracting. Sure, it's cool to see, but I still can't decided if this film is trying to be E.T., or Close Encounters, or a low-budget 1950's Japanese monster movie. That destroyer, man.
Well, I would talk about Asgard, and Shakespeare, but why? When I can talk about Thor getting hit by Jane's car, who knows Selvig, who knows S.H.I.E.L.D., all for plot convenience, just to set up the next movie. S.H.I.E.L.D. is suddenly overly-obsessed with little disturbance in the desert, so they steal Jane's research. And the forced, dated 2011 iPod and Facebook jokes don't help Earth-Thor's case either. And of course, let's not forget the overly-complex, meandering plot, where nothing happens for an hour, unless you care about emotional stakes and setting up the *cough* main villain of The Avengers. And Sif and the Warriors Three just showing up in New Mexico is just...well, Dark World levels of stupid.
That's really all I need to say about the Earth side of the film, except for the fact that Thor goes to the hospital, then jail, and Loki shows up in a suit and tie to lie to his face. And this is just the first time he dressed nicely going to earth. Is this gay?
Okay, getting back on topic lets talk about the titular character, THOR! Well, you didn't have to explain it that way! Aside from the touching "sacrifice" that Thor finds himself having to make in the film, if he was supposed to be a likable character, he failed miserably. In Ragnarok and Infinity War he absolutely succeeded most of the time, and while nobody's perfect, I just think That Chris Hemsworth's one channel-acting sums it up. He's literally angry for the entire movie. "I SWEAR!"
And yes, I found the most ugly Thor face on the internet to prove a point. At least now I can stop swooning over Loki's runway walk....
In all seriousness, the Asgard storyline is handled expertly, focusing on family dynamic and morality over intense action, although that Jotunheim scene is absolutely fantastic. And yes, Tom Hiddleston absolutely steals the show as Loki. He may be the main antagonist of the film, but the story revolves around him, and everything that happens is revolving around his desire for his father's affection, and when he's disowned one last time he just gives up. Literally. Well, this is one hell of a setup for The Avengers where Loki works for the mad Titan Thanos, and the rest is history. Anyway, might I add that the Jotunheim and Asgard special effects still look great, the whole wildly different color-schemes of the worlds works to the films' advantage, and the emotional stakes, especially when the brothers fight on the bridge and Thor risks everything, or when Loki finds out his true parentage, are some of the best emotional scenes in the MCU. Thanks, Shakespeare. You may have heard me refer to The Empire Strikes Back as uncannily old-fashioned and Shakespearean as well as timeless in its family dealings and settings, and while Thor obviously doesn't reach these heights (I mean really, it's Empire.) there's definitely a lot for you packed in if you like dysfunctional space families.Don't worry, Odin. You're only the third worst parent in the MCU. *Cough, cough* Ego, *Cough* Thanos. But anyways, if that sort of exposition bores you and you're looking for Avatar levels of action, you aren't going to find it here. It's the 2nd best Thor movie. Enjoy. Or don't.
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