Friend Movie Review: Thor (2011)
We have a nice movie night rhythm that has worked for all the movies...except Thor. Before the movie starts I make a template with headings and each persons' name. We watch the movie and then immediately I make notes on everyone's reactions, there is laughter, disagreements, often much line quoting, and more laugher. At a later time I sit down with all my rough notes and edit till it is ready to post. It has been great...till the Thor notes disappeared. Either they didn't save or I accidentally deleted the draft. It wasn't until we were watching Avengers that I even noticed the article was gone. We did our best to recall our original thoughts but it had been over a week and three movies later.
As always be warned, there could be spoilers ahead:
The Good:
Susi: I liked it. The special effects were fun, they usually are in these movies. It had satisfying feeling watching Thor's growth into a leader and compassionate person.
Stuart: The Thor character arch from prideful, warmongering kid to a true leader. I like that Thor can't pick up the hammer and the emotion when he can't.
Brendan: I also liked the Thor character arch.
Me: The supporting cast were a hit with me. Darcy has a lot of great lines that don't make sense alone but were perfecting said in the context. I love the clips with Hawkeye and Agent Colson. The humour and Heimdal was great. Idris Elba was so well cast.
The Less Than Good:
Susi: There weren't more consequences to Asgard for Thor's rebellion (Brendan disagrees with this point)
Stuart: It was enjoyable, can't really think of anything disagreeable.
Brendan: It was bland not great or horrible. My only real issue is Loki doesn't feel like Loki, he's not a being a trickster, he doesn't feel like Loki. They didn't need the opening scene to be the doctors on earth hitting Thor with their car. The movie should have started with Thor is Asgard and continue to that point without the storm. (Susi disagrees with this point)
Me: I found there was something missing. It was a decent movie, succeeded in entertaining me but there is just something...some magic is not there
This Time Around:
Brendan: There is so much more I understood this time around.
Me: I didn't care for Thor the first time I saw it. It just felt like they needed to make Thor to give context to the announced Avengers movie. This time seeing the movie I appreciated it more and thought it stood on it's own better.
Favourite Scene:
Susi: When Thor brings Erik home very drunk:
Jane Foster: What happened?
Thor: He's fine! We drank, we fought - he made his ancestors proud!
Stuart: [fighting hospital interns] You are no match for the mighty... [an intern jabs a syringe into his butt, he passes out instantly]In the hospital Thor is expounding about his strength and they will never take him till he collapses because a nurse gets him with a needle.
Brendan: Stan Lee's camio "Did it work?"
Me: Scene in which Team Asgard talks with Heimdall to go to Earth,
Heimdall: You would defy the commands of Loki, our king? Break every oath you have taken as warriors, and commit treason to bring Thor back?
Sif: Yes.
Heimdall: Good. [steps off the control platform]
Sif: So you will help us?
Heimdall: I am bound by honor to our king. I cannot open the bridge to you. [walks off]
Fandral: Complicated fellow, isn't he?
Volstagg: Now what do we do? [the Bifrost activates on its own]
Favourite Line:
This was the biggest thing that was lost. We couldn't remember our favourite lines. Here are four that I looked up on the IMDb quote page that made me smile:
Thor: [walking into a pet shop] I need a horse!
Pet Store Clerk: We don't have horses. Just dogs, cats, birds.
Thor: Then give me one of those large enough to ride.
Agent Garrett: [about Thor's Asgard team] Is there a Renaissance Fair in town?
Agent Jackson: Call it in.
Agent Garrett: Yeah. Uh, base, we've got, uh, Xena, Jackie Chan, and Robin Hood.
Clint Barton: Do you want me to take him down, or would you rather send in more guys for him to beat up?
Darcy: [mispronounces Mjölnir] Myeuh-muh? What's Myeuh-muh?
Rating:
Susi: 3.8 destroyers out of 5
Stuart: 4 hammers out of 5
Brendan: 3.0 disassociated orphans out of 5
Me: 3.0 Bifrost bridges out of 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (that's 3.7 out of 5)
Fun Facts:
(At around forty-seven minutes) Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) mentions a comrade who got mixed up with S.H.I.E.L.D., whom he described as "a pioneer in gamma radiation". This alludes to Bruce Banner, whose experiments in gamma radiation mutated him into The Incredible Hulk (2008). A deleted scene, also has him mention Hank Pym, from Ant-Man (2015). I wish they kept it in. Thanks again to the IMDb trivia page for this factoid.
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