THOR Post Release - Page 3

I really liked it. It reminded me of Master of the Universe, in a good way.

All the Marvel movies have villains that are jealous of the main character. Awesome!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Workyticket 

 

As for Loki, I think Hiddleston was fantastic and Loki the best-written character in the film. It's true that at times his motivations seem muddled, but I took that as being by design: Loki is the kind of Shakespearian-model tragic character you want someone like Branagh directing, a man of great qualities that are overshadowed by a fatal flaw that destroys him. In Loki's case, a mastery of diplomacy that is overwhelmed by his jealousy and insecurity. Everything he does is driven by the need for his father's approval (Even after learning that he's Laufey's son, he still declares himself the son of Odin) yet everything he does to secure it drives him further and further into a hole he can never pull himself back out of.

 

Visiting Thor when he's captured by SHIELD is IMO his turning point - seeing Thor so humbled, he could've easily went back to Asgard, told Odin that Thor had learned his lesson and won that love by being the agent of his brother's rehabilitation. Unfortunately, he goes ahead with the story about Odin dying and his mother hating him, and the moment is lost; from here on in he can't afford to let Thor back without his deception becoming known, and he's locked into the plan of suckering Laufey into Asgard while at the same time suppressing Thor and his friends. If it seems like a convoluted and unwieldy plan, that's because it is - Loki is a master strategist pushed into shitty strategizing by his own lack of emotional control, and by the time it all starts going tits-up he's too corrupted to see it.

 

Great cast, Hemsworth was superb and Elba was indeed badass (Giving Heimdall a nice sense of understated wryness; his withering disapproval of Loki was really fun) Another pleasant surprise was the well-roundedness of Branagh's direction: we all knew that he'd do well with the court intrigue stuff (It's the guy's bread and butter), but I never expected him to handle the action and effects stuff so well. So yeah, it may have had its flaws but i thought the good way outweighed the bad.

Nicely said. "Can I come home?" "Mother has forbidden it." was an emotional highlight for me, amazing stuff from them both.

Another notch for Hiddleston: I didn't notice it first time but Loki is crying when he threatens Jane at the end. Incredible work from Tom. It just further cements that Loki completely snapped. The more I think about it the more I realise how strong his arc was.
 

I also liked but didn't love it, but that's how i've felt about all the Marvel Studios flicks (save iron Man1). They are all solid if unspectacular, but I will take solid over shit anyday. For everything 2 things that don't work in this flick, there is 1 that works really well. I liked how Thor towered over every "human" in the film. I also liked how he called Agent Colson "Son of Col".....that was a nice touch.

SPOILER QUESTION WARNING!!!............

That end credits scene with Stellan Skarsgaard......was he possessed by Loki? Is he possibly a Skrull? Or is he turning evil?........that was the only part I didn't get.....but it did get me excited for Cap and the Avengers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamnDirtyApe 

I also liked but didn't love it, but that's how i've felt about all the Marvel Studios flicks (save iron Man1). They are all solid if unspectacular, but I will take solid over shit anyday. For everything 2 things that don't work in this flick, there is 1 that works really well. I liked how Thor towered over every "human" in the film. I also liked how he called Agent Colson "Son of Col".....that was a nice touch.

SPOILER QUESTION WARNING!!!............

 

 

That end credits scene with Stellan Skarsgaard......was he possessed by Loki? Is he possibly a Skrull? Or is he turning evil?........that was the only part I didn't get.....but it did get me excited for Cap and the Avengers.

Yeah... and why is Skarsgaard's character allowed to wander around in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s basement? I think all the post-credit sequences have been really wonky so far.

I did enjoy it quite a lot. The Asgard stuff was almost perfect except for the general lack of people - there were a few crowd shots, but I would have liked to see less discussion taking place in these sterile penthouses and more of the ground level being shown. Hopefully that will be the case in a sequel - which I really want to be head-fuck crazy in scope, spending as little time on Earth as possible.

SHEILD didn't bother me, they worked much better than in Iron Man 2, and I generally liked the Earth stuff, Dennings and a few of the land stranded fish bits really entertained me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven I did wonder what the purpose of Skarsgard and Dennings was. Imagine if those characters were cut out, and most of their lines/characteristics were given to Portman's Foster. Not only would she have the skepticism of Skarsgard and the sass of Dennings, but she would have done more and spent more time with Thor. An odd choice, writing a female scientist character that is obviously mature (Portman may look young, but by having college student Dennings there and Foster's impatience with her, I think it's safe to say Foster is near 30) but still needs a male mentor character to protect her.

I think Skarsgaard was almost completely pointless. His only value was a small amount of exposition, to provide some first act scepticism and the bar scene, but he had the problem of making Portman come off as less professional and mature. Without much character alteration they could have had Dennings do much of that and just edited out the unnecessary stuff. It would have made Foster a stronger and more independent person.

I think Portman and Hemsworth had a lot chemistry, but I didn't for one second buy that they were madly in love with one another after a day or so. It would have been much more believable if there was an 'I look forward to seeing you again Jane Foster' conclusion as opposed to the pining across interdimensional barriers.

On the battle scenes,  just wish the Destroyer v Thor fight was bigger, you'd only need another minute on the ground of blows being traded and a bit more destruction and I think it would have sold the power levels we are talking about quite a lot more.

The only version of the movie playing in my town was that goddamn scam 3D.  I feel like Lewis Black with the candy corn; like a dope, I bought the ticket and subjected myself for five minutes of unwatchable shit before walking out.  I'll wait for the Netflix release before I make the road trip to see a correctly focused 2D version in the theater.

Enjoyed the shit out of this, more than I ever expected, considering how underwhelmed I was by all the pre-release stuff. Aside from Colson, the SHIELD stuff is kinda disposable, but everything else is just great. Especially Loki. Holy shit, people, NUANCED VILLAINS. Hopkins isn't nearly the cameo I was expecting. And Hemsworth is just gonna skyrocket after this flick. That smile alone pretty much guarantees it. I didn't even mind Portman, despite being an easy cliche of a role. She's thinking with her vag the entire time, but she at least pulls off this whole cooped-up-in-a-lab-long-enough-to-be-that-easy vibe that sorta worked for me.

I dunno why I was doubting Branagh would take this if it was as goofy as the film came off in trailers, but i'm glad he proved me utterly wrong.

Not as good as Iron Man, but definitely better than The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2.

The casting is the main attraction. I liked pretty much every actor in the movie. Hemsworth nails the "cocky charmer" stuff right off the bat with his winking and hammer tossing during the coronation. His delivery during the pet shop scene was the funniest part of the movie. I'm really looking forward to seeing him interact with the cast of the Avengers. Hiddleston's pretty much perfect as Loki. Hopkins' booming voice lends itself well to Odin. Portman's character isn't very fleshed out, but she's likeable. Dennings is funny and cute. I wish the Warriors, Sif and Heimdall had more to do. I like how they threw Volstagg's compulsive eating in there, but was disappointed that no one called him "the voluminous". Even WALT SIMONSON was good as the crazy homeless old man who was somehow invited to a celebratory Asgardian banquet at the end of the movie.

Action-wise, the movie was kind of disappointing. I didn't hate any of the action scenes, but they're either too short or hurt by spotty cg.

The SHIELD stuff wasn't terrible and there isn't enough of it to ruin the film, but if Marvel is going to insist on throwing SHIELD into every movie, they have to liven things up. I like Clark Gregg, but he isn't enough to make me care about his super secret organization.

And ODIN BE PRAISED, I saw it in 2D! I'm guessing the cg ice spike that goes through Fandral's arm was  the only "3D moment" that THOR 3D had.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamnDirtyApe 

That end credits scene with Stellan Skarsgaard......was he possessed by Loki? Is he possibly a Skrull? Or is he turning evil?........that was the only part I didn't get.....but it did get me excited for Cap and the Avengers.

Loki's a shape shifter.

Actually, I was a little confused by exactly what was supposed to be happening to.  You see both Selvig and Loki in the mirror, so it doesn't seem like Loki just took on Selvig's form.  It seemed like it may be that Loki was in process of possessing him or something and it was completed with the line he had being repeated.

I think it was just Marvel being cheap. They didn't want to spend money on a "Skarsgard morphs into Loki" shot so they did the mirror thing.

Does anyone know what Brannagh was going for with all the Dutch angles? It seemed like every third shot was one and it really got to me in a negative way. I could maybe understand if they were limited to Asgard or something, but was just a tremendously odd and distracting choice.

Maybe it'll happen on repeat viewings, but the dutch angles didn't bother me.

Then again, it's been a couple of years and I'm still not bothered by all of the lens flares in Star Trek.

I'm probably seeing this tomorrow, but I found this interview with Branagh, and a little after the four minute mark is where I fell in love. I knew there was a reason that Branagh's involvement got me interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJGo3GW-RE8 

Branagh should have made an appearance in the movie. Maybe as Fandral's dad or something.

And when Loki said he was banishing Heimdall I was hoping we'd see the New Mexico equivalent of this animated gif:

Is that from Luther?  I don't remember that part.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

Actually, I was a little confused by exactly what was supposed to be happening to.  You see both Selvig and Loki in the mirror, so it doesn't seem like Loki just took on Selvig's form.  It seemed like it may be that Loki was in process of possessing him or something and it was completed with the line he had being repeated.

I think it may be more Loki influencing Selvig from afar.

As for why he was wandering around a SHIELD facility, he hinted that he knew a little more about SHIELD than the rest of the cast early in the movie.  Or at least he immediately recognized them as opposed to Jane.  He may have had dealings with them before.  That and the very subtle nod that he was a friend/colleague of Bruce Banner.  But anyway...SHIELD basically grabs who they need, when they need, so Selving being sent to a chat with Nick Fury didn't seem "off" to me.
 

Another thing that might have led to Skarsgard's meeting with Fury was his email to a mystery colleague who had some dealings with SHIELD.

Well Agent Colson told Skarsgaard and Portman they were giving them back all their materials, and then said something along the lines of "you guys are doing good work"....or something. I took that as SHIELD basically recruiting them. And while I found this end credits scene to be the most interesting since Iron Man 1......since everyone has a different answer, I don't think they executed it very well.

Also, little lines like "Is that one of Stark's?"....."I don't know, that guy never tells me anything."........those little nods bring out the 10yr old geek in me.

Anyone else think Selving might have been emailing Hank Pym? That was my thought.

I find it interesting how the Marvel films embrace "garage scientists" much more than they do big labs ones. It is just a little thing I have picked up on in the films that I really enjoy.

Fun time at the movies. Good, not great; but solid fun.

I am getting annoyed with people complaining when directors and DP's show some kind of style. You want one static shot, stay home and watch TV.

So any Easter other Easter eggs besides Banner, Hawkeye, and the weapons vault?

Donald Blake as an alternate identity?  Though not so much an easter egg.  And the cosmic cube of course.

Saw this earlier, got duped into the 3D showing at my theater, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. I liked it, loved Hemsworth, liked everything about the Asgard stuff, REALLY liked the frost giants, thought they were better than your average mook army. But just like others have said, the SHIELD stuff was annoying. And Thor's human friends were mostly useless.

Honestly, I could watch a whole movie of Thor & Pals thumping fools around the cosmos. 

Saw Thor today: I SAY THEE "YAY"!

Really loved most aspects of the film; Had a big happy grin for most of it.

My major nit pick: no soundtrack by Queen!

Oh and this maybe the Marvel Head in me, but I think it's really cool how all the Marvel Movies exist in their own worlds yet at the same time exist in that "larger Universe" Nick Fury tells Stark he's entering. Incredible Hulk (now my favorite of these films) really captures the angst, self-fear and basic decency of Bruce Banner; Iron Man shows us the Super=Hero as Party Boy turned Hero who still wants to have fun; now Thor really widens the scope. If I had to sum it up, I'd say all three films are character studies, focused on one man, but still taking place in it's own "world". 

Even "off brand" films like Punisher War Zone could fit into this shared universe without too much effort.

My favorite easter egg; the billboard on the side of a building advertising "Welcome to the Land of Enchantment....Journey Into Mystery"

I think you have to be a serious Marvel fan to notice something like that.

Just got back from a (2D but too dark) showing and I have to say it worked like gangbusters for me. Sure, the redemption could've been given more time and Jane Foster's character was weak - through no fault of Portman's, who gave a pretty likeable performance - but this genre is essentially one of heroes and villains, and Thor was very well served in both areas. I liked it about as much as the first Iron Man, but Thor gets points for being a trickier film to make. Just the fact that Branagh and his cast managed to sell friggin' Asgard in a believable way, with just the right whiff of cheese, is a small miracle of tone that should not be overlooked.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.T. 

Yeah... and why is Skarsgaard's character allowed to wander around in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s basement? I think all the post-credit sequences have been really wonky so far.

I believe he mentions that he was taken to meet Fury. He's not just wandering around.

As for the post-credit sequence, my first reaction was that this one was the most obscure yet, at least for a general audience, but in retrospect having a dude with an eyepatch say something cryptic about an "Avengers Initiative" is probably just as obscure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casey Moore 

Anyone else think Selving might have been emailing Hank Pym? That was my thought.

 

Gamma.

Rays.

Bruce Banner.

He mentions the gamma ray specialist who has gone missing, and later he mentions another friend he can e-mail who has had dealings with SHIELD. 

My review:

Thor is an adventure, most certainly guided by artistic vision. There are at times a great deal to take in with one's eyes all at a single moment and there are at times when even a singular object displays the heart of an artist, or at least one who believes himself an artist. Such distinctions between the two themselves grow more difficult with time and there are moments in Thor when one will question the integrity of the artist.

Such words are nothing more than a harsh remark to repetition.

Over and again was the audience presented with an angled camera. Make no mistake, the effect did work wonderfully once and possibly even a second time, but the nuance of this perspective was marred from abusive use. I must congratulate Thor's director of photography, Haris Zambarloukos, for despite such directive owes, he did in fact create beautiful scenes.

Chris Hemsworth did an exceptional, better-than-expected job as the mighty Thor. He brought a comedic, charming charisma and relatability to this fictional god. His on-screen counterpart, Tom Hiddleston, however, failed to exceed from prosaic. In the end he did not tarnish the feature any, though his performance could have been more readily done by perhaps another. Though his appearance has appeared the same for over two decades, Anthony Hopkins is showing his age here, but his performance was more... everything... than Hiddleston's and rightfully so. Portman did a fine job and Kat Dennings carried with her a taser and her usual comedic value and Stellan Skarsgård once again proved he is underrated in the industry.

Thor is not without its reference to Tony Stark (Iron Man) and if one pays enough attention even The Incredible Hulk. The audience is introduced even, though for only a few minutes and not directly, to Hawkeye - a future avenger.

Thor is a well-paced Marvel feature which has exceeded the expectations of many. The acting is for the most part endurable, but what is most fascinating about this piece is how beautiful it is. The action sequences are enjoyable and share even some moralistic value. Admittedly fast action sequences are not a preference, but Thor does a respectable job here in creating scenarios that can be kept up with.

What is more is that the film has comedic moments of which are perfectly delivered. Overall, the film is something worth seeing for fans of the franchise, comics, or no.

7/10

Nothing I can say that hasn't already been said.  As a whole, the film felt pretty mediocre, actually.  But I had a good time with the film's several highs. 

-I really liked how they did their best to go all out with Asgard.  It still felt a bit limited (like Naboo, only guards and royalty live there), but it still felt grandiose.

-Rainbow wormholes!   

-Giggly Portman was an adorable sight, but I'm with Harley; she was a non-character that could've been a real catalyst for Thor's maturation. 

-Loki was fantastic, no question.  It was disappointing to see him and Thor come down to blows at the end though.

-I wasn't taken with much of the action itself, though it was a kick to see Thor go full-on superhero in the opening action sequence.  Hemsworth really holds the whole thing together.

-The dutch angles were annoying.  It's a technique that should be used sparingly as to have impact in actual use, but was sprayed everywhere in this film for no reason.  It doesn't come across as stylistic to me.  A slight tilt here and there would be acceptable, but every other shot in every other scene in this film looked to be tilted at least at a 45 degree angle.  They made New Mexico look hilly!

Feige has confirmed Selvig was taking about Hank Pym...

http://collider.com/kevin-feige-interview-thor-avengers-iron-man-3-ant-man-doctor-strange/88459/

Feige:  That scene is in the movie.  Literally the only thing we took out were the words “Hank Pym”.  It was when Selvig, Darcy, and Jane are on the roof and S.H.I.E.L.D.  has just taken all of their stuff.  Darcy is complaining about her laptop and Jane is going, “Who the hell are these guys anyway?”  Selvig then tells a story, which is clearly alluding to Bruce Banner, that he knew a gamma scientist and this thing happened and S.H.I.E.L.D. came up, which he had never heard of again.  Selvig may or may not have all of his facts straight on that, but those are the rumors that go around the science world there.  He goes, “I have a friend who has had experiences with these people.  Let me email him.”  That friend is Hank Pym.  But we took out “Hank Pym” because it felt like, “Banner! Hank!”  We were just like, “Enough.”

This movie is sitting very very well with me. I'd like to see it again, if I get a chance.

Second straight week where a shot of our heroes strutting in slo mo didn't make it into the final film!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fafhrd 

He mentions the gamma ray specialist who has gone missing, and later he mentions another friend he can e-mail who has had dealings with SHIELD. 

I suck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike's Pants 

 

Feige has confirmed Selvig was taking about Hank Pym...

 

http://collider.com/kevin-feige-interview-thor-avengers-iron-man-3-ant-man-doctor-strange/88459/

 

Feige:  That scene is in the movie.  Literally the only thing we took out were the words “Hank Pym”.  It was when Selvig, Darcy, and Jane are on the roof and S.H.I.E.L.D.  has just taken all of their stuff.  Darcy is complaining about her laptop and Jane is going, “Who the hell are these guys anyway?”  Selvig then tells a story, which is clearly alluding to Bruce Banner, that he knew a gamma scientist and this thing happened and S.H.I.E.L.D. came up, which he had never heard of again.  Selvig may or may not have all of his facts straight on that, but those are the rumors that go around the science world there.  He goes, “I have a friend who has had experiences with these people.  Let me email him.”  That friend is Hank Pym.  But we took out “Hank Pym” because it felt like, “Banner! Hank!”  We were just like, “Enough.”

God, I suck so bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

Donald Blake as an alternate identity?  Though not so much an easter egg.  And the cosmic cube of course.

Yeah I picked up on that too. Also picked up on the easter egg of the billboard with "welcome to the land of enchantment...journey into mystery" on it.

Went to see it last night with a almost full theater. The crowd seemed to be really into it. I know I had a huge grin on my face almost the entire movie. They really made Asgard believable. Hemsworth was a perfect casting as Thor. I loved Loki's character, even though it was so obvious he was going to be evil. Overall, great fun. A great superhero comic flick, and I definitely plan on seeing it again.

I also felt like Asgard seemed more real than that one-square block of New Mexico town.

The coronation scene and the feast at the end were crowded with extras (digital and otherwise).  From what I can recall all the other scenes in Asgard take place in spots where you'd only expect royal family, guards, and close friends of royal family to be (private chambers/halls, the royal armory, bifrost).  No scenes of folks really getting out and about in Asgard.  (Though it reminded me more of Coruscant than Naboo...or more accurately the love child of Coruscant and Naboo).

It's a two-hour grin from ear to ear.

The small town reminded me of Tremors.

What is the significance of the Land of Enchantment billboard? Also, is Selvig a character from the comics? I don't know shit about the Marvelverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd 

The small town reminded me of Tremors.

 

What is the significance of the Land of Enchantment billboard? Also, is Selvig a character from the comics? I don't know shit about the Marvelverse.

The billboard's significance is the second half: "Journey Into Mystery."  That was the title of the comic book that Marvel's Thor first appeared in (and was effectively "his" book for quite a while before he gained his self-titled one).  Just a little nod and otherwise not significant in and of itself.

Selvig, as far as I can recall, is purely a movie-character, like Agent Coulson.

Nice to see the Hank Pym confirmation. Could have at least shown the email address.

And yeah, forgot about the billboard but I kept giggling whenever they  showed it.

That's Son of Coul to you.  Hopefully we'll see some SHIELD agents from the comics in The Avengers.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmacq1 

The billboard's significance is the second half: "Journey Into Mystery."  That was the title of the comic book that Marvel's Thor first appeared in (and was effectively "his" book for quite a while before he gained his self-titled one).  Just a little nod and otherwise not significant in and of itself.

 

Selvig, as far as I can recall, is purely a movie-character, like Agent Coulson.

One other thing I liked, Loki didn't try to kill Thor on Earth and was content to leave him in banishment until the Warriors Three and Zoidber...I mean Sif went to bring him back.

I really liked the goofy, overblown super hero moment when Odin cries a single tear, the hammer takes off,  Thor gets his powers back and they cut to everyone giggling and smiling.

His fight with cg destroyer after that? ehhhhh....

Also, this movie is a beast overseas.

I guess the geography doesn't really work out, but I would have thought they'd mirror Thor's attempted Excalibur moment only succeeding the second time around, instead of just having the hammer fly to him.

I seriously enjoyed this movie. It functions best as pure entertainment, but it worked surprisingly well on me as a moving, emotionally-charged piece of cinema, too. I loved the Thor-Loki dynamic -- that's the real story of the film, and they absolutely nail it. Hiddleston crying/screaming at Hopkins after he's told he's a Frost Giant was a great bit of acting -- it might have been a little melodramatic, but it worked with the elevated tone of the movie. It made me feel simultaneously sorry for and frightened by Loki, which shows the nuance with which they handled his character. Although I agree that the material gain of Loki's plan was pretty low, it has huge psychological meaning for him -- Loki is clearly a self-loathing guy who wishes for nothing more than to be an Asgardian. By destroying Jotunheim, he is essentially rejecting the reality of his heritage and attempting to legitimize his own humanity (or Asgardian-ness). Thus his plan to destroy Jotunheim is basically his effort to destroy the parts of himself he finds inadequate and repellant. That is just great stuff.

I like that conversation with Branagh someone posted above -- partially because he emphasizes how important it was to him and Marvel to keep the movie free of the camp and kitschiness that typifies the comic-book version of Asgard. While you can tell they're trying hard to do just that, what with the crystalline Rainbow Bridge, the allusions to wormholes, etc., I don't think they actually addressed it enough, despite all the pre-release talk about how they were trying to root Asgard in "real science." They give us that stuff about Yggdrasil in one scene without really explaining what it actually IS -- the extent of Thor's knowledge on the subject appears to be "it's a tree with the nine realms in the branches." Are the realms different planets or dimensions or both? What the hell is Asgard -- a planet, an asteroid, a flat chunk of rock with a city on the top drifting through space? Is it none of these things -- a heaven-like place where the laws of physics don't exist? For a team of filmmakers who suggested they wanted to be as scientifically plausible as they could, they seem to leave most of the crazy mystical shit from the comics pretty much completely intact. I dunno if that's good or bad, but I would have liked more clarity -- perhaps just because I was expecting it going in.

Odin sweeping in to save the day was also pretty groan-inducing. I suppose the image was nice visual metaphor for how Thor came between Odin and Loki, but the simultaneous double-save-grab that happened after the Bifrost exploded was too much. And I know this is taken from the comics, which I admit I haven't read at all, but why doesn't Loki look like a Frost Giant? His blue skin kind of just disappears when Odin picks him up as a baby. Did Odin cast a spell on him or... what? Also the thing about Loki conveniently being a "small Frost Giant" was too pat. Maybe half-Frost Giant would have made more sense.

Anyway I really liked this, but I know the plot holes are going to grow so unavoidable on future viewings that I'll find them insufferable. I still like Iron Man 2, though, and that movie's plot makes NO sense whatsoever, so perhaps not.

They don't come out and say it in the movie, but Loki is a shape shifter in the comics.

Also, I don't see the problem with Loki's "small frost giant" backstory. I like how he was born a runt and his father hid him in shame.

I do like that he's a runt hidden in shame, that's a nice touch, but I found it too convenient that Laufey's son specifically would be small enough to pass for an Asgardian. If Loki was just a random cast-off Front Giant reject-baby, maybe I would've been okay with the whole thing.

Also Loki being a shape-shifter doesn't really solve anything, unless baby-Loki could somehow determine that Odin was his brand new adoptive father and so he should now commence shape-shifting into an Asgardian.