I made ugly noises at the TV and maybe this is why my neighbours don't like me. Sigh.
(Granted, he's done better stuff. But that doesn't mean I'm not crying on the inside. And the outside. And also maybe screaming a little.)
Today, I'm reviewing two movies. But this post is more than a review, really.
This is an impassioned letter to my father, begging him to reconsider the modern day superhero movie.
Born in the 40s, my father is a man who grew up with these heroes. I mean really, he grew up with them. He was there for their creation, for their maturity. As with many people, however, I believe he is uncomfortable with change. He is uncomfortable with what heroes have become. As comic books have grown popular, people have demanded more from the authors and artists. People want more complex stories now. The idea of a superhero movie has almost turned into a mix of fantasy and a dark look into the human psyche.
Now dad, I understand why you're hesitant about a lot of these newer movies. Sometimes they really do rely too much on special effects or some "brooding" person and sometimes it'd be nice to go back to an earlier time. But I assure you that you're looking through "nostalgia glasses". I'm not saying that these stories are better or worse, but they are different and evolving and it's time to appreciate that.
These reviews today are a plea to my father. They are a plea to look past his past, really, and look into what these movies are REALLY about. For some they are perhaps about pretty colors and loud noises and such. But the true heart of these tales are in the people, and that is what I want to focus on. Perhaps he'll read this and give them a watch (the first Thor movie, along with The Avengers, is on Netflix but The Dark World just came out on Blu-ray and DVD the other day so if you want to see that you'll have to buy/rent/borrow it). At least, that's my hope. He may not like them but the point is that I want him to try something new, to allow himself to have the possibility of being pleasantly surprised by something in life.
So, let's get started.
I am so in love with 'Thor'. I think it's one of the best Marvel movies to ever be made.
Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) is a cocky young prince of Asgard. As he is about to ascend to the throne of Asgard, the ceremony is interrupted by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, enemies that Thor's father Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) has battled with in the past yet he holds a fraying truce with them at the time of the attack. Thor travels to Jotunheim and starts a new war, and as punishment he is banished by Odin to Earth, along with his magical hammer Mjolnir, until he has grown into a man. While he is gone, Thor's brother Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) struggles with newfound knowledge of his true parentage and his new position of power.
Once on Earth, Thor encounters a group of humans: Doctor Erik Selvig (played by Stellan Skarsgård), college student Darcy Lewis (played by Kat Dennings) and scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman). Through this meeting, Thor begins to learn what it truly means to be a good man and to be a greater king.
This is a movie that, underneath the magic and mayhem, is truly about family connections. There is a delicate yet heartfelt struggle of power between Odin and Thor that is captured beautifully by Hopkins and Hemsworth, respectively. They are of different generations and are in different stages of maturity (Thor needs to grow up a little while Odin loses his patience with trying to teach his son what he considers to be the only lessons of life) and this causes a sense of battle that anyone can relate to, whether you're an Asgardian god or not. Any son and father, daughter and mother, and so forth can feel for those who cannot understand each other at times.
And then there's Loki. Before we delve into the ideas of Loki, we must first praise Hiddleston's performance. Beneath the actor's kind and fuzzy exterior (he has been known for his wonderfully charitable actions, such as giving his coat to a cold woman on the red carpet or bringing soup to a man who was interviewing him just because he tweeted that he was in the mood for some), he hides this ability to understand pain. For that is, I think, the only way he can portray this tortured character in such a convincing manner. Hiddleston clearly possesses the ability to empathize and understand Loki. (Which should really scare us, considering how messed up Loki really is.)
Loki learns that he is really a Frost Giant; he was the son of Laufey, king of the Frost Giants. But as Laufey considered him to be a runt and threw him into the snow to die, Odin picked him up and raised him as his own. It should be noted, though, that Odin didn't reveal this to Loki until Loki accidentally found out (he finds out fairly early on in the first film). Loki feels as though he is not truly a part of this family and cannot understand where he belongs. The only one he is truly kind to and listens to is his mother, Frigga.
Watching Loki's heartbreak and confusion about what he's doing and who he's hurting is just so devastating. And watching his interactions with Thor, with a man he considered his brother, is magnificent. Their relationship gets so twisted and dark and it makes me wish I could empathize. Oh, the pains of being an only child.
This movie is about family. It's not about kingdoms and wars and mythical beasts. It's about how your actions can make or break the ones you love. As I said before, the first Thor movie is on Netflix! (And, as with Marvel movies, make sure to watch for the post-credit scene at the end!)
Now let's get onto the more recent Thor movie.
When I first went to see 'Thor: The Dark World', I went with my boyfriend to this big Thor marathon at the movie theatre. They have a three movie marathon (Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World) and we got these cool limited edition posters and lanyards. We were there ALL DAY. It was pretty awesome. They had a quiz round after each movie but for the last one they made you stand up to answer rather than raise your hand and uh... my boyfriend is physically handicapped in his LEGS so that didn't work out well. Whoops. And I have the reaction times of a slug (which you wouldn't really expect due to my video game background). Sigh. We knew all of the answers but they were trapped in our less-than-stellar bodies. Damn us! But overall it was a really fun night. We sat next to these girls who had never seen the movies and they were asking us questions about the movies/comics. At first they didn't seem as though they wanted to be there (we suspected they were dragged there by their other friend) but by the end they seemed enthralled. I consider myself a feminist and there has been all of this hype about "the geek girl" and about how a lot of guys try to push us away from comics, so I like encouraging other women to stand up and be involved and be a fan if they want to be. As I always say, it doesn't take a penis to turn a comic book page! If anything, I discourage that. That sounds painful.
(Hahahahahaha oh dad, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry. I'm sure you're proud of raising a strong feminist though, so cheer up!)
I really recommend watching 'The Avengers' before you watch this (and as I said before, it's also on Netflix!), as a lot of what happens with Loki's character won't really make sense if you kind of skip along. You can probably make the correct assumptions, but still.
Two years have passed since the events in 'Thor'. The Bifrost has been rebuilt, and Thor has been traveling with his Asgardian friends in order to bring back peace to the many realms. While doing this, Jane and Darcy have traveled to London for scientific research. While studying these portals that break the laws of physics, Jane is transported to another world and is infected by Aether, a weapon that was once in possession by the Dark Elves but was hidden away by Thor's grandfather Bor. Thor learns of Jane's plight and returns to Earth to bring her back to Asgard. The last of the remaining Elves, led by Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston, who also plays my favorite Doctor on Doctor Who) learn of the Aether's return and they become determined to gain it once again.
I overall really enjoyed this movie, but at the same time there are definitely a few things I want to nitpick.
First of all... Now, I like some of the trailers they put on TV, but at the same time I feel like they were a bit misleading. So when I finally DID go into the film, I was a bit disappointed. My biggest disappointment?
I was really hoping to see more Jane/Sif interactions. They had SO MUCH to work with. Jane finally comes to Asgard and Sif finally gets to see the woman who has been distracting her lifelong love and all we get is a side glance? BOO. Boooooooooo. (And I mean yes, Sif does help Thor later on by saving Jane, but it lasts three seconds.) It's just so unsatisfying. Marvel movies definitely don't tend to emphasize romantic love (I remember an interview during 'The Avengers' period where someone was asking Scarlet Johansson about the lack of romance in the movie and she said something along the lines of "We have shit to avenge") but if it was going to be during ANY MOVIE, this would've been the one to discuss it a bit more. But oh no. Sigh. Watching this a second time, it still makes my blood boil a wee bit.
Also, I was a bit sad that the villains in this film just FELT so weak to me. There's so much lore to work with and they went with the Dark Elves? I mean obviously they're not going to use Loki again. That'd be a bit much, and the audience really needed to love him again. Personally, I would've preferred to see the Enchantress (Amora rather than Sylvie). I feel like it would've made more sense? At one point in the comics, Odin sends Amora after Jane to kill her so Thor won't be distracted by her. This would've fit the story considering Odin was already very hostile towards her from the very beginning. (Although he was obviously worse in this regard after the death of his wife Frigga, which he definitely blames on Jane. And this wouldn't have happened if not for Malekith's sword.) But hey, I'm just a blogger throwing ideas around. I'm not a scriptwriter for Marvel. Or maybe Surtur could've appeared? But I mean, who knows. I have no idea what they have planned for The Avengers 2 or the third Thor movie.
However, I'll point out that there are some beautiful things about this movie as well.
My absolute FAVORITE thing about this film is the relationship between Loki and his mother, Frigga. They both have the same fighting styles. I was going to show gifs that I had seen on Tumblr the other day in which people showed the styles together but naturally I can't find it. Boo! They also both possess the same magical powers (which leads me to assume that Frigga taught him all of this) and I do believe they play the same music during both of their death scenes, though I could be wrong.
ALSO, I'm apparently a dunce. There's a scene where Loki is in prison and he's talking to Frigga and he reaches out to touch her and she disappears, right? It's just a magical illusion he's talking to. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WAS FRIGGA USING HER MAGIC TO TALK TO HIM UNTIL LAST NIGHT. I always assumed that it was Loki, talking to himself through the guise of his mother. I mean earlier in the film Odin had told Loki that he would never see Frigga again so I just kind of assumed he uh, wouldn't.
People love to analyze comic books and their characters, but Loki is one of those who tends to come under the spotlight. Especially now, with the popularity of Hiddleston's performance.
Many have talked of how Loki must be a psychopath; these are people who have clearly never been to a single psychology class. It's infuriating. You can tell he isn't one from his relationships. I mean, the obvious love he holds for his mother? If he was a psychopath, he wouldn't have the ability to empathize or sympathize. It'd be chemically impossible. Forgetting Asgardian god science for a second, it just wouldn't HAPPEN. It makes me want to throw tables when people make this claim, I swear.
My main point of this entry is to show that these movies are deeper than you'd think. My father was telling me he saw the trailer for the second Thor movie and he was put off by it. He was talking of the scenes in which Thor was bashing creatures around with Mjolnir.
But dad, it's more than that. That scene, in the actual film, lasts about five minutes tops. And that scene is there to show that Thor is fighting for his people. He wants to keep peace throughout the realm and, well, he must do that by fighting those who fight for violence. It seems never ending, but in this world that is a necessity.
Dad, this film is about family again. But rather than focusing entirely on brothers or father and son, this one shifts a bit and focuses on mother and son. There's regret and unconditional love and heartbreak and vengeance.
It's not just a movie about a superhero meathead.
It's much, much more than that.
It's essentially a movie that will ruin your heart.
I hope you read this, dad, and I hope it convinces you to at least give the first movie a try.
(The best part is that Thor isn't even my favorite superhero. Captain America is. Wait until I review those, you guys. Prepare yourselves.)
I hope you guys enjoyed the double feature! If you have any suggestions, leave a comment or send me an email!
xo, Kate
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