shallowness (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shallowness) wrote2013-10-31 10:24 pm
shallowness) wrote2013-10-31 10:24 pm
Entry tags:
Thor 2: The Dark World
Went to see it tonight.
If you live in the UK, there is a second thing right after all the credits. I thought it was worth waiting for.
Thor’s return and the kiss made me swoon - I may have squeaked when the thunder started up - and made up for the mid-credit scene and almost for the schwarma that wasn’t. Silly people leaving early.
Getting past that, what did I think? I enjoyed bits of it a lot, some bits less so, although it got away with it with a strong ending. Thumbs up (not as high as for Iron Man 3) but pretty much always when Darcy was on screen.
At the beginning, I found it reminded me a lot too much of LOTR and I don’t know the mythology. Fortunately, there was Darcy. Kat Dennings out-funnied Chris O’Dowd (I wasn’t expecting him), and between her and Hiddleston and Skarsgaard, there was a lot of attempted and successful scene-stealing going on.
Not everything on Asgard worked for me. The Dark Elves were fine, but did so much of the film have to be so literally dark (I was watching it in 2D, was this because of 3D murk?)? The sound mix was a bit weird, but I think that was the screen, because the trailers had the same problem. I tuned out a bit during the first attack and then in the chase scene, but because they kept jumping from place to place, the final fight was pretty engaging.
I was foolishly surprised that it was Frigga who got fridged, just after she’d finally been awesome, melding sword-fighting and cunning and dying like a warrior to protect Jane. Lovely funeral sequence, and it was effective in having an impact on Odin, giving Loki motivation (or seeming to) and Thor too. And it was nice for her to be protective of her son’s girlfriend after Odin called her a goat.
But still, it was fridging, just when we’d begun to see the potential of the character. Thor and Loki as Frigga’s sons also are far more interesting than just as the sons of the All-Father.
Possibly my favourite Jane moment came when she was questioning the healers and then calling out to Thor ‘see, Earth science name for it’. So geekily cute! But I loved that the universe was saved because of her and Erik and Thor all co-operating. I loved the sacrifices and willingness to sacrifice that was going on.
Well, except for Loki. While I enjoyed the final reveal that he was still alive and now on the throne and all that means – it raises lots of questions, doesn’t it...and I suppose they won’t be answered until after Avengers 2. I did half-see it coming from the guard’s behaviour. I do appreciate Marvel’s dilemma, Hiddlestone is brilliant as Loki. You really don’t know where you stand with him, you want Frigga’s love and Thor’s hopes to be rewarded, you want his snarky commentary, you want him punished, but he is a better villain that Malakeith – although I thought his sucking up to the Dark Elves was short-termist. He deserved a bigger death, but Erik’s reaction at hearing about his death was totally understandable. However, if they don’t off him eventually, it’s going to be a case of diminishing returns, and while they got away, just, with giving all the cast something to do, that’s not going to get easier. (May I suggest offing one of the many men, it you’re going there?)
In passing, oi, Heimdall, didn’t you notice the Kursed Dark Elf in disguise? What kind of guardian are you, indeed. So, bringing down a spaceship and announcing your treachery is the least you can do in trying to regain your coolness. (Which I never quite felt as much as others.)
But the coolest thing? Darcy’s reaction to Ian saving her life, clearly being the grabber and snogging him senseless.
That was one of lots of laughs, although I think you could say that this was uneven. (But hey, I didn’t like Thor as much initially as I did afterwards.)
And I haven’t talked about Thor himself. I LOVED that his plan, which I thought was a bit cock-eyed and optimistic to get the Aether out of Jane actually turned out to have a lot of strategy, surprising Loki and us, and getting closer to working than I thought. I thought the undercurrents of him growing into his role as future king, the ties to Midgard and especially Jane, mortal Jane, were interesting, and I do like how Hemsworth played it, even if there was a lot going on around him.
It’s a good thing that it has (had) four female characters of substance to offset its message that women’s main strength is love. The line about Jane battling the Aether because she had strengths Loki didn’t know about and Frigga’s effect on her men suggested as much. But Jane also had brains (if she forgot them for curiosity when she went off on her own in that warehouse) that helped to save the universe. Darcy has moxie (and helps Jane make the film pass the Bechdel test) and Sif had a couple of moments of awesome. When Odin was all Thor/Sif !!111! I did wonder ‘But what does she want?’ because I took her comments to Thor as being platonic, while I saw a long second of UST with Loki, although my main take on her is wanting to be a soldier first and foremost. (And I wouldn’t wish Loki on anyone.)
But I am biased. Did I mention the swooning at the final scene? He came back as quickly as he could and they had a proper cinematic kiss. I can’t ship Jane and Thor with anyone else (like Pepper/Tony, while Darcy/Ian joins a long line of Darcy ships, especially as it doesn’t obviate any of them). I loved that she was angry with him for not coming back, especially when he was in New York, and that there was an acknowledgement that she had a right to be. I loved that they were awkward but that what there was between them was important to them, and the underlying melancholy of what separated them too. I mean there’s also the draw that we want to see Thor saving the Earth, preferably with the Avengers, rather than ruling Asgard’s golden CGI. Or I do.
Anyway, basically, the treatment of Jane/Thor made me happy in a lot of ways, and although I worried about her Host storyline, it mostly worked for me.
And I LOVED Chris Evans’s cameo as Loki being Captain America.
But there were moments where I literally didn’t know what was going on in the film. And not because Loki was wrong-footing me. I didn’t love that so much of the Dark Elves’ mojo looked like Extremis and I thought the first stinger with the Collector (hopefully the comics-reading segment of the internet will clarify) was cheap looking and clunky. Please to be rethinking that if it’s coming back in Thor 3.
In which Ms Darcy Lewis had also better be playing a key role. Because she was awesome.
If you live in the UK, there is a second thing right after all the credits. I thought it was worth waiting for.
Thor’s return and the kiss made me swoon - I may have squeaked when the thunder started up - and made up for the mid-credit scene and almost for the schwarma that wasn’t. Silly people leaving early.
Getting past that, what did I think? I enjoyed bits of it a lot, some bits less so, although it got away with it with a strong ending. Thumbs up (not as high as for Iron Man 3) but pretty much always when Darcy was on screen.
At the beginning, I found it reminded me a lot too much of LOTR and I don’t know the mythology. Fortunately, there was Darcy. Kat Dennings out-funnied Chris O’Dowd (I wasn’t expecting him), and between her and Hiddleston and Skarsgaard, there was a lot of attempted and successful scene-stealing going on.
Not everything on Asgard worked for me. The Dark Elves were fine, but did so much of the film have to be so literally dark (I was watching it in 2D, was this because of 3D murk?)? The sound mix was a bit weird, but I think that was the screen, because the trailers had the same problem. I tuned out a bit during the first attack and then in the chase scene, but because they kept jumping from place to place, the final fight was pretty engaging.
I was foolishly surprised that it was Frigga who got fridged, just after she’d finally been awesome, melding sword-fighting and cunning and dying like a warrior to protect Jane. Lovely funeral sequence, and it was effective in having an impact on Odin, giving Loki motivation (or seeming to) and Thor too. And it was nice for her to be protective of her son’s girlfriend after Odin called her a goat.
But still, it was fridging, just when we’d begun to see the potential of the character. Thor and Loki as Frigga’s sons also are far more interesting than just as the sons of the All-Father.
Possibly my favourite Jane moment came when she was questioning the healers and then calling out to Thor ‘see, Earth science name for it’. So geekily cute! But I loved that the universe was saved because of her and Erik and Thor all co-operating. I loved the sacrifices and willingness to sacrifice that was going on.
Well, except for Loki. While I enjoyed the final reveal that he was still alive and now on the throne and all that means – it raises lots of questions, doesn’t it...and I suppose they won’t be answered until after Avengers 2. I did half-see it coming from the guard’s behaviour. I do appreciate Marvel’s dilemma, Hiddlestone is brilliant as Loki. You really don’t know where you stand with him, you want Frigga’s love and Thor’s hopes to be rewarded, you want his snarky commentary, you want him punished, but he is a better villain that Malakeith – although I thought his sucking up to the Dark Elves was short-termist. He deserved a bigger death, but Erik’s reaction at hearing about his death was totally understandable. However, if they don’t off him eventually, it’s going to be a case of diminishing returns, and while they got away, just, with giving all the cast something to do, that’s not going to get easier. (May I suggest offing one of the many men, it you’re going there?)
In passing, oi, Heimdall, didn’t you notice the Kursed Dark Elf in disguise? What kind of guardian are you, indeed. So, bringing down a spaceship and announcing your treachery is the least you can do in trying to regain your coolness. (Which I never quite felt as much as others.)
But the coolest thing? Darcy’s reaction to Ian saving her life, clearly being the grabber and snogging him senseless.
That was one of lots of laughs, although I think you could say that this was uneven. (But hey, I didn’t like Thor as much initially as I did afterwards.)
And I haven’t talked about Thor himself. I LOVED that his plan, which I thought was a bit cock-eyed and optimistic to get the Aether out of Jane actually turned out to have a lot of strategy, surprising Loki and us, and getting closer to working than I thought. I thought the undercurrents of him growing into his role as future king, the ties to Midgard and especially Jane, mortal Jane, were interesting, and I do like how Hemsworth played it, even if there was a lot going on around him.
It’s a good thing that it has (had) four female characters of substance to offset its message that women’s main strength is love. The line about Jane battling the Aether because she had strengths Loki didn’t know about and Frigga’s effect on her men suggested as much. But Jane also had brains (if she forgot them for curiosity when she went off on her own in that warehouse) that helped to save the universe. Darcy has moxie (and helps Jane make the film pass the Bechdel test) and Sif had a couple of moments of awesome. When Odin was all Thor/Sif !!111! I did wonder ‘But what does she want?’ because I took her comments to Thor as being platonic, while I saw a long second of UST with Loki, although my main take on her is wanting to be a soldier first and foremost. (And I wouldn’t wish Loki on anyone.)
But I am biased. Did I mention the swooning at the final scene? He came back as quickly as he could and they had a proper cinematic kiss. I can’t ship Jane and Thor with anyone else (like Pepper/Tony, while Darcy/Ian joins a long line of Darcy ships, especially as it doesn’t obviate any of them). I loved that she was angry with him for not coming back, especially when he was in New York, and that there was an acknowledgement that she had a right to be. I loved that they were awkward but that what there was between them was important to them, and the underlying melancholy of what separated them too. I mean there’s also the draw that we want to see Thor saving the Earth, preferably with the Avengers, rather than ruling Asgard’s golden CGI. Or I do.
Anyway, basically, the treatment of Jane/Thor made me happy in a lot of ways, and although I worried about her Host storyline, it mostly worked for me.
And I LOVED Chris Evans’s cameo as Loki being Captain America.
But there were moments where I literally didn’t know what was going on in the film. And not because Loki was wrong-footing me. I didn’t love that so much of the Dark Elves’ mojo looked like Extremis and I thought the first stinger with the Collector (hopefully the comics-reading segment of the internet will clarify) was cheap looking and clunky. Please to be rethinking that if it’s coming back in Thor 3.
In which Ms Darcy Lewis had also better be playing a key role. Because she was awesome.