Thor Review

We’ve made it to Thor! Following the success of the two Iron Man movies, Thor was released in 2011 and was a financial success. The film introduces the Norse gods into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as some other characters who play larger roles later. I don’t recall when I first saw the film, but I was a huge fan of Thor despite his great need for development. This review will be a bit different from the other ones because I have several things I want to focus on.

Loki. Loki spent his life in Thor’s shadow, knowing he was never going to be king but being led to believe he could be. Then he finds out he’s the monster parents tell their kids about at night. I’m not justifying his actions, but I understand why he wanted to prove himself so badly. He wanted to show Odin he was worthy, that he would be a good king, and that he could do what was necessary. However, he did it in a mischievous way that made him out to be the villain of the film. I believe Odin was in the wrong to lie to him all his life, and Odin honestly is a terrible father which we see much more in the later films. At the end of the film, Loki realizes what he did was wrong and decides it is better for everyone if he is no longer there. He drops from the bifrost fully expecting to die. We see in the end credit scene that he is alive, but we also see that he has been tortured and brain-washed, not making these evil decisions for himself. 

Thor. In the beginning of the film, Thor is foolish and in desperate need of a life-lesson. It was a bit frustrating to see this, as it was when I first saw the film. On Earth, he has to learn what it means to be a good king and put the needs of his people first. This happens after he tries to get the hammer, but discovers he is no longer worthy. He reflects on his actions and tries to make it right, becoming worthy again. Something I did like about him was how polite he was to others. In the diner, he lets Darcy take a photo of him with a big smile, apologizes for breaking the cup and promises not to do it again, and later does his best to be polite to Eric, Jane, and Darcy after he fails to lift the hammer. He may be a hot-head at times, but he is a kind and respectful person. His character development was done well within the film and he continues to grow in the other films.

Natalie Portman was a terrible choice for Jane, I’m just putting it out there. Jane the character isn’t as bland as she played her to be. She didn’t have much expression or emotion throughout the film, and it was difficult to watch scenes with her without cringing. I do not see her being the female Thor, and I wish they had made a better choice from the get-go so we wouldn’t be in this situation. She also at some point said she didn’t want to be involved with Marvel anymore so that says a lot about her dedication to her character. 

A few smaller things, we still have the original Marvel Logo! To be honest, I don’t know when they switch it, but I will let you know! They cut out an important scene, which they did to frame Loki to be more evil than he was. There is a deleted scene where Frigga is trying to get him to be king in Odin’s place, and he doesn’t want it. This scene is important because we learn that he hasn’t achieved what he needs to feel worthy of being king and I’m very upset that they cut it out. Frigga cares deeply for Loki, which we see later as well. Finally, we get a glimpse at our first infinity stone, the Tesseract! Or the Space Stone. It is in the end credit scene where Nick Fury has recruited Eric to study it. 

It’s easter-egg time! There are a lot of small details within this film, especially in Odin’s vault, but I’ll try to focus on things that the average viewer can catch! Odin’s horse, as we seen on Jotunheim, is an 8-legged horse. In Norse Mythology, this horse is named Sleipnir and is one of Loki’s six children, though they don’t acknowledge this in the film. The name Donald Blake, which we hear when Jane is giving Thor something to wear and later as his alias, is actually Thor’s human alter-ego in the comics! Stan Lee, of course, has a wonderful cameo where he tries to drive off with Thor’s hammer. Hawkeye also makes an appearance when Thor is trying to get his hammer back. He is up high keeping an eye on everything, as he does, and is ready to take Thor out as needed. However, we don’t get to see his skills until the Avengers film later. Through this film, we get a bit more information about the way S.H.I.E.L.D operates. We also learn about how they operate when Eric mentions how they made a scientist, who was making revolutionary progress in gamma radiation, disappear, a clear reference to Bruce Banner, the Hulk. Coulson also mentions Tony Stark when the Destroyer shows up! 

Now, Odin’s vault holds a lot of relics and items that reference the comics, other characters, and major plot points later in the films. However, they are not the easier things to spot so I wanted to present you all with a challenge! Go watch the film and see what you’re able to spot whenever they’re in the vault. Comment below what you were able to spot and how it connects to everything! 

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This post is sponsored by “Covid in Color,” a coloring book created by the students, faculty, and friends of Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. The images feature experiences and events from this quarantine that you can now color! Each piece has the author’s social media tag at the bottom, so be sure to tag them when you finish coloring their work! Follow the link and go purchase yourself a copy!