Wow, Marvel is really giving up the goods! While it’s exciting, part of me’s beginning to think, guys, save something for the DVD! I still want some surprises and new things when I bring that thing home. A lot of what they’ve shown seems to not be the full special feature, so I’m hoping for example the bloopers…well, that there’s more of them! And I’ll wait to watch them many times when I do so with a pause button and frame-by-frame advance.
So first up is a deleted (extended) scene with Volstagg, and with a bit more of his kids, and with Thor and Fandral. They could afford to lose it when you’re battling for time, but it’s a really great scene, I really enjoyed it, for the greater insight into Volstagg and his family, for the clear sense of deep and old friendship between these men, and for the clear sense of Thor’s maturity as well as a sort of sadness that comes with that maturity and responsibility and the knowledge that he’s separated from the woman he loves (after a couple days of hanging out with her, but, you know, we won’t get into that here).
Next up is bloopers! They go by fast and involve some crazy wire work oopsies I’ll look forward to watching in the slo-mo. (I’m surprised Hiddleston wasn’t tossing his cookies after one of them.) But the funniest to me on first viewing was a Mjolnir-oopsie Thor has. Hemsworth looks like he’s having fun in this movie, at least from how he looks like he’s having fun in the bloopers!
First off — SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Please do not read this post if you have not seen Thor: The Dark World. This is basically a straight-up list of spoilers. I wanted to share the moments I found most touching/heartfelt/emotional — however you prefer to think of it — and perhaps hear from others. Again, just to be clear (and to provide spatial padding): SPOILER ALERT. Do not read further if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Please come back after viewing it and share your thoughts!
Like my Top Ten Delightful Moments post, here are ten-ish moments that I found moving in some sense. The order is sort of approximate, counting down to the moment I found most moving (which I suspect won’t be the one most viewers found most moving, but we’ll see). How this worked out to precisely ten I really don’t know.
10. Thor in the pub after the Vanaheim battle, alone in a crowd. Maybe this is an odd one to be on here, but I did find it touching. If Loki was once the “odd man out,” as most fans presume in one way or another, now Thor is. He’s with his people, even with his closest friends (save Hogun), yet he sits as though alone at a table, perhaps there in the first place only because Odin basically told him to go. This is not the same Thor from the first movie, not by a long shot. And yet the journey here makes complete sense. His heart is just not fully there anymore. (Much like he told Hogun to stay on Vanaheim for a while, to be where his heart was.) Sif tries to draw him in, and Thor’s polite but not interested (oh yeah, on either level). You get a very clear sense of the burden of responsibility he bears, and the sadness he feels knowing that he is not where his heart is. Hemsworth is outstanding; this calls for subtlety and he delivers.
9. The “funeral” scene. Honestly it’s not so much Frigga’s boat that gets me. I wish it were, but I expect to get that more from those who’ve lost Frigga, and Sif is showing the most emotional reaction to it — and yes, her clear grief gives my heart a twinge. I’m not saying I think it’s a bad choice to not have Odin or Thor acting more visibly emotional (especially Odin, who’s playing a role before his people here), just that their held-back reactions resulted in my not getting lots of heart tugs. BUT, what did get me was suddenly seeing all the other boats behind Frigga’s. And then realizing that all those people there were there for their queen who I imagine was beloved, but they were also there for their own loved ones. That there has been a massive loss and Asgard has felt it keenly. And I’d forgotten. I was beautifully and poignantly reminded with the appearance of those boats. And with the glowy light things people released. (Except mostly those distracted me because I didn’t know what they were. Still don’t. Souls? Symbolic representations of those lost with no body left behind? A ritual done in honor of the dead in general?)
Oh, and I bought the MP3 soundtrack, good stuff, “Into Eternity” is the song played for the funeral, holy moly does it sadden you up when you hear it; this theme is repeated in “Deliverance,” I’m not sure when that is played in the movie (I haven’t seen it enough yet to be paying attention to the music in the movie…which means a job well done on the soundtrack, as expected from Brian Tyler, who did an outstanding job on the Iron Man 3 soundtrack. Generally speaking the music should fit seamlessly in the movie and not make you go, “huh! listen to that music!”)
8. Thor’s reaction to Frigga’s death. We have never seen Thor throw Mjolnir like that. Hemsworth is lucky he didn’t pull something…or rip something solidly out of its socket…doing that. That scene, maybe more so than any other in the prior movies, showed me who Thor is, in terms of his power. Wow. I won’t say much because I commented on the amazing use of Mjolnir in the Delightful Moments post, but the pure rage-fueled power of those throws pulls on the heartstrings.
7. Loki finds out Frigga is dead. I watched carefully the second time to be sure the guard’s lips moved, that it wasn’t one of those dopey TV/movie moments where the doctor/police officer comes out and — because dialogue is so yesterday — just looks at the family and the family takes one look at the doctors/cop’s fabulous acting and knows their loved one has died, and the doctor/cop walks away, job done with no more than top-notch use of facial expressions. (You may have noticed this is something I rather dislike.) Nope, the guard tells him. Obsessed fan that I am I want to know what exact words he said. It wasn’t much. And I love how Loki dismisses him, very naturally, you can tell this is a man who has grown up in privilege and is used to dismissing people. His reaction is pretty perfect (except for a continuity quibble I have…to come in a quibble-post — I’m hoping there’s an explanation).
6. “See you in hell, monster.” Oh, man. Part of me is tempted to put this much, much higher on the list. This line is critical, I think, to what must be the underlying self-hatred still in Loki regarding finding out he’s a Frost Giant. My thoughts surround the line haven’t settled yet. Is he identifying with Kurse? He’s definitely saying “we’re both monsters, both headed to the same place of the damned.” Is he accepting his death (oh, wait, maybe not), and saying that he deserves death the same as Kurse? We know this is a word with a lot of meaning for Loki (it came up in both prior movies). Very tragic, full of pain on the emotional level as well as the physical with his stabbing. (I also thought Thor was going to like whip out a Healing Stone or something at this point in Viewing One.)
5. Loki’s death. Uh, yeah, correction, Loki’s “death.” OK, woah, that was a shocker. I’m referring to the stabbing part. You might think this would be further down the list, but actually because I was utterly convinced Loki would not actually die, I was kind of staring in disbelief, probably missed half of the following scene, because I was like, uh, no, Loki’s not dead. Thor, go back, because no, he’s not dead. Why would they be so stupid as to kill off Loki when fans love him so much? (And please don’t cheapen Frigga’s death and death in general by pulling one of those, oh, he’s dead but he’s back anyway two movies later because Magic.) So the whole thing really left me rather numb as I realize wait…he’s actually dead? As in, dead-dead? Not alive anymore? Not in any more movies? Give up all hope for a Loki movie and the theorizing over whether a Loki movie would work? DEAD??? I sort of wish I could have “experienced” his death more (but I blame the movie here, this is one of my quibbles). Anyway, it is on the list. Loki’s three — THREE — apologies. Thor’s acceptance of them. Thor’s “I’ll tell Father what you did here today” — Hemsworth’s acting here especially in the specific moment is spectacular, heart-breaking. Why bring up Dad in the midst of this? What were some of Loki’s last words the last time he “died”? “I could have done it, Father, for you.” He wanted Odin to be proud of him (to consider him a “worthy son”). So Thor is telling him in his final moments, Odin will be proud of you, I’ll make sure of it. He’s fulfilling what he thinks is Loki’s dying wish. But Odin isn’t who he once was to Loki. “I didn’t do it for him.” And that line, and Hiddleston’s delivery of it, put this squarely into stomping-on-my-heart territory. Loki’s dying — oh, yeah, “dying” — words were to tell Thor “You’re my brother, and I love you.” Oh, wait I might start crying now. I wish they’d hire me to write the novelization of this thing. Writing this made me want to move it up to number three.
4. Loki denies Frigga. This scene was riveting to me initially because of Loki’s outburst about Odin — I’m not sure, but he *might* still have some anger issues to work through. (Oh, and because Loki was in it.) But by Viewing Three, what struck me about it the most was what I’d realized between Two and Three — Loki’s last words to his mother were to deny her. “Then am I not your mother?” “[beat] You’re not.” And then, God bless her, Frigga says what I’ve long thought about Loki since his Frost Giant discovery meltdown, basically that he’s so perceptive about everyone except himself. She is saying, in my current interpretation, “I know that you love me, that you still think of me as your mother, yet you deny it. You don’t know yourself anymore. You’re so lost. Come home.” And then she’s gone, her eyes misty with tears as she fades away. (But I saw the little sparklies. Perhaps we’ll get a Star Wars – like apparitional visit from her in the future.) She would be so proud of Loki’s actions on Svartalfheim. (Well, maybe all but the last one!)
3. The reveal of Loki’s illusion in the prison. Rip my heart out and stomp on it, yes. (AND, put to rest MONTHS of frustrating speculation about Loki’s different looks in the prison.) This is a moment I think I could watch on a repeated loop a few dozen times in a row and not get bored with. Loki has no privacy in that cell. And little though he may care to admit it, he cares what others think. This was a private moment for him, he wouldn’t want to let anyone see it. (Amazing then how quickly he drops it for Thor — necessary for storytelling but also works, for the characters, I think, that he *is* willing to appear that vulnerable before Thor.) He’s had a real meltdown, everything overturned, scorches on the walls, and we see his kind of ratty clothes and disheveled hair and cut, bleeding foot. And I’m tempted to list it separately, but Loki’s “Did she suffer?” is completely genuine, in his tone of voice. He’s really asking, and hoping she didn’t. You know how badly he wishes he weren’t in that prison and could have somehow saved her.
2. Thor’s and Loki’s conversation on the “boat.” Wow. Soooo many layers. This is one of the scenes Joss Whedon did some rewriting on. I’m not sure what it was before or what he changed/added, but it’s pretty marvelous, really starting with Thor and what I interpret as a bit of jealousy on Thor’s part. I admit I may be seeing this a bit through the lens of the fanfic world I’ve constructed, but to me Thor’s line which I can’t quite remember, “You’re not the only one who lost her,” something like that? To me this is him saying “You don’t get to sit there and wallow in grief and anger like you’re the only one who lost a mother in this, Loki. I loved her just as much as you did.” And when Thor says “You had her tricks but I had her trust,” he is saying “And she loved me just as much as she loved you, and I didn’t disappoint her.” And OH, Loki does not react well to that. (The “tricks” thing is also something I think Loki takes as an insult, and here Thor is speaking in grief and anger himself and he means it as an insult, I think.) So Loki accuses Thor of not protecting their mother. “You let her get killed!” And OH, Thor does not react well to that, and it just keeps growing. Because in addition to grief and anger, they’re both feeling guilt. So Thor accuses Loki of not doing anything either because he was in a cell, and Loki’s repeated “WHO PUT ME THERE?!” is just rip-your-guts out painful, along with Thor’s repeated “You know damn well!” Because there is also hatred and resentment. From Loki’s perspective, why couldn’t Thor just let things lie, why did he have to get involved (in Avengers). From Thor’s perspective, why can’t he stop making excuses and blaming everyone else, he made his own choices, he did this to himself.
Look at their eyes. Especially Loki’s. Loki’s eyes are fixed on Thor’s as if that’s the thread of life itself. This really grabbed me the first time and all subsequent times, I don’t know why, but I suspect this is the moment when they fully understand each other and connect with each other again because they really are feeling all of the same things. And right after this moment, in my mind, is when they get down to planning the deception for Malekith that the audience (and conveniently passed-out Jane) isn’t privy to.
Oh, but wait, first we need to skillfully tie this scene up and pull us out of the super-intense emotion we’ve just been drawn into. So Thor backs off, saying “Mother wouldn’t want us to fight,” and Loki says — delivered absolutely perfectly by Hiddleston — something along the lines of “Well, she wouldn’t exactly be surprised.” Hemsworth delivers it back every bit as perfectly with a combination of sadness and regret and grief, and humor in response to Loki’s effort to bring down the tension, with “I wish I could trust you.” And you can tell he absolutely means it. He wants his brother back. Then the script masterfully reminds us that there’s still a movie plot going on and refocuses us on it, with Loki’s “Trust my rage.” Bravo, bravo, all around, fabulous acting, fabulously structured script.
I’ve lost count, oh:
1. And hands down, for me, the most moving, heart-wrenching moment in the movie — Loki being pulled into the…Suck You Into a Ball And Kill You thing, which for shorthand I will call The Thing. Loki has just done something completely selfless. (Wait, really? Loki?) He protected Jane before (crouching over her) because it was part of the plan he and Thor agreed on. But he sees The Thing headed her way and…it’s all so fast but I think he pushes her out of the way and maybe also tries to bat The Thing away? But he’s closer to it and when it starts to go all “Suck You Into a Ball” he gets pulled in. As Loki is pulled in…the image is remarkably similar to the one in the end of Thor, of him falling into the remnants of the bifrost wormhole. It’s clearly a deliberate parallel, and a beautiful one. When Loki let go and fell, he was making a deliberate choice to reject his family, his home, everything he’d ever known and loved. Even himself, his own life. In this so similar imagery in The Dark World, my heart aches for Loki, because he doesn’t want this now. He’s reaching out, not letting go. He’s trying desperately to get away from what he turned toward and embraced before. (Can you hear my heart exploding?) And Thor doesn’t watch forlornly from above — he swoops down and SAVES Loki. (Yep, there go the last tatters of my heart.)
Top two reasons to write a novelization: (1) You get to write all this stuff down and get paid for it. (Well, not all this stuff.) (2) You get — I assume — to meet with the costumers and SFX designers and storyboarders and all those guys who put this stuff together and find out what The Thing (and all that other stuff we don’t have names for) is actually called.
Which scene grabbed your heart the most? Cast a vote, and/or leave a comment.
By the way, here’s my fanfiction (scroll past the rambling to the bottom) if you’re interested in non-novelization Thor-world stuff I’ve written and not been paid a penny for (I say for the don’t-sue-me thing, along with innocent cherubic blinking). I don’t do the blog to “advertise” the fanfiction, but you know, if you read this far, maybe you’d be interested. Mostly I do this blog as an outlet for my obsession. Wait…yep, same reason I do fanfiction. 😉
First off — SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Please do not read this post if you have not seen Thor: The Dark World. This is basically a straight-up list of spoilers. I wanted to share my favorite moments and perhaps hear from others. Again, just to be clear (and to provide spatial padding): SPOILER ALERT. Do not read further if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Please come back after viewing it and share your thoughts! [I have made a few edits below…after Viewing Number Three — 2 small corrections, 3 added delights, and 1 significant update.]
These are not in a super-strict order really, but do trend toward my “greatest delight” at the end. And…actually it’s a Top Eleven list.
11. The reveal of Erik once he’s got a nice shirt and tie on…but nopants. (I like ironic contrast.) Jane is pretty nonchalant about it. I’d be freaking out more, because that’s just weird, but I guess with him she’s seen worse since Loki took up forcible residence in his head. [And Thor’s reaction, his “Are you well, Erik?” Hemsworth is really quite phenomenal in this, IMO, he has to do humor and love and action and rage and solemn maturity and romance and pain…and does it all with depth.]
10. Odin telling Thor something like, “You’d be better served by what is before you,” which sounds sort of metaphorical and he gestures outward perhaps to mean Asgard, to tell Thor he should be focusing on Asgard and not Midgard, but who just happens to be “before” Thor at that moment? Sif. And her sparring match ends at that moment and she looks up at Thor. Is Odin trying to push Thor into Sif’s (oh-so-willing) arms?
9. Thor’s reaction to overhearing the phone call with Jane’s date from earlier. Hemsworth’s acting is clearly going for the comedy there, but it works, IMO, and is very reminiscent of some of the Earth-stuff from Thor. And I really appreciate Jane’s “Really?” response when Thor asks who this guy is. I’m not sure what’s going through her head, could be “we have more important things to worry about,” could be “you were gone for two years, do you think you have any business getting jealous?” Either way, Jane isn’t putting up with that baloney. Go Jane! (However, this scene also falls on my short, picky list of disappointments. Coming soon.)
8. Thor hanging Mjolnir on a hook with the jackets and umbrellas or whatever, another nice ironic contrast, an extremely domestic and casual, familial action, when we don’t think of Thor as terribly domestic…much less Midgard-domestic! It’s a tiny moment that got big laughs in my first viewing and even good laughs in my second viewing with the “are these guys actually alive?” crowd. Though…wouldn’t the hook have fallen? Loki seemed to find it pretty heavy when it was sitting on his chest at the end of Thor!
7. In the same series of scenes, Thor squeezing into the car next to Jane. OK, this one’s slightly personal, because I wrote a scene ages ago (fanfic) in which Jane suggests she and Thor have a chat in the car for privacy, and he looks at it and is kind of like “uhhh, how about over there instead?” So it really made me laugh and gave me special delight to see that.
[6.5. A tie —
Loki readin’ a book. (Have you seen this video to get the reference?) Craziness going on and Loki is soooo above it all. This is a deliberate snub on his part, really, because I think for himself he would enjoy watching it — it’s chaos, and it’s got to be the most interesting thing to happen around him in ages. He’s sending a message by acting as though it isn’t even happening (read with Loki-voice): “You are all of you beneath me!” Ha. That’s my interpretation anyway.
Loki’s reactions to Jane. Is he…curious? That would be logical. For the second viewing I caught how, as Thor talks to someone in the foreground after “the slap,” Loki appears to be just staring at Jane. Weirdly. Really weirdly. And then the most delightful is when he says, absolutely for Thor’s benefit, after Jane kind of faints, “Oh dear, is she dead?” the same way you might say “Oh dear, is that milk spoiled?” It sounds very “dry British humor.” It’s gotten good laughs at all three viewings I’ve been to, fewer in #2 with the half-asleep audience. I’ve found it more delightful each time.]
6. This exchange between Erik and Thor: “Is your brother coming?” “Loki is dead.” “Oh, thank God! I mean, I’m terribly sorry.” Followed by a big hug from Erik that looks way more exuberant than sympathetic. It’s funny with regard to Erik, and there’s a reason why Stellan Skarsgard is such a well-regarded actor, he does a phenomenal job with this more humorous take on Erik throughout the movie but I think here especially. On the other hand, it’s slightly awkward, because for Thor, he really did just lose Loki, after they have more or less reconciled. It makes it a little hard to fully embrace the humor here.
[5.5 A tie —
Loki’s genuine delight at piloting that flying boat. He’s enjoying himself. Loki’s delight is contagious. He’s getting to have fun, I mean, he’s been locked up with nothing but books for entertainment for a year, it seems. I mean, I love a good book, but a year. And this is just my supposition as someone who’s been writing Loki fanfic for a long time, I think there’s an added layer of delight for him in that he gets to show off his talents to Thor.
Loki’s and Thor’s bickering in the Svartalf spaceship. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure about the entirety of this scene, some of it feels a bit…like a script. But it hits perfection IMO with Thor’s “I am pressing gently!” First because it definitely feels like two brothers fighting, and second because he is so not pressing gently. Hemsworth is perfect. Weirdly, much as I adore Hiddleston, it’s Hemsworth who sells this scene for me. I’m not sure why. Maybe 50 more viewings will help. Ha. I did see an interview with Hemsworth & Hiddleston (I think this was the full-cast post-London one) in which Hemsworth said some of that was from his input from experiencing just such fighting in cars and such with his brothers, and I do wonder if that’s why it feels so very natural from him.]
5. The Captain America appearance. The audience at my first viewing was howling in laughter and the thrill of the unexpected, the one spot where it got so loud I missed a few lines. I would love to hear an interview with Chris Evans on that, I would think he had a blast doing it. [Read this in Loki’s voice: “Will you ever not laugh hysterically at that?”]
2 (three-way tie). That whole fight scene at the end. It almost can’t be called a fight scene in some ways, really. For context, I should say, I don’t give a rip about fight scenes. I figure those are there for the males in the audience, mostly. The Avengers fight scene is so interminable. It’s fine, really, it gives it the sense of dire-ness and so forth and it’s filled with the little character moments that perk me up (if it weren’t I’d just fast forward through it). But this fight scene is quite possibly the first one I’ve ever actually just loved as a fight scene itself. It’s creative, and full of the unexpected, and it’s not really about strength, which makes it way more fun (for me) to watch Thor dealing with it. He’s like a dog with a bone, stuff gets crazy and he doesn’t bat an eyelash as they go blinking across realms.
So I put these in a tie, because I have two more specific aspects of the fight scene that really made me happy. I lovedseeing Jotunheim, and I love that Jotunheim was never labeled, we fans know Jotunheim when we see it. I realized it even before the familiar creature showed up. And I loved seeing Mjolnir get separated from Thor and then like suddenly veering out of Earth’s atmosphere and into space. Into space, guys! Darn, that is one powerful hammer. In general I loved the use of Mjolnir in this film. Creative stuff, and a very deliberate showcase of how well Thor knows his weapon, catching without looking, throwing it like it could have reached Earth just from his throw after Frigga is killed, wow. I’m quite shocked I could get this excited about a giant hammer, actually, but they did a great job building on that from the previous movies. I would give an honorable mention here to Thor getting on the subway (oh, the ironic contrast again!).
1. You know it, of course, the final reveal, Loki on the throne. Oh, I love me some Loki!!! Loki was used fabulously in this movie IMO. Definitely this is the “trickster god” in fine form. I was continuously reminded of Hiddleston saying in an interview “he’s having a really good time.” Well, except for the angsty stuff, but that’s a separate list! But that reveal was completely unexpected, though I had wondered what had happened with the rest of the Loki/guard and Odin conversation. Loki was up there basically saying, “I win!” Ha.
BUT. OK, remember that they called both Hiddleston and Hopkins back for additional shoots? Has anyone heard more about this? I have a suspicion that Loki originally did not live. (Or at least, we didn’t know he lived with that reveal.) Why? Listen to Hopkins’s lines again, and remember it may be Hopkins but he’s (supposedly) playing Loki pretending to be Odin at that point. At one point he says something like [corrected from earlier] “You once said there would never be a wiser king than me.” But wait…Loki wouldn’t know that. Loki was hanging out in “the abyss” or chatting up the Chitauri at the time of that conversation. And as I watched that scene a second time, I mean, I know they can’t have Hopkins say or do stuff that will give away the reveal, but the things he says, for the most part I can’t picture Loki even coming up with those things to say. Except for Mjolnir — you could say “Odin” didn’t take Mjolnir back because Loki couldn’t…though after saving Jane’s life and Thor’s life, might he be worthy now? Anyway I digress. But my suspicion is that those lines were written for Hopkins simply playing Odin, not Loki in disguise. And I can certainly imagine them thinking, “well, we’ve done everything we can do with Loki now, we’ve redeemed him, let’s create some good drama and give him this honorable death,” then seeing the fan hoopla over Loki, and thinking “hmmmmmmm…maybe that wasn’t the best idea we ever had, how can we fix that?” Hope to find out if this is true! [UPDATE! See my blog post or go straight to the article I read it in to see definitively which scenes were added.]
Any other top delightful moments that would make it onto your Top Ten (or Eleven!) list? Any here that failed to delight you?
Other lists to follow soon, hopefully! Most Touching Moments [up now!], and a small list of “I wish this could have been a bit better/different” [hopefully up on Sunday].
The Jotunheim battle scenes are shot with such fast cuts and in such darkness that they are really hard to follow.
I read an interview with Tom Hiddleston in which he talks about him throwing knives. And I had already seen the movie several times, but had never seen him throw any knives. So I watched again, perhaps the 9th or 10th time, and lo and behold I see him throw a knife! It was not until another couple of viewings later, I think when I watched it on frame-by-frame, I realized he’s shown throwing a knife twice! I mentioned the knife-throwing to a friend I later watched it with who was watching it for the first time, and her eyes went wide and she said, “Really?” She hadn’t caught it either. At least I know it wasn’t just me! What Hiddleston said about it in the interview was that after one take he went looking for the knife and he couldn’t find it for a while; it had gotten embedded in one of the fake rocks he had thrown it so hard.
Similarly, I read about Sif‘s double-sided blade before I actually managed to see it. I get that the point is to show that the battle is fast and furious and chaotic…but I’d just really like to be able to see the battle!
In frame-by-frame, BTW, you do catch a lot of nice detail. Loki looks pretty cool throwing his knives, with his hair going a little loose and free and his coat swirling. And finally I could see where those little ice pellets came from that Sif blocked with her shield! (A Frost Giant splashed a puddle at her and froze it.)
My favorite fight bit is a Thor moment. It’s a nice, iconic Thor moment, when he throws his hammer and it smashes a Frost Giant, then the hammer slows and returns straight to his hand. I love the look of it, the way you feel it’s heavy and not some boomerang, and I love the sound effect too.
My second favorite bit is a Loki moment, the “fake Loki” moment, specifically when the camera swings around to reveal the real Loki and he withdraws into hiding again.
I’m curious about Volstagg‘s costume. He had on long sleeves earlier, but when the Frost Giant grabs him for that important moment, he doesn’t have on long sleeves. Hmmm…Maybe his sleeve got ripped off, like Loki’s later kind of disintegrates under the Frost Giant’s grip. In any event, I bet he’s learned a lesson — always wear sturdy long sleeves when going to battle Jotuns!
So the best moment overall, of course, is the Loki’s-arm moment. The FG has a vice grip on Loki’s arm, shatters his armor, Loki looks down in fear, but his arm isn’t being blackened by frost bite, it’s turning Jotun blue before his widening eyes. The FG is staring too, not expecting this, and lifts his eyes to Loki’s. Loki looks back to him, gets over his shock, stabs the FG again, finishing him. Is it just me or are his knives shining, even glowing? Loki looks at his hand as it returns to his normal color — what is he thinking? Does he suspect yet?
Yup, then Loki throws a knife, second time we see him do it. It was only in the viewing for these notes that I caught the second one. Loki with unruly hair, nice!
It’s cool that that monster thing goes upside down, I remember being surprised at that on my 2nd viewing…but…how??? Jotunheim is also not a planet? Does it not have normal gravity? Does it not have, I don’t know, anything solid beneath the ice/ground? Weird. But, okay.
(But…ahhh, maybe it’s a “ringworld”? Check out this article from a Discover Magazine blog by Sean Carroll, a CalTech physicist who provided some scientific consulting for Thor, along with some colleagues. And if you like that one, you might like an earlier one also about Thor. I was glad also to hear a physicist say Asgard basically makes no sense, whew, I thought it was just me. Very much non-physicist. 😉 )
Another moment I love is when Thor swings Mjolnir, then calls lightning, and brings the hammer down, going into that one-knee-down position. It just looks really cool. It’s swinging really fast at his side and he puts it up and it just stops, like instant deceleration. Nice angles, arm straight up. But, I guess he didn’t realize he could have killed all his friends as the ground crumbles around them?
And at last, when Thor turns around from that precipice to see all those approaching FGs, the arrogrant and war-hungry expression fades as he, too, finally realizes, “Uh, okay,this could be a problem…”