“There’s a lot of ways to measure the start of summer. You have the day that the calendar tells you. Or the last day of school. Or the first really hot day of the year. For me, its the day that I watch the first big summer blockbuster. Therefore, readers of Expletive Dleted (all two? of you), welcome to summer!
Its not uncommon for me to not see a movie until during the week, but its rare that I feel so outta the loop about it. My weekend was full with other stuff, so it got put off to today. But then I saw a bunch of my friends yesterday who had already seen it. Such a weird feeling for me not to be able to contribute to the conversation.
Ultimately, not a bad way to kick off my favorite season (as far as movies go). Big action, pretty people, touch of comedy, mindless fun. It had its flaws, of course, but no one’s really looking at a summer blockbuster as Oscar gold, except possibly in the technical categories.
I guess we’ll start with the flaws, so that we can end on a high note. The flow was a bit strange. It felt rushed at the beginning, and then some details got confusing. But what did impress me was how adeptly it balanced storylines between worlds. It felt a lot like two different movies, but without being disjointed as you’d expect upon hearing that statement.
What also impressed me was Thor’s character arc. I really disliked him at the beginning, and was totally crushing on him by the end, and not just because he’s pretty. Character development that strong and believable is rare in this type of film. So points there!
I also really liked Loki, but his motives are what confused me. A friend who’d been chatting about this flick told me that if not for Loki, he’d have lost all interest. I can certainly see where he’s coming from. Loki is what kept me going until Thor finally got me on his side. I dont know that I’d have been able to get as into the film without him.
Starting to enjoy the build up to The Avengers, as well. I had some concerns that these films were getting cranked out too fast, and while those concerns havent quite been alleviated, we’re on a good track. Mostly I think it just made me happy that Clark Gregg’s role got bumped up quite a bit. I’ve been a fan of his since Choke, and he makes what could be a throwaway character incredibly memorable. The Hawkeye cameo was also much appreciated, even if Im not familiar with the character.
The action was good, although I’m not sure how worthwhile the 3d was. The minimal addition really wasn’t necessary. I think the effects could have stood alone on their own.
In an uncharacteristic for me way, I actually liked the girls in the film. Natalie Portman, while I dont think she did much, did bring a great deal of street cred to the film. And she made the damsel far more interesting than usual. Kat Dennings totally stole all her scenes. Yes, she was written as the doofy comic relief, but it worked. Maybe its just that I saw a lot of myself in her. The one who only speaks to snark about something.
Overall, if the main point of this film was to start to build hype for The Avengers, then I’d say mission accomplished.
Thor – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n