Until Guardians of the Galaxy came out (we'll talk about my obsession with GOTG in a few weeks) everyone knew Thor was my movie. I was always fascinated with Sci-Fi and comics and although I loved Iron Man, it didn't have the Sci-Fi aspect. Thor included everything I loved about movies, a interesting and dynamic villian that launched Tom Hiddleston into the limelight, beautiful CGI worlds far from our own and not to mention how fit Chris Hemsworth is. Both the hero and villian have satisfying character arcs and Thor was the first to introduce the MCU to aliens, gods, and magic that had only previously been focused on science. Although I love The Avengers movie and it is my favourite out of phase 1, Thor is my favourite out of the solo franchises and I'm still shocked that people don't like Thor more than they do. Don't get me wrong it has its flaws like any other movie, I could pick out flaws in my all time favourite film but it won't alter my impression of it.
Although Thor starts out the film as a God, the movie's main focus is his journey of becoming a better man and what it truly means to be worthy. Both Jane foster and Erik Selvig play an important part in his journey by in a nut shell 'bringing him back down to earth' and giving him something to care about more than himself. A specific scene where you can see his transformation is towards the end when Sif and the Warriors Three can't defeat the Destroyer so Thor offers his own life to save theirs. Although the Destroyer 'kills' him, he proves his worth to wield Mjolnir again. Once resurrected he returns to Asgard to save Jotunheim from destruction, a race he tried to defeat in the beginning of the movie. This proves by the end of the movie he is a changed man, no longer selfish and hot tempered but mature, noble and a true future King of Asgard.
When it comes to the villain, Loki is easily one of the biggest favourites among fans in the MCU. He's the most complex and well developed villains so far and this movie not only focuses on Thor's transformation but on Loki's as well. We get to see him develop from the dutiful younger brother to a full-blown villain. The only villain I find that comes close to Loki is Zemo from Civil War but we never get to see his development into a villain. The audience can actually
sympathize as he just wants to measure up to Thor and to receive his fathers approval. The movie does a great job of setting up the family dynamic he has with Thor and Odin which is partly what drives him to his actions in The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World.
The action in the movie are well executed, especially Loki and Thor's fight at the end of the movie. It's also impressive with the Asgardians using period weapons with a technologic twist (for example The Destroyer). As far as how Thor is connected to the rest of the MCU we get an introduction to Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye as he snipes out Thor's infiltration of the compound. We also get to see Selvig going to work for S.H.I.E.L.D to study the Tesseract. The only flaw I found is the fight between Thor and the Destroyer as it's anticlimactic, after Thor is resurrected there isn't much of a fight between them but that is the only gripe I have with the movie!
Easter Eggs
#1 The Infinity Gauntlet
This is one of my favourite easter eggs of all time. We get a brief look in Odin's vault housing incredible treasures when the Frost Giant soldiers attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. One of the pieces on display is none other than an Infinity Gaunlet with replicas of the Infinity Stones. There are currently two Infinity Gauntlet's, Odin has the right handed gauntlet and Thanos has the left. When the Infinity Gauntlet holds the Infinity Gems, it grants the bearer infinite powers when used within the universe of its origin.
#2 Dr Donald Blake
Donald Blake in the movies is the name of Jane Foster's ex boyfriend who was "good with patients, bad with relationships". Thor borrows a shirt of his and also Erik Selvig lies to S.H.I.E.L.D about the Asgardians identity and forges a driving license with the name Donald Blake. In the original comics, Donald Blake was the human alias Thor took when he was banished from Asgard. He was a crippled physician with a walking stick (Mjolnir in disguise) to support him. Since he had no memory or his Asgardian history he eventually became a renowned surgeon until his memories started coming back to him. Comic book Jane was a nurse and the two had a relationship, and in a similar way that Mary-Jane had a relationship with Peter Parker and Spiderman, Jane was also in love with Thor but had no idea Thor and Donald were the same person.
#3 Journey into Mystery
The ficticious town in New Mexico that we see in Thor has plenty of nods to Norse legacy. The name of the town Puente Antiguo actually means "Ancient Bridge" in Spanish, a reference to the Bifrost. One reference is the billboard with a travel add for New Mexico "Land of Enchantment... Journey into Mystery". This is a reference to the first comic book that Thor made an appearance.
#4 Star filled cameos
These easter eggs are harder to spot but they are famed Thor writer and artist Walter Simonson and writer J. Michael Straczynski. Simonson makes an appearance in Asgard between warriors Sif and Volstagg at a grand feast following Thors return after the final battle. Straczynski appears in New Mexico as one of the men trying to lift Mjolnir after it crashes.
#5 Stan Lee cameo
Stan's appearance in Thor is as a truck driver attempting to pull Mjolnir from the ground before breaking his truck. It's a relatively simple cameo but its a fan favourite in the MCU.
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