Thor: The Dark World

                             

            Okay, so, on Saturday I went and saw the sequel to the best of Marvel's Phase One films(well, at least, in my opinion), titled "Thor: The Dark World." I was, unsurprisingly, one of the few fans who loved the first Thor movie. It wasn't perfect(but what movie is?), but it had relatable characters, I LOVED the family dynamic, and Thor's character growth was beautifully done. And I thought it was higher quality than the other phase 1 films(just my opinion, again). After the amazing "The Avengers", I was definitely looking forward to seeing this movie, especially considering that Thor is my favorite Avenger.
            Did the movie disappoint? Was it what I was hoping for?
It didn't disappoint but it was different from what I was thinking it would be. The movie was definitely awesome, and I loved watching it, but, like all films, there were parts I wish had been embellished a tad more(which happens with most movies, so it's all good).

Before I go into a spoilerly discussion about this movie, I'm going to give a brief, spoiler-free, opinion of the film(so if you haven't had the chance to watch it yet, don't read beyond the parts saying SPOILERS).
   I have to admit, the film wasn't what I was expecting, but that's all right, since the same went for Iron Man 3, which I also loved. If you are a Marvel fan(and if you are a fan of Thor/Chris Hemsworth or Loki/Tom Hiddleston), then I would definitely recommend  you go and see it.
     The acting is as wonderful as usual- Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston especially stuck out for me. Thor's evolution throughout this film and the last two have been very nicely done and I think his character is at a good place at the end of this movie. And as a Thor fan, that was very satisfying. As for Loki- WOW. I LOVED his character in this film- easily Tom Hiddleston's best performance of the trickster god to date. This Loki is a bit different, a bit more evolved, than the ones we see in the last two(in fact, he's almost a mixture of the two) and, really, I adored this new version of Loki. If you are a fan of his character, I'm sure you will too. Natalie Portman does a good, solid job as always with Jane, Rene Russo made me love Frigga in this film, Anthony Hopkins is as good as always, and the rest of the cast fills their roles very well.
      The plot could have been a tad bit deeper, things could have been explained a bit more thoroughly, and the film could have been longer(I wanted more Thor/Loki interactions!!), I think the creators, cast, and crew all did a stunning job with what they were given and I look forward to seeing how everything goes from here....especially with that ending ;).
P.S. - Make sure you stay after both sets of credits.

SPOILERS!!!!

Spoilers


Spoilers



First off, I TOTALLY SAW THAT TWIST COOOOMIIING!!! XD
I guessed Loki hadn't actually died pretty quickly- first of all, his death was way too quick. When a movie wants to make a moving death scene, they typically draw it out a bit. Also, there was the little magic tricks that Loki knows how to do, so it seemed weird he wouldn't be more cautious. When I saw the soldier guy leave the Dark World and go to Asgard to speak to Odin(we'd seen him do a similar disguise earlier on), I was thinking "Hey, I bet that's Loki." And when the man made that smile I went "YES, yes, that's DEFINITELY Loki." After that, I just kept waiting to see Loki appear and not actually be dead(which kind of distracted me during the film, lol), and the end, of course, had me going "mwhahahahahaha!" to myself. Loved that ending. One of the best parts of the film, I'd have to say! XD Now, I wonder what happened to Odin......O_O

 Putting the silliness aside, this film, while not what I was expecting it to be(plot wise), was still awesome all the same! :D I don't know whether I prefer this film or the first one, but both were good and it was lovely seeing my favorite Avenger and his younger brother(another favorite) again.
  The plot wasn't as strong as the one in the first one, nor was it as serious as I was hoping it would be(though the humor was hilarious! XD), but it was interesting enough that it held my attention(my one complaint was that it wasn't explained as much as it should have been and a couple of the Dark Elves's motives were a bit unclear). In fact, like I've seen from what other reviewers, the plot was probably the weakest part of the plot, and I'm inclined to agree- I really wanted to know more about the Dark Elves and their mythology! And I was hoping for a bit of a darker feel(but that's just me and my obsession with sad stuff...yeah, I'm a weird one). Though, I WANT THOSE DARK ELVES'S SHIPS!!!!!! Like NOW! XD
     However, for what it lacks in depth of plot, it makes up for with amazing performances and laugh-out-loud moments(Loki turning into Captain America, the whole flying ship scene, Thor hanging his hammer on that little rack by the door, etc). And I have to say, Loki was the funniest of them all; seeing his reading a book in his cell while a battle is raging was quite funny :D.
       The characters are really what carry this film. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston bring their A-game to this film and it really shows. Thor and Loki's interactions in this film were the definite high-light for me and I found myself wanting more(and less of the romance sub-plot). Their dynamic was just as good as it was in the last two films and whenever the film moved away from these characters, I became impatient, wanting to see more of them. Thor really has changed a lot from that brash(yet lovable) prince in the first film- he is a lot more pensive, introspective, and sad, which was an interesting contrast; his journey has been thorough, which I enjoyed quite a lot, since it is a good, solid case of character development. I was also SOOO thankful that they didn't put in an annoying love triangle or everything. Sif obviously was interested in Thor, and he knew it, but he stayed true to Jane and handled rejecting his friend in a very good way- this was very nice to see since, all too often, guys in fiction don't push away or discourage a person whose interested in them when they already love/are in a relationship with someone else; as a Thor fan, that was really nice to see(honorable guys! YAY!). And it's also nice to not have a love triangle, those things are pretty despicable(unless, somehow, done right). The only problem I had with him was that Thor didn't seem all that upset over his brother 'dying' but I guess he was just hiding it or something...
      Loki....Loki...really, you almost stole the show. I really wish we could have seen more of you....
Tom Hiddleston gives his most stunning(best) performance yet as Loki; unlike the calm/turned crazy brother from the first film, and the homicidal maniac of the second, this Loki was a nice chance of pace and interesting as well, since he's almost a combination of the previous two with a little something added.  You really feel for him and I, for one, enjoyed seeing his good side in this installment. He really did love his mother and his grief over her death was very palpable and realistic; it was really sad that the(most likely) last thing he said to her was that she wasn't his mother(which he knew wasn't true); I was happy that she said what she said to him, though- I'm hoping it helped(I felt very bad for him when we see that he trashed his room like that). I'm so glad they decided to include that relationship,  and I wished we could have seen more of it. I also do feel he still cared about Thor, to a degree. He does help Thor several times throughout the film, which I feel indicated that- my personal favorite of these being when he made it look like he'd betrayed Thor and Jane(and used his magic to make it look like he'd cut his brother's hand off)- that part was really, really cool and the use of magic was so genius! I really want to see more of this side of Loki! My favorite Loki moment, however, was when he saved Jane from being sucked into those very creepy bomb-sucking-into-oblivion things- it appeared genuine to me and, if that was actually him and not his 'fake' self, it was also a very selfless act(since he nearly got sucked into it himself before Thor rescued him). That whole battle/scenario thing was my favorite part of the entire film. As I said before, I thought the ending was perfection(with Loki actually on the throne >:D) and I can't wait to see where this leads us...
Before I go on, I should say, Tom looked really nice in this film- the hair and clothing suited him; I hope we see more of this look in the future.
      After seeing this film, I have to say, I LOVE Frigga! For one, she was such a badass and would have beaten Malekith if that other stupid guy hadn't come in behind her and grabbed her :P. Darn you, stupid guy! Plus, she was very brave, and a good mother, and probably my favorite female character in the film. Her funeral scene(along with everyone else who perished) was so beautiful and viking-like and truly a masterpiece of special effects.
   As a Natalie Portman fan, it was nice to see her in action once again. I think I liked Jane in this film more than in the first. Marvel has been very good about making their female characters actually not appear weak to the audience which I think it a definite step up from the way it was done, say, ten years ago. Even though Jane isn't a trained fighter, she's very intelligent and she actually did a lot for the plot by using her knowledge(with her fellow scientists help) to solve the problems. Also, it was pretty funny seeing her slap both Thor and Loki! XD
    Everyone else was all right too- I liked seeing Heimdal(spelling?) again and his whole 'taking down a ship' was just so epic! I'll have to keep an eye on his actor. I was surprised at how little Sif and the Warriors 3 were in it, since it seemed, from the trailer that they would have a larger role. But I'm okay with that, since it would have taken away from what I was interested in the most.

All in all, it was a great film and I would recommend it to all Marvel fans(I mean, go just for the ending...that was pure gold). I hope you enjoyed the review and have a good night :D.

Captain America: The First Avenger movie review

Warning: Spoilers The other day I watched the Avenger/Marvel film "Captain America: The First Avenger". While not as good as Thor, I still really enjoyed the film! I would rate it about even with Iron Man(I would have seen Iron Man 2 but the copy the movie rental place had got lost which is kind of ridiculous since its such a big place). Oh, and did you notice that the red face in the corner of this picture sort of looks like Darth Maul? (if doesn't look like him in the movie, though). The film is about Steve Rogers, a young man living during WWII who wants to join the army but keeps getting rejected because he is so skinny and small. However, Doctor Abraham Erskine sees potential in young Steve and gets him recruited into a program to develop "super soldiers" to help the Allies in their fight their enemies and to oppose the dangerous Nazi Office Johann Schmidt who has dangerous, mutated powers. After seeing Steve's inerrant goodness, Dr. Erskine decides that Steve will serve as the projects first test subject and the young man excepts. After Steve is changed, an assassin kills Dr. Erskine and the project stops. (watch the rest of the film to find out what happens next). The Good: I liked the majority of the film and I really liked the WWII setting. My favorite part was when Steve and Agent Peggy Carter were chasing the assassin through the streets, it was totally awesome!! :D I also loved the battle at the end, it was very, very cool and very science fiction-y. I also liked the part at the end where Steve crashes the ship into the ice-berg, the emotion in that scene was very well acted by all those involved in it. I also liked the characters. Steve was pretty cool and I loved Peggy Carter; I loved it when she was shooting at the assassin in the get-away car, that part was epic! :D. I thought it was funny when she yelled at him that she had him >:). I also liked it when Steve was preparing his shield and Peggy shot at and said "It works". I also liked the part where they had him repeat the line "I can do this all day" to the villain at the end; it really showed how far the character had come yet how he was still the same inside. Another thing I liked was the part at the very end where he woke up and found out that he'd been asleep in the ice for a long time; looking forward to seeing more about that in The Avengers. :) I also liked getting to see Sebastian Stan play a role in this film(I know Sebastian from Once Upon a Time; he played the Mad Hatter).

The Bad: There wasn't anything terrible in this film. The only thing that I didn't really like was that when that weird lady kissed him(forced kissed him, actually) and he didn't do anything about it. He could have pushed her away or something like that(I think he should have done that). But beyond that, nothing bothered me. I also didn't like the fact that our copy kept PAUSING >:( We missed part of the last action sequence. Overall, the film was a good one and now I really, really can't wait to see The Avengers!!!(hopefully, I'll be going this Saturday). :D May the Force be with you! Jedi Shena Tokala out

Thor movie review

Warning, spoilers follow Ever since The Avenger craze started up these past few months, I've been wanting to see all the films leading up to the one in theaters(which I have yet to see) and Thor had been one I'd especially been looking forward to. I'd heard a lot of good things about this film and when I saw images of Asgard, the action sequences, and the characters, I knew I would really enjoy the movie. And it did not disappoint! So far, I have seen Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America and Thor is my favorite out of the three(though I did enjoy all the Avenger films I've seen so far) :D. The story revolves around the Norse gods of Asgard, especially Odin's son Thor who is to ascend to the throne. When Frost Giants interrupt Thor's coronation, he goes with his brother Loki, and friends Lady Sif and the Warriors Free to take revenge. Things don't go according to plan and Thor ends up breaking the unstable truce between the Frost Giants and the gods. Because of his arrogance and thoughtlessness, Thor is stripped of his powers(hammer) and his immortality and is sent to earth until he can learn humility. Thor is then found by a group of scientists and has to find out to survive in this new world and find out the truth that is going on inside his own family.

The Good: I loved practically the entire film, it was awesome!!! :D :D :D. I loved the action sequences, they were really cool, especially the ones in Asgard and the Frost Giant world, Jotunheim. I also loved the scene where Thor attacks the S.H.I.E.L.D operative place to get his hammer; that whole action/chase scene rocks! :D I really enjoyed the characters(and the actors that played them), especially Thor, Loki, and Odin; the dynamics where really good between these characters and I really wished we could have seen more of them(though both Thor and Loki are in The Avengers so I'm excited about seeing that :) ). I also enjoyed Lady Sif and the Warriors three; they were really cool characters and I know several of the actors from some of my favorite t.v shows which was really neat(Jaime Alexander(Lady Sif) who was Jessi XX in Kyle XY and Joshua Dallas(Fandral) who plays Prince Charming/David Nolan on Once Upon a Time). Seeing Natalie Portman was also really awesome since she is one of my favorite characters, I just wish we could have seen more of her(though she did really good in her role). I really liked the humor as well, the parts where Thor kept getting hit by cars and getting stocked/sedated where great. I also liked the fact that pretty much all the characters were likable or easy to relate to; even when Thor was making dumb decisions at the beginning, I never disliked him; he was always a nice guy, he just had to learn humility and kindness. I also really liked how Loki was portrayed; he was a very interesting bad guy and I liked that he had dimension and a vulnerable side(I felt bad for him when he found out what he was).

The bad: You know, I actually don't have that many complaints about the film; I just wish it could have been longer but beyond that, I loved it!! :D Overall I enjoyed the film and I really can't wait to see The Avengers since it looks awesome! :D :D (look for a Captain America review tomorrow). May the Force be with you...Always Jedi Shena Tokala out

Iron Man movie review

WARNING: Will contain spoilers Since the Avengers movie just came out, there as been a craze about this film for quite some time now. I had heard of the Marvel superhero films before but never paid much attention to them since I am more into science fiction and fantasy films/t.v shows than superhero shows(though I do like really like some of the films I've seen). Well, since a lot of my online friends really like these movies and since I thought they looked good, I decided to give them a watch. The first film in the series of Marvel superheros was Iron Man, so I rented it and watched it with my sister who also wanted to watch these films. The film is about a rich genius named Tony Stark who designs new weapons for the U.S. military. While visiting Afghanistan to test the new Jericho missile, Tony is captured by the terrorist group the military had been trying to find. The worst part, though, is that they were using the missiles he helped create. While in captivity, he meets Dr. Yinsen and the two of them are instructed to build them a Jericho missile. The two say they will but instead of building the missile, they build a suit for Stark so that they two of them can escape. In the escape, Dr. Yinsen dies(saying that he wanted to so he could be with his dead family) though Stark manages to escape(loosing his suit in the process). When he gets back to the states, he decides to build himself another suit and to stop making weapons. The Good: I really enjoyed the majority of the film. The plot was good and interesting and the characters of Tony/Iron Man was a good(if a little weird at first) and funny person. I really enjoyed how Tony Stark's character changed over the course of the film. He went from an arrogant, egotistic, playboy to a hero(albeit flawed, but still a hero). I also liked that, after seeing his friend and others die in Afghanistan, he decides to stop making weapons and work on other things, saying that he didn't want his legacy to be a body count. My favorite scenes would probably be the climax/battle at the end; even though I knew that Obadiah Stane was going to turn out to be the bad guy, it was still really cool to see the revelation and the battle between the two in their really cool suites. Another one of my favorites was when Iron Man saved an Afghan village from the terrorists; I liked that not all Afghans are not shown as being bad since that sort of thing tends to happen a lot(same with the Germans, Russians, and Japanease. Come on people, don't always have bad guys be from the same place). I loved how, after saving the village, he gave them one of the leaders and said "He's all yours"- that's exactly what I'd do >:). I loved Iron Man's suite and his flying ability and how he saved the people and was able to shoot the people holding there captives without harming the hostages. I would love to have that suit! Another one of my favorite scenes was where he was testing his new suit out and kept crashing into things, it was hilarious. Another thing I enjoyed was the character of Pepper. It was nice to see a normal female character in a super hero movie who didn't need any saving. While not a superhero(though I would love to see more girl superheroes), Pepper can take of herself, is smart, and never gets captured the entire movie. I also liked how she reacted just like a normal person would and even though she was scared, was able to help save the day(her best scene was when she copied the video of evidence off the computer and sneaked it away when the bad guy was in the room). The bad guy was also great; he wasn't the typical evil, cackling villain and the idea of him pulling a modern day Iran-Contra affair was a pretty original idea. And the ending where Tony reveals himself to be Iron Man was classic! :D The Bad: While there isn't too much to dislike about the film, there are a couple of things I didn't like, but these were all at the beginning. At first, as I said earlier, I was worried that they were going to portray all Afghans as evil but thankfully, they didn't, showing good as well as bad people from both Afghanistan and the U.S. I also wasn't a big fan of Tony at first, since I found him to be a little snotty and well, a bit of a womanizer :p. I also didn't like the short, inappropriate scene but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and I was easily able to fast forward it. Overall, the movie was a good one and now I am definitely looking forward to watching the next Avenger films :) Hope you have a nice day and May the Force be with you...Always :D Jedi Shena Tokala out