Minute Four: From a Victim to a Voiceover
A trip to Tonsberg! In the fourth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor…
- This is definitely a bifurcated minute. We start with the aftermath of the atmospheric disturbance and the crash, and end in a flashback to Tonsberg, Norway in 965 A.D.
- Darcy does a great job of passing the buck in another of our favorite lines of hers.
- Meanwhile, Jane’s concerned that she didn’t just kill someone.
- But who is this someone? Branagh and team decided to film this in a way that keeps Thor left in mystery. We’re always distant or he’s shadowed, leaving the focus on Jane and her reaction. We love this.
- Speaking of Jane, she looks great in her closeup as she looks at the mysterious body on the ground. Nothing like great flashlight lighting!
- While this is happening, Erik doesn’t have much to say, though he has more to say in the script.
- Without Erik’s dialogue, Jane’s question “Where did he come from?” works really well and feels stronger. To that end, it’s a great question to leave us with as it also leads well into Odin’s story.
We transition from the present in New Mexico to the past in Tonsberg Norway.
- But it wasn’t Odin’s story in the script. Oddly, it’s Heimdall who comes in with a big monologue here instead of Odin telling a story. No flashback. Just a trip through space and Yggdrasil as Heimdall hits the nail on the head with his monologuing to Asgard.
- Speaking of Heimdall, we love Idris Elba and would’ve loved more of him in the Thor movies. This monologue, though? It’s too much. Too expository.
- Back to the transition to the past, we have text on the screen identifying this as Tonsberg Norway 965 A.D. But why do they use A.D. and not C.E.? Is that implying Norse gods and God are all in this universe? Or is it just the studio playing it safe?
- Speaking of Tonsberg, it is a real city in Norway, but not as depicted in the MCU. And we do mean the MCU – it’s been in three (maybe four) films so far, plus What If…?
- So why does Odin send Thor to New Mexico? Perhaps it’s because it’s so far from Norway?
- We meet some of our vikings in the village and linger a bit on a mother and child.
- While we’re here, we hear another track from Patrick Doyle – Prologue. And we love it.
- And we play the IMDb game with Sir Anthony Hopkins.
From present day New Mexico to 965 A.D. in Norway, there’s a lot to discuss. Join in!
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