Search
Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you find your favorite podcasts!
Marvel Movie Minute: season 4: Thor minute 37 • Thor 037: How many townies does it take to pull a hammer out of the ground?

Thor 037: How Many Townies Does It Take to Pull a Hammer Out of the Ground?

Minute Thirty-Seven: From Stan the Man to Bare-Chested Thor

Joining us to discuss Stan Lee as well as Thor’s perfect body is Jessica Plummer, author and contributing editor atJessica Plummer, Book Riot Book Riot.

In the thirty-seventh minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor…

  • How strong does that chain have to be to rip the bed of a Dodge pickup truck right off the frame? Or is it that the truck itself was not made well? In a minute of perfect bodies, this truck proves it does not have the perfect body.
  • If they chipped the rock away from under Mjølnir, would they be able to pull it away?
  • Look! It’s Stan Lee in his cameo! Turns out, Stan the Man is driving the pickup that gets torn apart.
  • It’s been disproved that Stan’s one of the Watchers now that What If…? has been released, but we explore what he would be up to if he were the Watcher during this crossover period between The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and this film.

Agent Coulson finally arrives.

  • And it looks a bit familiar as we’ve seen a bit of this at the end of Iron Man 2.
  • He’s very stoic as the SHIELD agent, and as his first foray outside of the Iron Man films, it really feels like he’s starting to step into his own here. But he doesn’t have Thor’s perfect body.
  • They do make him feel more menacing though. Is that because for this film, they’re meant to feel more of a threat during the continuing sequences with Mjølnir?
  • This moment again speaks so well about what Kevin Feige had been setting up with this crossover universe that becomes the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  • We talk about a few of the other actors playing townies at the crater as well.

Back at Smith Motors in Jane’s workshop, and we find Thor shirtless, showing off his perfect body. Thirsty, anyone?

  • Thor is putting on clothes and we find him with jeans on. And that’s it. Clearly, Hemsworth is happy to show off his body here because those months in the gym seriously paid off.
  • Jessica wanted to discuss these minutes in particular because of the concept of thirst and how these films have subverted a bit of the trope of featuring women in moments simply included for thirsty male viewers by featuring these super men in super shape usually topless to satisfy fans.
  • We discuss the male gaze versus the female gaze a bit. We also discuss the challenge of a male director filming the female gaze. Does that negate it? Though perhaps that’s why it’s so important to have Darcy and Jane both staring at Thor’s perfect body.
  • Darcy’s apology/non-apology to Thor about tasing him feels like classic Darcy.
  • Jane does a great job of averting her eyes, oh Lord.
  • Thor fiddles with the computer mouse and Jane stops him. And she realizes how close she is to that perfect bod. And we realize just how much taller he is than she.
  • But while Thor’s body may be the perfect body, that damn bleached eyebrow thing and terrible wig. They almost make his entire face disappear.
  • Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned the other beautiful thing to look at – those incredible New Mexico vistas through the enormous windows of Smith Motors. Wow, what a beautiful part of the world.

We’ve got Stan Lee’s cameo as well as a whole conversation about the thirst everyone has after seeing Hemsworth look the way he looks. Tune in!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

The Hammer Falls.

Matthew Fox and Andy Nelson are on an in-depth, minute-by-minute exploration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This season, our superhero also happens to be a god.

Scroll To Top