MCU Commentary Rewatch: Thor

(Cover art by Matt Ferguson, for the Blu Ray release. https://www.cakesandcomics.com/)

Okay, I’m going for it. Armed with carbs and a brief nap, I’m queuing up the next movie in my MCU Commentary rewatch, 2011’s THOR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(film)

I have listened to this track in the past, but have absolutely no memory of it. But at this point in the series, they have a lot better idea of where things are going, and this was the first real “star power” offering of the MCU. It made 450 million worldwide, an unheard-of sum for a superhero film and paving the way for the stupefying success of THE AVENGERS one year later.

TL:DR;

Running Ranking: #4 of 4

So I fell asleep, of course. Fortified with carbs as I was, the middle bit where Thor invades the S.H.I.E.L.D. tent of manliness was just too damn boring. However, I’ve watched this movie enough that It really doesn’t matter, and as I’ll get into in the next comment, it REALLY didn’t matter for the ongoing Branagh commentary.

Go figure.

Commentary revelations: Absolutely NONE.

Seriously, I was more engaged in washing the dishes when I paused the movie to go feed the cats. Branagh is a narrator, but not the kind who tells you what’s going on screen. He ORATES what’s going on screen, going deep into the characters’ motivations and backstories, whether you want him to or not.

Pro tip: You do not.

I’m wagering I don’t remember this commentary from previous viewings because I either turned it off almost immediately or slept through the entire thing.

The sole nugget from the slurry was learning that Jaimie Alexander is a giant comics nerd, and knew everything about every character. There were a few casting notes about Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and of course the obligatory praise heaped upon British actors with whom Branagh had shared the stage.

But otherwise, you should skip it, unless you’re into sweeping, ten-minute speeches about the former splendor of Jotunheim and how Laufey wants to reclaim the Casket of Ancient Winters to restore his home and then conquer the rest of the Nine Realms.

And that’s really the worst part. Branagh did his research, and he knows his stuff. What he’s saying is genuinely interesting to me, but it’s stuff I know already. His delivery is slow and practiced; he knows how to tell a story, how to act, and definitely how to direct.

So why was the commentary so unsatisfying? Because the movie was so damn good. As my attention lagged, I was engrossed in the subtitles and action on the screen.

When it wasn’t putting me to sleep, of course.

Oh, one last bit. THOR is the first MCU movie to directly reference other films in the franchise, both in the running time (events from IRON MAN 2 and INCREDIBLE HULK are both shown on television screens at various times) and the credits (Thor will return in THE AVENGERS), and Branagh takes the time to call those calls out. Branagh was and remains the biggest name director of any film in the franchise, and he pumps the bellows hard to set up Loki as a proper villain for the big ensemble film(s) to come.

YMMV, of course.

Commentary Ranking:

1. IRON MAN 2

2. INCREDIBLE HULK

3. IRON MAN

4. THOR