Hadley Hearts Supervillains

Alrighty, so the new rule seems to be that when Katie neglects to pick a theme, the responsibility falls onto me. I have chosen this week's theme (favorite superhero and/or supervillain) as an excuse to fangirl over the Thor movie. Now, I have to say that while the script was meh at points and while Thor's character development was kind of trite and obnoxious, I LOVED this movie. And what really made this movie, for me, was this boy right here. (Mild spoilers after the pretty picture.)

This is Loki Odinson, Thor's younger brother, played by the exquisitely talented and eloquent-as-f*** Tom Hiddleston. The movie was hardly halfway over when Loki shot up to the very top of my list of favorite supervillains (and superanymoralorientations, frankly), the reason being that he isn't your typical MUAHAHAHA I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL kind of supervillain. Rather, he starts off as the quiet, emotionally vulnerable, ridiculously intelligent, under-appreciated little brother who wants to prove his worth to his father. He then finds out something about his past that basically makes him feel like his entire life is a lie, and his desire to prove himself skyrockets violently.

What makes him one of the most compelling villains I've seen in a while is that we continue to feel for him even when he does some very morally questionable things; while he transitions into a very devious, ruthless version of his trickster self over the course of the film, he still retains that very human vulnerability that keeps us feeling sympathetic toward him.

There's a point in the film where it seems like he has completely snapped and he's totally out for revenge against his father (and the whole of Asgard) and he seems to be going into MUAHAHAHA I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL. Then he does something that makes us realize that he's had an intricate plan all along that we didn't know about and his primary motivation is still to prove himself to his father (and to himself, in a way). We can see where he's coming from in whatever he does, and that's what makes him so compelling: we sympathize with him and, to paraphrase the words of Hiddleston, we fight for his redemption until the end of the film.

Speaking of Hiddleston, this man was the PERFECT choice to play Loki. He portrayed Loki with all of the complexity and vulnerability and emotional turmoil that the role required, and that is no easy task. From what I can infer from interviews with Hiddleston, he plays the character so well because he legitimately understands him. Just look up any interview with Hiddleston about the film (like this one, for example) and you'll see how he can talk at length about the psychology and motivations of Loki and just really seems to get it. (Also, as previously mentioned, he's eloquent as f*** and I want him to say words to me forever [also, his laugh is precious].)

In conclusion, Thor is a very worthwhile movie. Whether you go for Thor's muscles, Loki's complexity, or the shininess of the special effects (two words: RAINBOW BRIDGE), if you go into the theater with a comic-book movie mindset, you'll really enjoy it. Also, in case my favorite superhero feels neglected, I'd like to give a shout-out to Spiderman.

-Had

p.s. Katie and I have our Precalc final tomorrow...it's been a great year in that class together. XD

Drinking: Water
Watching: Dancing With the Stars...ut...
Quote: Me to Thor during the movie: "Loki's got much more legitimate angst...Loki's entire life is a lie; you're just upset 'cause you can't play with your shiny..." [again with the Loki > Thor in terms of emotional complexity...]