Thor 1 is possibly the best movie in Phase 1 and maybe even the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe. At its core, it’s a story of a boy maturing into a man and trying to prove himself worthy of being a king. Alongside that, there are themes of family, using your brain instead of just brute force, and actions having consequences.
Everyone in Thor 1 is a Younger/ Older Version of Each Other
Thor 1 is a very poetic movie because all of the main characters are versions of each other who then grow and change their position in the cycle. This allows the film to organically tackle two separate storylines simultaneously, a coming of age story for Thor and a fight for the throne of Asgard with Loki. It’s a lot to handle but everything is tied together because of the dynamic between Odin and his children.
This idea nicely repeats itself on Earth with Jane Foster and Professor Eric Selvig. This time, Jane is a younger version of Eric who still believes in the weird and wonderful whilst he doesn’t. He seems to doubtful of Janes experiments and outings, almost as if he believes that they’re not going anywhere, and often advises Jane to go against her desires. By the end of the film, he fully believes in Janes vision and is excited about her experiments.
This dynamic between the characters gives Thor 1 a feeling of deeper meaning that isn’t found anywhere else in the MCU. It’s very similar to how personal growth happens in real life which could make you think about your own family. When we’re younger, we dismiss a lot of what our parents tell us but as we grow we begin to see where they were coming from. Eventually, we end up similar to them due to a few universal experiences that we’ll all face in one way or another (heartbreak, issues at work, finding yourself etc).
How Thor Becomes Odin
Odin is old, wise, and a king. He has had to go through many battles and personal challenges to get to this stage, but he a great king because of it.
At the start of the movie, Thor is young, doesn’t seem to have struggled with anything in his life, and wields great power that he has no use for. He will fight his way through anything, usually diving in headfirst and relying on brute force, doesn’t think about the consequences of his actions.
He is then stripped of his powers and banished to Earth where he is a nobody. Whilst he does have more physical strength than those around him, his lack of knowledge when it comes to the environment, culture, and world will always give him a disadvantage. Take the initial hospital scene where he tried to fight his way out using raw strength but was then incapacitated by an injection. Thor didn’t know about injections or what would happen once he was injected which gave the doctors the edge in the fight.
This theme is then amplified when he tries to regain his hammer from the Shield facility. Even though he can physically defeat everyone there, he cannot obtain the thing that he wants the most and this shatters his reality. He willingly allows himself to be detained and even remains detained despite having the power to break out.
Thor believed that he was nothing without his power and was therefore lost without it. This changes the way he views his life as he now has to reinvent himself without the power that he’s always known. If you want a real world example of this, then compare it to when you were quitting nicotine. You’re having to reinvent yourself without the comforts you relied on before.
How Loki Becomes Thor
Loki begins the movie as a younger version of Thor. Despite being known as a trickster, he doesn’t possess incredible power and only seems to know a few illusions or tricks. He has no claim to the throne, seems to be overlooked on most occasions, and also appears to be aware that he is second best.
I would argue that both Thor and Loki have similar goals at the start of the film as they both want to prove themselves to Odin, just Thors plan is more aggressive. Loki hasn’t gained power or authority yet, so his plan involves espionage, stealth, and cunning. He has to move in the shadows and manipulate his enemies into advantageous positions.
Once Loki becomes the king of Asgard, he becomes Thor before he was banished. He now has power and wastes almost no time using it. Whilst there is a lot more thought put behind Loki’s plans, he doesn’t seem to consider the consequences of his actions. For example, how will the rest of the realm, or other factions, feel about Asgard vaporising a planet?
Loki then grows during the final battle as he realises that his plan does have consequences (his mother disowning him) and the loss of his position in Asgard. He doesn’t quite get to the same level of growth as Thor, who has learned how to live without power, but he now knows that power isn’t everything.
The Final Battle is Perfect
Out of all of the final battles in Phase 1, Thor 1 has the most emotional and well executed fight of all.
It starts in Odins resting chamber when Thor returns and confronts Loki in front of Frigga (their mum). This is where she begins to disown Loki and he begins to realise the consequences of his actions. It also makes his story sadder since his plan to be loved has made people turn against him.
The fight then moves to the bridge where we see both Thor and Loki uses their powers against each other. This was the first time in the MCU where the villain didn’t have the exact same powers as the hero, and it made for an interesting fight. Thor uses his power to get at Loki, and Loki casts projections to confuse Thor.
Thor realises that the only way to stop the Bifrost would be to destroy it. The fact that he’s trying to stop the destruction of his enemies shows that he has matured into someone worthy. This is then backed up by the fact that he begins smashing the bridge without hesitation despite knowing that it’s his only means of seeing Jane. Even with Loki informing him of this, he doesn’t stop which just shows how far he’s come throughout the film.
Odin, Thor, and Loki Hanging over a Black Hole
Thor destroys the bridge and this leads into one of the best moments in the whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Bifrost explodes which sends Thor and Loki flying into the air. Loki falls off the edge of the bridge and Thor jumps after him. Odin then comes in out of nowhere and grabs Thors leg which prevents them all from falling off. This shows that Thor still cares for Loki even after everything that’s happened which supports the theme of family.
The 3 lines that Loki says next are heartfelt, emotional, and sum up his arc.
“I could have done it father. I could have done it. For you, for all of us”
– Loki
“I could have done it father” shows that Loki believes that destroying his enemies is how he proves himself to Odin. This is how Thor thought at the start of the movie and it shows how far Thor has grown since then. I also believe that there is a hint of looking for approval in this line, as if to say, “I could be worthy like Thor”.
“I could have done it” is Loki speaking to himself. This is his “I almost made it” moment and it makes his story sadder. Loki just wanted to prove himself to his family and even his plan to do that wasn’t right. Even worse, his plan failed which leaves him completely empty handed.
“For you, for all of us” is Loki bringing the goal back to family. He wants family, even though he has already been second best, and even if he is not blood related, they are his family. Despite everything that’s happened, now that he’s seen what he’s done, he just wants everything to go back to how it was. It’s better to have a family than have no one.
Odin rejects Loki which leads to him letting go. He realises that he’s lost everything however unlike Thor, who was able to find new meaning in life, Loki just wants everything to end. This is another parallel in their journey as they both lose everything at one point.
Is Loki a Villian?
There’s an idea in film that villains should believe that they’re the hero of their story. I believe that Thor 1 allows this discussion around Loki and his motives which adds to how great the film is.
On one hand, it could be argued that Loki manipulated Thor to attack Jotunheim and then informed Odin to get him banished afterwards. He then lied to Thor once he was captured, telling him that Odin was dead and that his banishment was permanent, and went about destroying Jotunheim. This could all be used to argue that Loki is evil and plotted everything so he would end up as the King of Asgard with no opposition.
On the other hand, Loki could have accidentally given Thor the idea to attack Jotunheim and then informed Odin because he knew that they would need help. Thors banishment might not have been the plan, and he simply took power when Odin entered the Odinsleep. He then had to make sure Thor didn’t return as he would lose his claim to the throne, and he went about destroying Jotunheim to prove himself to Odin.
For me, Loki is a younger half-brother who wants to prove himself to his father. He has a secretive plan to destroy his enemies to get approval and comes into power by chance. This makes Loki one of the best antagonists in the whole of the MCU and adds a lot of emotional depth to the film.
The Cinematography in Thor 1 is Gorgeous
Thor 1 is strangely cinematic when compared to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This makes some sense as half of the film takes place in space and swopping camera movements help to create scale and grandeur. Our first look at Asgard is a rising shot that then turns and swoops through the valleys, showing us the scale of the city. This is then continued with several shots that could be wallpapers which adds to the epicenes of Asgard.
I’m not an expert on camera shots, and my attempts of googling different motions has turned up empty, but there are several amazing shots throughout the film. It’s almost guaranteed that an overhead shot is used whenever characters are walking and there several shots where the camera will go upside down as it follows a character from above.
Most shots will be at an angle which gives the film a distinctive feel. No other MCU film is shot like this, and it makes Thor 1 stand out as a result.
Overview
- Thor 1 is about growing/maturing as well as family dynamics
- The characters go on emotional arcs throughout the film
- Loki is a great antagonist who is just trying to make his family proud. His parallels to Thor are interesting and his ending is emotional.
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