21. Natalie Portman + Kat Dennings + Jaimie Alexander + Rene Russo

[scrollgirl]

Kat Denning as Darcy Lewis




Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Dr Jane Foster






Jaimie Alexander as the Lady Sif






Rene Russo as the Lady Frigga



Thor was not a perfect movie by any means, but IMHO it was surprisingly awesome when it came to the women. :)

Comments

[colls]

I was just saying that I should watch Thor

[scrollgirl]

It's a fun popcorn movie! It's not as well-constructed as the Iron Man movies, but I enjoyed the characters and the humour. *g*

[skieswideopen]

I hated every character in that movie. Except the old professor guy. Oh, and I think Lady Sif was okay too. (But I only know her name because scrollgirl posted it here, so...)

I think I'm in the minority on this, though.

[scrollgirl]

That's totally fair! To each her own!

For me, Odin's motivations definitely leave room for interpretation, and ditto Loki's, so whether I like them as characters depends on how I feel on a given day. The others--Jane, Thor, Darcy--I just took on face value. They're not very complicated characters, compared to, say, Tony Stark, but I enjoyed everyone's reactions. It's very "aliens have landed, take me to your leader!"

[skieswideopen]

I liked Loki for a good chunk of the movie, but then he started to annoy me toward the end. Although honestly, I don't remember why at this point. Maybe I was hoping he would rise above his circumstances a little, and then he didn't even try? IDK. Probably asking too much.

Thor would probably be okay in another context. Jane and Darcy just irritated me.

[scrollgirl]

Yeah, I feel for Loki in a way, but I can't woobify him the way most of fandom does because he doesn't even *try* to listen to Odin or take his love on faith, and his reaction is completely disproportionate. (This is why gods shouldn't have temper tantrums.)

I wonder how Thor will come off in the next movie, now that he's grown up a bit. I have a soft spot for him because he's so damn hilarious (in comics and in fanfic). He's like the big dumb jock stereotype who isn't actually stupid, but is kind of a privileged idiot who nevertheless has a really big heart and loves his friends and actually changes without making a fuss about it.

I can see how Jane and Darcy could be irritating. There was more giggling than I would have expected? But I'm inclined to be lenient just because I never would have expected that Thor, of all movies, would do such a good job of passing the Bechdel test.

(Btw, I'm watching a LOT of Mentalist. It's exactly my kind of show! Though I don't think I'll get fannish about it--I'm just marathoning for now.)

[skieswideopen]

Loki's behaviour was almost like he was just looking for an excuse to turn bad guy, and he embraced it as soon as he had it. That wasn't the impression I had of him at the beginning--he was my favourite character in the movie for a while--but then...yeah.

I suspect that if I were familiar with the comics, I'd feel differently about Thor. But the movie is my only exposure to the story and characters, and that probably affects my perceptions.

The Mentalist has some really great bits! I tend to be mildly fannish about it most of the time--I read a bit of fanfic, etc., but I don't go all out on it.

[scrollgirl]

Do you have fic you'd recommend? I wouldn't say no to fic... (I rarely say no to fic. *g*)

Mentalist Recs

[skieswideopen]

Of course!

There's a 2010 Yuletide story that's a must-read: What You See is What You Get (If You're Looking Hard Enough) by sixthlight. It's a Steampunk!AU, but the characters basically play the same roles they do in the show, and it is fantastic. I recommend not reading the comments until after you read the story.

Compels Us Past Devils by mosca is a fabulous little Jane & Cho (and a little Jane/Cho) character piece.

Five Times Red John got Conveniently Killed Off by h_loquacious is a cute parody.

Drink Red Wine and Be Merry by erinya is a great Jane/Lisbon Christmas fic (and not too sappy despite all that).

Red Lanterns Strung Along by antumbral is an older Yuletide story about Kristina Frye. Obviously only worth reading if you've gotten far enough into the show that you know who Kristina Frye is.

I can probably rec a couple of other things...depends on what you like in the show. :)

Re: Mentalist Recs

[scrollgirl]

Thanks for the links! I'll definitely try the first one for now--I'm only midway through S2.