Thorsday Report

Wow.  Yesterday was extraordinarily fun.  I'm still digesting the experience, to be honest, but I want to write about it before it fades.  I'm not exactly going to be reviewing Thor:  The Dark World here -- I'll save that for its own post.  Instead, I'm going to tell you what it was like to be in a theater with more than a hundred other fans, most of whom had already seen both Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2013), and some of whom were even more obsessive fans than I.

I didn't bother stopping at concessions on the way in, as I planned to get something after the first movie.  I got there about twenty minutes before the first movie started, and I wish I'd gotten there earlier.  I got in a pretty good row, but was way off to the right side.  Not my favorite place to be for a 3D movie, as I generally have a better experience if I'm closer to the center.  But I was glad I wasn't way up close in the pit seats, at least.  When I arrived, I got a free poster (my choice of Thor or Loki) and a lanyard with a little sign showing I was there for the marathon so I could get back in the correct theater after going out between movies.  I didn't know it, but it also meant I could go get outside food and bring it in if I wanted.

So anyway, I had never seen Thor on the big screen before.  I came to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when The Avengers was released last summer, and caught up on the previous 4 movies on DVD once I'd fallen in love with those six superheroes.  And on my TV (a 21" CRT that Cowboy won in a raffle on our very first date, more than 13 years ago), Asgard and Jotunheim look really fake.  Almost plastic, to be honest.  And that annoyed me so much that when I watched it, I just sort of endured most of the scenes that took place there so I could get to the Earth scenes.

But on the big screen, Asgard is glorious.  Radiant and golden and real-looking.  And Jotunheim still looks a little odd, but in an otherworldly way, not a completely fake way.  And the rainbow bridge?  Scintillating!  So I would be glad I got to attend this marathon if only for my new appreciation of Thor.  From now on, when I watch it on my humble TV, I can remember what it really looks like.

So, after Thor, I went out and bought a big bag of popcorn and a Cherry Coke.  I also chatted a little with fellow fans.  I was wearing my Thor t-shirt (I bought it here), and got several compliments on it.  A couple of people asked me where I got it, so I hope they get their own.  (There's a Loki version too.)  Then I went and settled back in, but before The Avengers cued up, they hosted a little trivia game and gave out t-shirts, hats, and more posters as prizes.  I didn't win anything, as they never picked me when I raised my hand for answers I knew.  They did the trivia game after The Avengers too, but I didn't win anything then either.  But oh well -- I still got my Thor poster and lanyard thingie, so I'm not complaining.

And then... The Avengers.  My sixth time seeing it on the big screen.  It was like coming home after a grueling year at college.  Love and friendship and peace and joy.  For me, of course, not for them (most of the time).  I was so happy, I teared up when the Avengers logo came twisting into view, with that well-known and so-beloved soundtrack filling my being.  I also cried when Loki stabbed Thor, but that always gets me.  I spent the rest of the movie laughing with delight.  And so did everyone else -- it was one big, happy gathering of fans.  Like a reunion of people who didn't know they were friends.

This was my first time seeing it in 3D, and I really didn't notice a big difference most of the time.  There was one point when Thor reached out to call Mjolnir and I almost put out my hand to touch his, and during the Battle for New York there was a lot of debris flying at me sometimes, but nothing overly showy.

And then during the end credits, there was an impromptu sing-along during Soundgarden's "Live to Rise."  Totally cracked me up.  Also, I was amazed by how many people had never seen the Schawarma stinger!  There were all these people saying, "Is this new?  Did they add this for the event?"  Out loud, yes -- there was a lot of talking during the end credits.  When they weren't singing.  Which sounds annoying, but it totally wasn't.  Because I was there alone, I could tune in to these little conversations and smile to myself at all the enthusiasm.

After The Avengers, I went and bought a hot dog and a bag of Snickers bites.  Waste of money.  The hot dog bun was hard and the Snickers bites don't have the right ratio of chocolate to other stuff.  So I ate the hot dog bunless and saved the candy to take home and give my less-picky kids.  I was glad I still had more than half my popcorn, as that became my oh-so-nutritious supper.  Well, no less nutritious than the hot dog and candy, I guess.  Wish I'd known I could go get outside food from the mall.  Could at least have gotten a schawarma.

And then, the lights dimmed and the crowd hushed and we sat through the trailers for some very lame movies to get to... a whole fight scene from Captain America:  The Winter Soldier and its trailer.

And then we got to Thor:  The Dark World.  And I'm definitely not ready to really blog about it yet.  Still mulling it over.  Still digesting some stuff, trying to sort out why I didn't like some parts and why I absolutely loved others.  Overall, I really liked it, more than Thor, I think.  I may hold off on reviewing it until I've seen it again -- I hope to see it next weekend with a friend (probably in 2D, whew), so I might wait until then so I can do it justice.

So I'll just leave you with this picture of Thor in his wonderful leathery cloak.  And tell you that he is absolutely magnificent in this movie, and my fondness for him grows and grows.  Because I don't exactly have a "thing" for Thor.  Yes, Chris Hemsworth is hot.  But Thor... Thor is something akin to me, and I feel almost protective about him, if that makes any sense whatsoever.  And even if it doesn't, oh well.