Minute Twenty: From Walking in the Cold to Arguing With a King

It’s a special week indeed with not one but two guests joining us as we try to figure out where Laufey’s throne sits – Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell from the Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast.

In the twentieth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• The Asgardians walk across the cracked and crumbling ground toward the central plaza. We see that Sif is wearing heels, but according to Krissy, these ones are totally great.
• To that point, we’re all thankful that Sif isn’t in nonsensical boob armor and stilettos.
• They arrive in the central plaza before Utgardhall and stop. Do they realize they’re basically cornered if any frost giants decide to come out?
• And where are all the frost giants? Is there a bustling economy here in Utgard? Perhaps some food stalls somewhere or a Jotun Beast ranch behind Utgardhall?

We find out that at least Laufey is here in Utgard, even though we can’t see him or his throne.

• Laufey speaks to Thor and his troops, but not very kind words: “You’ve come a long way to die, Asgardians.” But where is he?
• He seems to already know that it’s Thor. Was that because he saw the Bifrost when they arrived? And again, maybe some sentries saw them coming but we don’t know because we see no one.
• When Thor asks Laufey how his people got into Asgard, Laufey takes a long time to reply. Does this mean Laufey didn’t know? Or he did know but is trying to figure out how to answer Thor to get more information from him? It’s an interesting way the scene plays.
• To that end, has Laufey changed clothes since we last saw him? Or aged? He looks the same.
• But where is his throne and which direction is he facing? It’s very unclear and when he turns his head, it seems he’s looking away from Thor toward someone else, but that doesn’t make any sense either. Our sense of direction here is challenged by the film’s structure.
• Laufey’s reply to Thor pisses Thor off, but Thor’s reply then pisses Laufey off who finally stands up. But we don’t get to see where he is! Not yet! We’ll have to wait until the next minute.

It’s quite the journey to Utgardhall on our adventures in Utgard with Thor and the gang. Lots to discuss. Tune in!

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Film Sundries

• Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Netflix • YouTube • Disney+
• Join the conversation on Discord
• Script Transcript
• Trailer #1
• Trailer #2
• Poster artwork
• Source Material
• Krissy’s Theatre: The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre, on Facebook and on Instagram
• Nathan’s Company: Squishy Studios, on Facebook, on Twitter, and Instagram