Minute Fifty-Eight: From Coulson’s Entrance to Mjølnir’s Shadow

Joining us to discuss Thor’s fight tactics against the huge SHIELD agent and Mjølnir’s shadow are Andrew Darowski from Disney Animation Minute Essentials and Joe Darowski from The Protagonist Podcast.

In the fifty-eighth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Thor finally sees Mjølnir. Great dutch angle again as Thor swaggers on his walk to his hammer.
• But then he’s punched from out of nowhere by the huge SHIELD agent. But where did this guy come from? We just saw a wide shot and he wasn’t there. He would’ve had to be running in to get here.
• We try to figure out if there’s any rhyme or reason for the dutch angles in this film. We think it’s largely Branagh’s desire to make a film that looks like a comic book.
• Do that many comics have dutch angles in their frames? Andrew and Joe point out a few examples, including the comic Silver Age as well as the Batman TV show.
• Release the dutch cut! Ha!
• How many people understand what a dutch angle is? Is it a common bit of knowledge?
• There’s certainly a sense of love of dutch angles here, and we talk about them in relation to Orson Welles’ The Third Man.
• The huge SHIELD agent who punches Thor may just be the first person who can hold his own against Midgard-bound Thor without his powers. They really feel more on the same level.
• Unfortunately, we can’t figure out who plays the huge SHIELD agent. (Check back next week when we figure it out!)
• Thor’s cockiness remains as he seems excited to have to fight this big guy, who sadly is only known as ‘huge SHIELD agent,’ as we’ve been calling him.

Thor and the huge SHIELD agent take the fight outside. Well, not intentionally.

• They end up bursting through the plastic wall of the hamster cage and land in the mud. Great mud wrestling fight!
• It’s a frustrating fight, though, because we really never get a great shot of this agent except at the start. He’s left as nothing more than an obstacle for Thor to overcome.
• Thor does a great speed ramping slo-mo double leg kick to the huge SHIELD agent’s chest. Well, really his clavicle. Ouch!
• Is this really an effective move? Or would your momentum push you opposite and slow how much you hit your opponent?
• After Thor takes huge SHIELD agent out, why does he kick the guy while he’s down? Is it just to prove how great a fighter he is? Does he think this would make him a more worthy king?
• Seriously, though, this last kick on huge SHIELD agent feels like a dirty move. No wonder Thor’s not worthy!
• It’s written even worse in the script though. Ouch!
• What’s funny is that Clint is just sitting here watching this whole fight between Thor and huge SHIELD agent from his bucket. Talk about the Watcher!

It’s a minute full of pugilism as we all debate Thor’s tactics. Tune in!

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• Script Transcript
• Trailer #1
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• Poster artwork
• Original Material
• Andrew Darowski on Twitter
• Disney Animation Minute Essentials
• Joe Darowski on Twitter
• The Protagonist Podcast