Minute Twenty-Five: From Screaming Volstagg to Collapsing Utgard

This week, we’re joined by Cass Fredrickson from Lord of the Rings Minute at Dueling Genre Productions. We’ve got Mjølnir bringing the lightning, a collapsing city, and a run from a Jotun Beast to chat about and Cass is with us every step of the way!

In the twenty-fifth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Volstagg’s scream sure would’ve sent us running too, but then so would a giant Jotun Beast appearing from an ice shell directly behind us.
• How the hell do they always stay so far ahead of it? It’s perpetually catching up to them as they race toward the Bifrost point.
• Where are they running to? The Bifrost landing point? Didn’t Heimdall say Bifrost will remain closed if there’s the chance they’d bring something back that could threaten Asgard? Wouldn’t a charging Jotun Beast count? So are they... just running?
• Speaking of the Bifrost landing point, why does Heimdall have to pick them up at that one particular spot? Couldn’t he get them from anywhere? This really makes no sense.

Thor keeps the Frost Giants busy and presumably Laufey is seeing what Thor can do. Not quite lightning... but we're moments away.

• Why do they keep running straight at him? His Mjølnir spins are flicking ice shards at them and keeping them at bay, but is this for the benefit of his friends? The Frost Giants seem to be nothing more than lemmings. Just bring the lightning already!
• Is this Laufey’s plan? To keep Thor separated from his group? There are, in fact, lots of Frost Giants running after them as well as the Jotun Beast. Is he hoping to capture everyone or is he trying to kill them all before Odin shows up?
• Or maybe Laufey wants to know what Thor can do and is testing his limits.

Meanwhile, Loki, the Warriors Three, and Lady Sif continue their run from the Jotun Beast and the Jotuns.

• Now that he’s injured, Fandral becomes our eyes as we see his POV over Volstagg’s shoulder, watching the Jotun Beast grow closer over and over again. Sif manages to avoid getting hit. Hogun does as well. Seriously, how do they run so fast?
• Josh Dallas as Fandral works really well. We speculate why perhaps Dallas opted to stick with his TV show instead of returning for the sequels. Considering how the Warriors Three are treated, it makes sense.

We get to see Mjølnir’s power to bring the lightning down finally.

• This is such an iconic part of Thor and this film. It’s so smart of them to hold it back until minute 25.
• It’s neat to see that Thor actually strikes the ground with the end of the handle, not the head of the hammer, to control the lightning.
• The CG here holds up surprisingly well.
• The damage caused by Thor’s lightning, however, might call into question just how much Thor can control the damage it would cause.
• To that end, we know Thor didn’t realize Jotunheim was in such bad shape. But is he able to control this at all to make sure he doesn’t destroy the entire planet? It’s really Thor’s dumb luck everything works.
• So many Frost Giants fall to their supposed deaths here because of Thor’s actions. More of the planet falls to pieces. Even one of the towers of Utgardhall collapses.

It’s sad to lose Cass this week because we had great conversations with her about the Battle on Jotunheim, but we’re glad to know she’ll be back later this season for more conversation. Tune in!

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