Mythological Mondays is a feature I created to spotlight books brimming with--you guessed it--mythology! I adore this sub-genre and can't wait to share my love with all of my fellow bookworms! This feature isn't just focused on novel reviews; it may also include interviews, looks at original mythological tales, etc. Please feel free to do this with me! If you guys ever do a mythological feature and want to join this and snag my lovely mermaid, I would LOVE to see the feature. I’ve even included a Linkbox for you. It doesn’t have to be Greek mythology, or even mythology per say. It can be mermaids, unicorns, or heck, even fairy tales (because I’m too lazy to do a separate fairy tale feature…). It doesn’t even have to be every Monday. I’m sure there will be Mondays when I skip, too. ^_^
Last weekend, a co-worker loaned me the movie THOR to watch. I'd heard from a couple of people that the movie was really good. I've never followed the Marvel comic series and I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know nearly as much about Norse mythology as I'd like to (Maybe that will change once Rick Riordan starts releasing his next series in 2015...). So I won't be able to make as many connections in the movie as other people will. I'm not sure of all that's fact or fiction. I can, however, say that the movie was an enjoyable way to pass the time and made me curious about Norse mythology all over again.
I actually did a little googling and found this awesome article that talks a bit about the differences between the Marvel Thor and the Mythological Thor. I thought it was informative and if you're at all curious, you will as well. ^_^
In the movie, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) lives in the beautiful realm of Asgard and is about to ascend to the throne and take his father Odin's (Anthony Hopkins) place. In Marvel's version, Thor is also related to Loki (Tom Hiddleston), though in mythology, this connection doesn't exist. At Thor's ceremony, something goes wrong and after dealing with the Frost Giants (which do exist in Norse mythology), Odin strips Thor of his powers and banishes him. Thor winds up on Earth in modern times and is helped by some scientists (Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, and Kat Dennings) after he is discovered. With Loki gone, it is discovered that betrayal runs deep in Asgard. Female warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and the Warriors Three [Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano)], commit treason and journey to Earth to bring Thor back.
The CG is stunning. Asgard looked like a real place. It was golden and gorgeous and I wish it existed for real. The Frost Giants were perfectly creepy-looking; their make-up was fantastic. The costumes really brought us into the world of Norse mythology, and I was especially enamored with the design for Thor, Sif, and Heimdrall (Idris Elba), who guarded the bridge portal to the other realms. I mostly know director Kenneth Branagh from the way he's able to bring Shakespeare to the screen and it was interesting to see him work with a story that has mythological roots. The movie occurred over such a short span of time that it was hard to fully believe that Thor could fall in love with Jane (Portman's character) so fast, let alone learn his lesson and fully embrace the power of his destiny. At the same time, watching him take control and wield ultimate power was captivating, and not just because of Hemsworth's beautiful blue eyes. The screen crackled with electricity whenever confrontations occurred between Thor, Odin, and/or Loki. The family dynamics were full of believable chemistry that pulls viewers in and captures their attention.
Again, I'm not sure how close the mythological roots are to the movie (or even the Marvel series), but I knew some of the Norse basics going into this movie and want to know more after having finished. This may or may not be a good movie if you know a LOT about Norse mythology or are a dedicated comic book fan (if, that is, it strays from the comic), but if you're like me and only know the basics, THOR is a fun movie worth watching, especially for the visual effects!