Thursday, June 30, 2011

Secret Invasion: Infiltration

Most would take from history lessons learnt in order to understand the present, internalize the mistakes of the past and synthesize both for usage & safekeeping of the future. But at times, what we don't count on are the truths we uncover & the lingering effect it has on us.

Secret Invasion: Infiltration traces & collects several issues of different Marvel titles dating back from the 1962 issue of Fantastic Four, to the more recent issues of Mighty Avengers, The New Avengers featuring The Illuminati comprised of Iron Man, Professor X, Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Namor & my favorite Dr. Strange to the events following Civil War & the death of Captain America as depicted in Avengers Initiative Annual #1.

While it doesn't require one to read it to know & understand the intricate & main plot of Secret Invasion, it does help one to appreciate the length & scope of the Skrull invasion & the implications to the Marvel universe; as well as the hard work Brian Bendis had put on to create a scope of an event which was nothing short of kick ass & monumental.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Rediscovering My Giselle Villard...MYSTIC

I first came across this title when I browsed Book Sale stores in the late 90’s to early 2000’s. Having nothing better to read, I figured to try out a magical looking and gorgeous to boot, female character which costs just P50. And having 3 consecutive issues on hand, it wasn’t a bad deal at all.

The title being new was released by a new Comic book company then called, CrossGen Comics. It was relatively a spec in the arena dominated by Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. So were they in their right minds to go after the big guys and take a slice of the pie? Well, they have their hearts in the right place and by issue 3, I was won over.

Here was a new character that magically could rival my favorite Dr. Strange and upseat Dr. Fate in his place in Salem. With no other info available to me about the style, and theme of the comic then, only the story as well as the sharp and colourful rendering of the character and her magical surroundings were the only things to draw me in. It was only during the recent 2011 Comic Con that I was able to get this trade paperback collecting the first 7 issues did I know the inspiration behind the title; from Steve Ditko's earlier work on Dr. Strange for Master Mondru, to J.C, Leyendecker for Giselle's duplicitous suitor, Darrow to Art Noveau prominent in the 1800 to 1900 by Czech-French Artist, Alphonse Mucha. 

The setting is in the magical planet of Ciress where magic is commonplace and the only way of life for the populace. The citizenry are governed by 7 ruling Guilds of magic each with its own master and own set of discipline, not to mention disciples. At the heart of the story is the Noveau Guild currently being groomed to receive its new master by way of Genevieve Villard. 

The other Guild Masters were there to bear witness to this ceremony and consisted of Magus, the Master of the Dark Magi Guild; 












Vashua, Master of the Tantric Guild; 


Atyaah, Master of the Djinn Guild; 








Mondru, Master of the Astral Guild;   








Zai, Master of the Shaman Guild 



and Yinma, Master of the Enchantress Guild. 



On hand to bear witness and to muck everything up is Genevieve’s younger and happy go lucky sister, Giselle Villard who knew nothing of responsibility let alone living the life that her sister had for her. Who would have known that in a flash, Giselle’s life would be turned upside down and inside out when during the ritual, the residing spirit of the previous Masters currently in the bodies of each incumbent Guild head along with the one that Genevieve is to receive in order to mark the transfer of power, all are siphon and mysteriously finds its way into Giselle, zapping her right there and then outside the Noveau Guild courtyard which by the drawing alone, has made me a fan.

Giselle during the course of this first compilation denies the power that she somehow obtained and only wishes to go back to her old partying life with her elder sister, taking the mantle and full responsibility of the Guild. In her own defense, Giselle who has no knowledge or interest in magic, explains that right before the ceremony a friendly old man shakes her hand and a sigil or mark appears in her palm. She suggests, albeit weakly, that it is because of the presence of this mark, also unfamiliar to the Guild Masters, that caused her to take in all other Spiritual masters of each of the Guild Houses.

The compilation shows Giselle’s gradual transformation from bratty socialite to a loving and protective sister who would now have to grow up, find a way how to remove the magic that she didn’t need and how to deal diplomatically if not magically with 6 resentful Masters determined to getting back what was theirs regardless of the cost. 


Sunday, June 19, 2011

To Be or Not To Be....Thor

It seems I may have to recant my earlier statement in a blog about Lightning never striking in the same place twice. In my case, most recently in the most recent viewing of the movie version of Thor, based on the Marvel comic superhero, I gladly put myself out there to be struck again, again and again.


The summer movie has obviously begun and Thor, among other Superhero films was just one of the films that had a lot going for it, much less the anticipation of the treatment much lauded by initial articles chronicling the journey of its making by Shakespearean veteran actor and director, Kenneth Branagh.


Prior to the film, I already did my homework by getting whatever material, meaning graphic novel I can in order to know more about this iconic Marvel character. To label him as such & to attribute some groundbreaking element to the character by Marvel may be somewhat misplaced as Thor is an actual character, depicted in the mythical stories of the Viking lands. Yes, he is that same Thor in Norse mythology.


Like the original source material, the movie does introduce Thor aptly as a God. He is the son of Odin, the all father and Nordic counterpart of the Greek god Zeus and the Roman counterpart. Although he is not explicitly addressed as the God of Thunder, there really was no need to.

But what actor/director Kenneth Branagh seems to find and deem necessary was to make this God relatable to humans. Given his Shakespearean background, he was the best director needed to introduce Asgard and all its glory. Like most, my initial reaction to Hemsworth’s casting as the lead was that he was not accurately chosen and when the first still shots were released, I found Thor to be too scruffy and far from the clean cut Viking that we all have grown up with. There were also leaked preliminary pictures of the costume that had loyalists criticizing the make and the changes that were made as compared to the comic books. But in spite of the “minor” changes, Thor still had his golden mane going for him; which is why he is fondly called “Goldilocks” by the members of the Avengers in the comic books.


The still showed him to be far from the image that we all grew up and perhaps it is this dated image of Thor that Branagh consciously stepped away from in order to make him relatable to modern audiences.


Another decision of Branagh that I liked was how he humanized Thor and given these Gods human qualities and tribulations, which was my issue with Thor from the beginning and never warmed up to his characterization even during my initial “research”. I felt that these Gods were already developed as they were, inwardly and out. What more could they yearn for. What more could they work towards to. If we were a physical embodiment and representation of gods on earth, might not they be a reflection of us as well?


The film begins with Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, now an Astrophysicist, as opposed to a nurse in the comic books, is in the Nevada desert searching for weather pattern anomalies and the existence of wormholes together with her colleagues, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stella Skarsgard), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). Much to her delight and surprise an anomaly occurs, which she investigates and documents only to find Thor in the center of the maelstrom disoriented and oblivious to where he is.


But Thor has more than a good reason to be so. In fact, he has just come from an ordeal and cast out of Asgard by Odin following his impulsive decision to attack the world of Jotunheim, inhabited by his father’s arch enemy, Laufey, King of the Frost Giants.


This decision stems from an earlier and covert attempt made by Laufey’s minions to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters within Asgards vault. That attempt disrupted Thor’s ascent to the throne of Asgard and prompted him to retaliate and attack the Frost Giants along with The Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander), the Warriors Three, Volstagg, Hogun as well the dashing and debonair Fandral; and finally Thor’s own scheming brother, Loki, brilliantly played and perfectly casted by Tom Hiddleston.


Tom’s initial casting was the one thing I liked early on and was thus rewarded in the film. Apart from Hemsworth groupies, I have no doubt Hiddleston’s minions are gathering as we speak. And from the looks of it, I would be enrolling myself in both camps, willingly.


As seen in the trailer, Thor’s journey to being a better king involved him being cast out from Asgard by his Father Odin and it is here on Earth that he truly finds his potential and purpose. He learns that part of being royalty is not just rushing into things, demanding they be fixed through swift action and likewise deliver results but also in pacing oneself and seeing the wisdom in each and every act knowing that the act itself prefigures results, if not consequences.


While others may find the film “clunky” at times, I did not get such an impression and it is to Branagh’s directing that he is able to pace the story and slowly reveal the twists and history of the characters as the film progresses as opposed to the standard linear presentation of a story with the back-story starting things off and working its way to resolving conflict in the present. The score by Patrick Doyle also soars and complements the action and introspective moments of the film. And while it may not have the memorable and recurring themes of Middle Earth as done by Howard Shore, it still gives us the viewer the sense of urgency of the politics and grandeur of Asgard and the journey that this Asgardian must take to attain proper godhood.


Being Wiccan, I certainly got a kick out of it when the symbols of the Triquetra were prominently seen on the golden columns in the walls of Asgard. It was also seen on Thor’s hammer and would magically appear whenever it is in search of the “worthy” one. It was great for Branagh to observe and include that. Of course, I couldn't help but tweet about it when I went to see the film of the first day. And we are only three in the cinema! Talk about early!


Some of the film’s emotional moments that I felt relatable to me and surprisingly got choked up and teary eyed were Thor’s discovery upon trying to lift his mystical hammer, Mjolnir; his guilt at having been the cause of Odin’s fate as presented by Loki and his own admission for the lesson that Odin had sought to teach him and thus be vindicated and recognized in the end. My friend told me that I had parent issues. Perhaps I do. It will be close to 4 years since my father had passed away and not a day goes by that I don’t thank him for the life I have and how profoundly his decisions have shaped and changed my life.


While watching the film, I felt as if I was seeing my own trial as a son working his way to seek his father’s approval, but then again don’t we all? And when we are finally left with the prospect of deciding for ourselves after being made worthy to do so, we still seek the comforting and reassuring hand of a parent on our shoulder telling us that we are on the right track and that they are proud of what we have accomplished and of the journey that we have taken thus far.


So watch it and know how it is to be struck by lightning. And like me should you find yourself wanting to be struck again, know this. You are not the only one.


For Asgard!!!


(originally posted June 1 at http://wiccanvampiremusings.blogspot.com/)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Green Lantern Review- Rants and Raves



Watching a movie is like reading a book. People will have different things to say about it, different levels of relatability to it, not to mention, affinity for the subject and whatever prose and subtexts the piece tries to convey. It’s either you like it or you don’t. Of if you are open enough, you try to walk the middle road, accept the piece of work as someone else’s vision and see how it applies to yours.


Watching Green Lantern for two straight days has certainly got me thinking and although at first blush my list of issues about the movie came flaring up with my fellow Green Lantern Corps cosplayers, but watching it a 2nd time last night after cosplaying for members of the press, I feel that I’ve finally am able to talk about it. (breathe calmly)


Off the bat, the movie certainly lived up to the flashy, special effects, slam bang explosive fare of a summer movie. You got the leading man played by handsome hunk, Ryan Reynolds doing the role of Hal Jordan, the cocky test pilot who gets to grow up and assume responsibility for his own life upon being bequeathed a power ring by a “dying purple alien” (Hal’s words not mine) named Abin Sur. He is thus joined by Gossip Girl starrer Blake Lively playing his leading lady and childhood friend Carol Ferris who runs the aircraft company Ferris Air where our hero works and gets much flying cred. Add to this lot, his best friend Tom Komalku who works with Hal in the company and shares knowledge of his secret being the Green Lantern.


Now since I mentioned alien, you know that there are more out there. And they are indeed many more as they are a Corps. Yes like a military outfit charged with protecting different sectors of the Universe. They, like Hal Jordan, each have a ring that is powered by their individual Lanterns and gives them the ability to enforce peace and justice by translating their thoughts into physical constructs. All colored green, of course. 


For the non-comic book reader, and first time initiate, the Green Lantern Corps in layman’s terms is an intergalactic peacekeeping force, or Space Cop group that follows orders from an immortal race of beings called the Guardians who are based on the Planet OA. They are responsible for channeling the use of Willpower as a power source thus the color green. With that preliminary intro out of the way, I would like to begin listing the issues I had with the movie, which would vary from casting, characterization and origin. So SPOILERS ahead, just so you know.


My GL movie issues:


1. Origin of the Big Bad- When I first found out that Parallax was the antagonist in this film, I thought that maybe they were going into it a little too fast and jumpstarting the whole franchise. As readers know, Parallax is a sentient being and the living embodiment of fear. It is represented by the color yellow and is the explanation why the Green Lantern’s ring never had any effect on yellow. Historically, it was only referred to as the impurity in the Lantern battery and its weakness. As Kryptonite was to superman with regards to making him ineffectual, Yellow was to the Green Lantern.


 My issue was that Parallax although was referred to an emotion that willpower was trying to overcome, it was also referred to as a power source and only was thus named Parallax after a lone Guardian, naïve as he was, tried to take on that source and bonded with it. That’s why when we are introduced to it at the beginning of the film, the imprisoned entity resembled that of a Guardian, who till end of the film is not named.


2. Hal and Carol – When Ryan was casted, I thought that he wasn’t the ideal guy to potray Hal Jordan simply because he was already slated to do a movie adaptation of the Marvel character, Deadpool, after winning audiences with his take on the role via the Wolverine movie, a prequel to the X-men movies. Fans had another person in mind. Devotees made videos on YouTube using scenes from the tv series, Firefly that starred, Nathan Fillion, who for me physically looks like Hal Jordan more and he himself is a confessed GL fan. 


But hey, I’m not a casting director so what do I know. So after accepting the Ryan casting, Carol Ferris was next. I don’t watch Gossip Girl so have no gauge why Blake Lively was chosen and had to wait for the movie. But after watching, they could have chosen someone with sharper and edgier looks and tough on the inside and out. Didn’t get that with her. What I didn’t like was the Superman-balcony-Lois Lane-esque scene that Hal had with Carol after saving her life and most of us who watched it groaned in reference to that. For non readers and casual movie goers, it’s just a scene that needed to establish and further heighten the relationship that Hal and Carol have. But for me it struck too close to the Superman and Lois dating sequences. And since most of us reacted that way, perhaps others would too. And groan in disgust as the scene plays out.


After the movie, some of us had issues about Blake’s acting prowess as well. She only has one gameface on regardless of the emotional complexity the scene requires. But it’s not for me to say, it’s for you to gauge for yourself.


 3. Oa and Poozer sessions – I have no real issue with Oa with it being beautifully rendered as it was only except that I wanted more. I wanted to be awed in a wave that comes and ebbs and peaks for me the way when I first saw Asgard when Thor came out. Add to that a sweeping score that complements the wave of images you see on screen. Alas I didn’t get when James Newton Howard’s score accompanied the tour that Tomar-Re gave Hal Jordan through Oa. I take it that they were flying but as one bringing an alien planet to life for the first time for readers and non-readers alike, we wanted to be really toured and not just given the general pamphlet guide.


Of course, while in Oa no official tour is to be taken as you are too busy to be trained as a Lantern by official drill sergeant, Kilowog who in the film was voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan.  Audiences would remember him as portraying Kingpin in the film version of Daredevil. I expected a different actor to be doing the voice of Kilowog as all I heard was Kingpin egging Hal Jordan on in training and not making it any easier for him. Not that training should be all work and no fun, but the Kilowog we know in his own way makes it so, by being all Bark but with no Bite. He’s a professional who takes his job seriously and during downtime, is the sweetest thing you can talk to and bond with. So lesser training time with Kilowog makes viewer wanting more. Hopefully more in the sequel. Yes, I am hoping for error correcting.


 4. Harnessing the Power – As mentioned, Green is the color of willpower and yellow is for Fear. We also know that the Guardians have always shunned emotion and therefore are not open to explore any other color and emotion other than their spectrum. But as suggested and as a recourse option to save Oa, Sinestro suggests that they harness that power source and use the power of the enemy against them. Yes, it’s the same Boromir thinking in Lord of the Rings and use the One Ring against Sauron and that was his undoing. As for Sinestro, you know that you can’t kill him as we see something else of him that dies and he’s Hal’s foil, so no can do. But once more, Sinestro doesn’t get to harness the Yellow power this early on but only after he was banished to the planet Qward following Hal revealing him to be abusing his Green Lantern powers in his own planet of Korugar. But hey, I’m not the scriptwriter, but just a blogging fan.




With all that I’ve ranted so far being a fan, there were still some points where the movie I felt did well; First of all, the imaginative way of creating the constructs for both Hal Jordan and the other Lanterns. As the essence of the ring, is to take whatever the mind of the wearer conjures up, the physical representation of that image is only as imaginative as the wearer and so far from swords that Hal brandishes as he spot trains with Sinestro, to metal frames supporting the boulders that Kilowog tries to pin him down with and the two F-fighter planes Hal creates in the final climax of the film, the constructs I must say were done well. 


Although others went as far as noting that Hal’s constructs were more military oriented like John Stewart; the other Green Lantern of Earth after Hal became incapacitated, but as a whole, I really am good with how the constructs were.


The next thing I liked about it was the choice of Geoffrey Rush to provide the voice of Tomar-Re; the fish-like Lantern of Sector 2813 who was in charge of welcoming Hal Jordan to Oa and his new life. Geoffrey also provided the narrative voice at the beginning of the film, which showed a history of the Corps and who they are. That was brilliant and more Tomar-Re I say. After seeing Tomar-Re, other Lanterns who had me geek out with their appearance were Boodkika, Stel, the round Lantern with tentacles for feet, Apros, and the Lantern that looked like a fly named Bzzzd. 


The casting of Mark Strong as Sinestro certainly also was a good choice as Mark is a character actor and like my other favorite actor, Kevin Spacey, he does the job right. Whenever he is on, he draws the attention to him, much like his comic book counterpart. Now will we see how he becomes the rogue Lantern and later the villain that he is now, commanding his own Corps under a different shade? Well, just wait till the credits and you will be rewarded. 


At this point, my rants are outnumbering my raves as if I were putting the movie down. I am not. On the contrary, it is because I am a fan that it pains me to see these inconsistencies and deviations in the film that were not taken into consideration. Had the director been a fan, like Peter Jackson to the Tolkien trilogy, would the movie have been different and more faithful to the source material? No doubt about that. Being a fan, he would be able to incorporate these nuances and milk the source material for what it can give credence and credibility to the movie, at the same time pleasing fans and earning new ones. Martin Campbell may have directed a Bond film but for that film he came into an already existing and established franchise. Green Lantern, on the other hand, is just getting the much needed boost and attention it mostly deserves. Along with that, should they have gotten Geoff Johns to write or if not, co-write the material like what Marvel did with Thor who had J. Michael Strazynski doing the story? Hell, yeah! 


But still I urge you to still watch the movie for yourself, not to see how the rants I mentioned were played out but to just enjoy the ride of losing yourself in a summer movie filled with effects, aliens and a human striving to be more than who he is and discovering who he can be. Hmmm, much like some of the lives we lead. So chuck your weekend plans and go take a visit to Oa and like me although you may wish for something more, I know you would be at least relieved that this character finally has his own movie, alongside fellow Justice League members, Superman and Batman. Oh and Wonder Woman whose kitsch 70’s series still is the benchmark.


Green may be the color of will but it is also the color of fertility and abundance. I hope the movie earns tons so that the bigwigs can go back, re-asses and give it a better and second push. In short, give us Sinestro Corps War and...and...ah….Blackest Night? 



But like the Lanterns and any other who knows his duty, my duty is to the Corps, no matter what, inconsistencies, miscasts or whatever. I am still a reader, a follower, a person of will and yes….a Lantern…forever! Let's Go Poozers!



Monday, June 6, 2011

One That the Twilight Books Didn't see Coming


A fine, hot tepid Monday morning and I almost forgot that the MTV Movie Awards were on.

So here I go tuning into it and Geeking out upon seeing Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively announcing the nominees for Best Kiss. And Winner is well....Rob Pattinson and Kristen for Eclipse. And having one before and  the previous year (if memory serves me right), it's nice to see MTV loving the Twilight Franchise.

But what I didn't expect and loved was when Rob came up the stage and decided that there was one more person that needed to be thanked. I was kinda expecting him to pull up a fan from the audience or something. But instead he rushed down to the audience and just planted one Big One on Taylor Lautner. Yes Jacob!

Rob was so "chivalrous" throughout the entire moment, and even kissed Taylor's hand before going up the stage! Awwwww.

One of the film franchise co stars says, It was a Long Time Coming!

And worth the wait, I say. LOL!

Watch it here.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

To be or not to Be...Thor



It seems I may have to recant my earlier statement in a blog about Lightning never striking in the same place twice. In my case, most recently in the most recent viewing of the movie version of Thor, based on the Marvel comic superhero, I gladly put myself out there to be struck again, again and again.

The summer movie has obviously begun and Thor, among other Superhero films was just one of the films that had a lot going for it, much less the anticipation of the treatment much lauded by initial articles chronicling the journey of its making by Shakespearean veteran actor and director, Kenneth Branagh.

Prior to the film, I already did my homework by getting whatever material, meaning graphic novel I can in order to know more about this iconic Marvel character. To label him as such & to attribute some groundbreaking element to the character by Marvel may be somewhat misplaced as Thor is an actual character, depicted in the mythical stories of the Viking lands. Yes, he is that same Thor in Norse mythology.




Like the original source material, the movie does introduce Thor aptly as a God. He is the son of Odin, the all father and Nordic counterpart of the Greek god Zeus and the Roman counterpart. Although he is not explicitly addressed as the God of Thunder, there really was no need to.
But what actor/director Kenneth Branagh seems to find and deem necessary was to make this God relatable to humans. Given his Shakespearean background, he was the best director needed to introduce Asgard and all its glory. Like most, my initial reaction to Hemsworth’s casting as the lead was that he was not accurately chosen and when the first still shots were released, I found Thor to be too scruffy and far from the clean cut Viking that we all have grown up with. There were also leaked preliminary pictures of the costume that had loyalists criticizing the make and the changes that were made as compared to the comic books. But in spite of the “minor” changes, Thor still had his golden mane going for him; which is why he is fondly called “Goldilocks” by the members of the Avengers in the comic books.



The still showed him to be far from the image that we all grew up and perhaps it is this dated image of Thor that Branagh consciously stepped away from in order to make him relatable to modern audiences.

Another decision of Branagh that I liked was how he humanized Thor and given these Gods human qualities and tribulations, which was my issue with Thor from the beginning and never warmed up to his characterization even during my initial “research”. I felt that these Gods were already developed as they were, inwardly and out. What more could they yearn for. What more could they work towards to. If we were a physical embodiment and representation of gods on earth, might not they be a reflection of us as well?




The film begins with Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, now an Astrophysicist, as opposed to a nurse in the comic books, is in the Nevada desert searching for weather pattern anomalies and the existence of wormholes together with her colleagues, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stella Skarsgard), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). Much to her delight and surprise an anomaly occurs, which she investigates and documents only to find Thor in the center of the maelstrom disoriented and oblivious to where he is.



But Thor has more than a good reason to be so. In fact, he has just come from an ordeal and cast out of Asgard by Odin following his impulsive decision to attack the world of Jotunheim, inhabited by his father’s arch enemy, Laufey, King of the Frost Giants.

This decision stems from an earlier and covert attempt made by Laufey’s minions to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters within Asgards vault. That attempt disrupted Thor’s ascent to the throne of Asgard and prompted him to retaliate and attack the Frost Giants along with The Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander), the Warriors Three, Volstagg, Hogun as well the dashing and debonair Fandral; and finally Thor’s own scheming brother, Loki, brilliantly played and perfectly casted by Tom Hiddleston.




Tom’s initial casting was the one thing I liked early on and was thus rewarded in the film. Apart from Hemsworth groupies, I have no doubt Hiddleston’s minions are gathering as we speak. And from the looks of it, I would be enrolling myself in both camps, willingly.


As seen in the trailer, Thor’s journey to being a better king involved him being cast out from Asgard by his Father Odin and it is here on Earth that he truly finds his potential and purpose. He learns that part of being royalty is not just rushing into things, demanding they be fixed through swift action and likewise deliver results but also in pacing oneself and seeing the wisdom in each and every act knowing that the act itself prefigures results, if not consequences.




While others may find the film “clunky” at times, I did not get such an impression and it is to Branagh’s directing that he is able to pace the story and slowly reveal the twists and history of the characters as the film progresses as opposed to the standard linear presentation of a story with the back-story starting things off and working its way to resolving conflict in the present. The score by Patrick Doyle also soars and complements the action and introspective moments of the film. And while it may not have the memorable and recurring themes of Middle Earth as done by Howard Shore, it still gives us the viewer the sense of urgency of the politics and grandeur of Asgard and the journey that this Asgardian must take to attain proper godhood.


Being Wiccan, I certainly got a kick out of it when the symbols of the Triquetra were promimently seen on the golden columns in the walls of Asgard. It was also seen on Thor’s hammer and would magically appear whenever it is in search of the “worthy” one. It was great for Branagh to observe and include that. Of course, I couldn’t help but tweet about it when I went to see the film of the first day. And we are only three in the cinema! Talk about early!

Some of the film’s emotional moments that I felt relatable to me and surprisingly got choked up and teary eyed were Thor’s discovery upon trying to lift his mystical hammer, Mjolnir; his guilt at having been the cause of Odin’s fate as presented by Loki and his own admission for the lesson that Odin had sought to teach him and thus be vindicated and recognized in the end. My friend told me that I had parent issues. Perhaps I do. It will be close to 4 years since my father had passed away and not a day goes by that I don’t thank him for the life I have and how profoundly his decisions have shaped and changed my life.




While watching the film, I felt as if I was seeing my own trial as a son working his way to seek his father’s approval, but then again don’t we all? And when we are finally left with the prospect of deciding for ourselves after being made worthy to do so, we still seek the comforting and reassuring hand of a parent on our shoulder telling us that we are on the right track and that they are proud of what we have accomplished and of the journey that we have taken thus far.

So watch it and know how it is to be struck by lightning. And like me should you find yourself wanting to be struck again, know this. You are not the only one.

For Asgard!!!