TDW Minutes 36-40: Occam’s Prison Break

This week, we journey into the bowels of Asgardian incarceration, where the god of mischief gets a visit—well, a projectional visit—from mom. These minutes give us Tom Hiddleston doing what he does best: delivering actual character development in a movie otherwise stuffed with particle effects and narrative chaos. Yes, Loki has a heart. Yes, it’s hidden under layers of smug, snark, and abandonment issues. And yes, you still probably want to give him a hug and a lie detector test.

Meanwhile, the dark elves unleash their secret weapon—Curse, who is part berserker, part Pokémon evolution, and fully incapable of getting through Asgardian security without the help of a very stupid prison system. Loki may or may not help him escape, because this movie loves ambiguity more than it loves narrative clarity. Was that projection of Frigga in Loki’s cell real or not? Matthew and Pete have a surprisingly intense debate about it that ends in what can only be described as academic yelling.

Also: Natalie Portman flirts with galactic metaphysics, Curse goes beast mode, and Pete tries valiantly to remember a single Rene Russo performance besides Lethal Weapon 4. Spoiler: The Thomas Crown Affair is right there.

If you want to hear these conversations unfold in real-time, join the Marvel Movie Minute community at trustory.fm/join, where members get early access, invitations to live stream recordings, and other bonus content.

Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Apple • Amazon • Letterboxd
• Script
• Trailer #1
• Trailer #2
• Poster artwork
• Original Material
• Season 8 Music by Martin Puehringer
• Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

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