I’m a big appreciator of a good quality movie… but it has to happen once in a while. I gave in to the secret desire of all women and watched a movie just for the pure pleasure for gazing at the big buff figure of Thor and my gosh I enjoyed every minute of it. The obsession began with the first movie though Thor 2 did not fail to disappoint!
You could classify it as an action packed buzzer, a romantic comedy as well as a futuristic entertainer. The movie was a great watch though a good 60% of my 10 out of 10 rating has to be credited to that tanned, toned and muscly hunk of Chris Hemsworth. So it’s the new never fail formula for a film. Center the story around a big buff hero, a story line with some thrills and some laughs and then throw in a gorgeous co-lady and Hollywood is racking it in. Oh times have changed.
It all started with the Male Gaze theory of Laura Mulvey during the 1970’s who proposed that there was a tendency of film to circulate around women objectified in film by heterosexual men who are in control of the camera. Her thoughts delve into the ways in which we as the audience as well as the characters within films subject an individual to a controlling and curious gaze for sexual stimulation through sight. This is certainly the case in Thor 2 though: when did the Male Gaze become the Female Gaze? Seems as if we have taken over ladies and what eye candy we want, we get! So let’s go through the decades and see how the sexual spectacle of the femme fatale became the big, buff glory of Thor 2.
1950’s:
The 1950’s were all about the exquisite Marylin Monroe and boy she WOW’d in the 1959 film Some Like it Hot. With a name like Sugar Cane, her sensual persona in the film pleases even the woman’s eye. The film follows the story of two musicians who escape their hometown disguised as woman to join an all-girl band. 
1960’s:
Oh Audrey Audrey Audrey! She is classy, sassy and beautiful all in one and it was her time in 1961 in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. It’s a crime if you haven’t watched the film! The film follows Holly, a New York socialite who becomes interested in a young and handsome man who moves into her apartment building.
1970’s:
This is where Mulvey’s Male Gaze was at its peak and Olivia Newton John owned those last 10 minutes of Greece and is to thank for the inspiration for every girls 1970’s dress-up party outfit. I mean those legs in those tights and that red lipstick… gosh dammit just makes we wanna get to the gym and squat.
1980’s:
This is where the men make their debut and it’s all about the handsome, strong hero who swoops the girl away. Who better to get it started then Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride? I think I probably watched this film over 15 times in high school for English but I didn’t complain. The 1987 American romantic, comedy, fantasy, adventure film is the only one of its kind and did not fail to entertain. Look at the way the princess is clenching on to him from behind!
1990’s:
The crazy 90’s in which I was born and all the hype was over Pulp Fiction. Now this one is a bit tricky because the sexy Uma Thurman seduces us all as the mafia boss’ wife though John Travolta gets his dangerous, hit-man on and gets all the ladies a bit hot and steamy!
2000’s:
The Dark Knight Batman movie 2008. Hero of the city, fighting crime, seducing ladies just being an every-day man. Christian Bale does not fail to impress with that 6-pack and firm guns. The movie is a pleasure to watch in every sense.
And we come to the now. The big, buff pleasure of Thor. It makes you think about the reasons we watch films. We sit in a dark cinema room, in a rather comfortable chair with snacks to last us the hour or two and stare into a screen. Stare at the “lives” of others and be entertained… or pleased by that eye candy. I’m not going to deny it. The reason I went to watch Thor was for the pleasure of the candy and it did not disappoint. Plus… he is an Aussie so I’m just “supporting” our damn handsome Aussie talent! 😉
– by Nikolina Koevska
Widow's Lure 