Blank Check — Patreon: Thor: The Dark World

Published 2019-04-21; 2:09:03 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “Blank Check with Griffin & David (Patreon)” and the episode “Thor: The Dark World”.

Hosts: Griffin Newman, David Sims. Guests: Ben Hosley (producer, in the room, watching the film for the first time).

Subject films: Thor: The Dark World (2013).

On the transcript: Transcription is single-voice with no speaker labels and frequent mid-sentence breaks; Ben is mostly silent, so many attributions are split guesses between Griffin and David. Attributions of who loves Sif / saw the film before are not reliable from the transcript alone.

Films that came up

Claims (87)

what-if (what-if): Thor: The Dark World → Patty Jenkins. The film fired original director Patty Jenkins and replaced her with Game of Thrones TV director Alan Taylor.
“It fired its director, Patty Jenkins.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:28 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Alan Taylor → Game of Thrones. Taylor was hired as the Game of Thrones helmsman; the studio's note was to make the film feel more like Game of Thrones.
“We want to make this feel more like Game of Thrones.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:37 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Game of Thrones. The film aims for a grounded, muddy fantasy in the Game of Thrones manner, away from Branagh's version.
“We want to make a more grounded fantasy away from the bran off.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Thor: Ragnarok → Chris Hemsworth. Ragnarok is Hemsworth, who saw this film as a failure, asking to be allowed to be silly.
“Ragnarok is Hemsworth being like, am I not, can I have some fun, please? and be silly.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:12:11 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: Ragnarok → Thor: The Dark World. Ragnarok flushes nearly all the mythos out of Thor other than Thor and Loki, which the speakers dislike.
“And they flush almost everything out of the mythos other than Thorn Loke.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:12:16 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Thor: Ragnarok → Iron Man 3. Ragnarok relates to The Dark World as Iron Man 3 relates to Iron Man, a hard tonal reset on the prior entry.
“Ragnarok is very much the Iron Man 3 to this movie's Iron Man.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:13:27 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Thor: The Dark World → Patty Jenkins. Jenkins is described as the director Natalie Portman wanted, and Portman left the franchise after Jenkins was fired without her approval.
“Paige Jenkins was who she wanted.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:15:01 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Thor: The Dark World → Natalie Portman. Portman had approval over director and script; the Jenkins firing is why she was done with these movies.
“She didn't have anything on the Alan Taylor thing, and she was like, I'm done with these.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:15:05 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Michael Giacchino → Thor: The Dark World. The speakers ask whether The Dark World is the first Marvel film to open with the Giacchino Marvel Studios fanfare.
“Is this the 1st one with the Giacchino?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:15:51 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Thor: The Dark World → Iron Man 3. This and Iron Man 3 are the first Marvel films with no Paramount logo before the Avengers logo.
“this and Iron Man 3 are the 1st 2 movies fully devoid of Paramount, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:16:14 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Thor: The Dark World → The Lord of the Rings. The Dark Elf war prologue and design is Lord of the Rings style ancient-story fantasy.
“This is some sort of like Lord of the Rings stuff where it's sort of like, you know, this is an ancient story.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:17:10 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → Crazy Rich Asians. Like Crazy Rich Asians, the real romance is the lead and the mother figure; Thor's love is figurehead-level.
“Crazy Rich Asians is really the romance between her and the mother”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:18:22 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Thor. The Dark World goes further in both directions on design (older looks plus more tech) while Branagh's Thor split the difference in a murky middle.
“I think, like, Branagh is splitting the difference too hard and staying in a weird murky middle ground.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:18:52 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: Ragnarok → Chris Hemsworth. Ragnarok is the correction to Hemsworth proving he's funny in other movies.
“Thor Ragnarok is the correction to Hemsworth proving that he's funny in other movies.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:20:42 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Thor: The Dark World → The Avengers. The Dark World is the correction to Joss Whedon cracking Loki: he becomes co-lead, Thor 1A to Loki 1B.
“This is the correction to Joss Whedon cracking Loki, where they're like, we get it now.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:20:47 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Zachary Levi → Chuck. Levi had to step down as Fandral in Thor 1 because Chuck got a last-second fourth-season renewal.
“Had to step down from playing Fangel for the 1st movie because of Chuck's unexpected last second, 4th season renewal.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:22:59 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Game of Thrones. Asgard's courtyard business and street-level scenes feel like Game of Thrones.
“Like I still don't understand like this very Game of Thronesy.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:25:52 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Thor: The Dark World → Thor. Dark World opened to 85 million, up from 65 for the first Thor, but is the lowest grossing sequel in the MCU.
“It's also the lowest grossing sequel in the MCU.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:26:54 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Thor: The Dark World → Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Dark World opened higher than Thor 1, but Winter Soldier made a bigger bump, as Thor had made more than Captain America to start.
“But the Winter Soldier also had a bigger bump to make because Thor made more than Captain America.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:27:08 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Thor: The Dark World → Thor: Ragnarok. Thor: Ragnarok also loses Sif and Natalie Portman's Jane; the speakers wish Sif had returned for Endgame.
“Maybe she's an endgame.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:28:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Thor: The Dark World → Avengers: Endgame. Hoping for Sif or Ty Simpkins as a surprise appearance in Endgame.
“Ty Simpkins is your surprise.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:28:26 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
career (career): Thor: The Dark World → No Strings Attached. Portman plays in a rom-com fish-out-of-water mode like her No Strings Attached performance.
“Natalie is in like no strings attached mode”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:29:28 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → Crazy Rich Asians. The fish-out-of-water romance with a world of high society and Frigga as the mother echoes Crazy Rich Asians.
“Well, because this is also her kind of crazy rich Asians where it's like, this is a world that I don't know.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:29:33 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Thor: The Dark World → Patty Jenkins. What Jenkins wanted to make was a romance first and foremost, and the romantic comedy half of the finished film is read as that movie surviving.
“She kept on saying she really wants to make a romance 1st and foremost.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:29:52 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Thor: The Dark World → The Avengers. Avengers ends with the team scattering, which is why the Phase 2 sequels can stand alone.
“And also, Joss Wheaton's like master stroke at the end of Avengers is like, we're not a team.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:30:50 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Kramer Morgenthau. After naming the cinematographer, the speaker says the film has its own look, palette and cinematic language, distinct from Iron Man 3.
“This movie also has like its own look.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:31:28 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Kramer Morgenthau → Game of Thrones. The cinematographer has shot Game of Thrones, Terminator Genisys and Creed II.
“Kramer. who has shot some Game of Thrones.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:31:39 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Stellan Skarsgard → Thor: The Dark World. Skarsgard is naked in more movies than clothed; he must have negotiated a nude scene in his Marvel deal.
“Scott Scarsgard is naked in more movies than he's clothed.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:32:27 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Alan Taylor → Boardwalk Empire. Taylor has long been a top HBO director (Boardwalk, Sopranos, Game of Thrones) before moving to blockbusters, and was tapped for the Sopranos prequel.
“Because he's sort of been a top HBO director for a long time.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:33:07 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Alan Taylor → Terminator Genisys. Taylor had terrible experiences on both this film and Terminator Genisys, where he says he lost control.
“Genesis. By all counts has terrible experiences on both of them.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:33:19 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (people): Terminator Genisys → Emilia Clarke. Clarke says she did Genisys mostly because she loved working with Taylor on Game of Thrones.
“I did it mostly because I loved Alan Taylor.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:33:34 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: The Dark World → Guardians of the Galaxy. The next film, Guardians, becomes candy colored, which is what that film needs, versus this serious look.
“you get to like Guardians next and it like becomes like candy colored”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:34:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: The Dark World → Iron Man 3. Each Phase 2 film has its own look: this one is serious, Iron Man 3 resembles a 90s action film, Winter Soldier approximates a Sydney Pollack movie, Guardians is candy colored.
“Iron Man 3 looks like a 90s like action film.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:34:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Captain America: The Winter Soldier → Sydney Pollack. Winter Soldier's look is said to approximate a Sydney Pollack movie (transcribed 'Sydney Poland').
“And, you know, Captain America's sort of trying to approximate like a fucking Sydney Poland movie or whatever.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:34:31 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: The Dark World → Thor: Ragnarok. The Dark World's palette feels like watercolor fantasy illustration; Ragnarok is full Kirby comic book.
“closer to like watercolor illustrations in a fantasy novel.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:34:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Thor: The Dark World → Avengers: Infinity War. The ether is the second Infinity Gem; the speakers tally the stones across Mind, Space, Power, Reality, Time and Soul films.
“I believe this is the 2nd infinity gem.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:37:38 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor → Thor: Ragnarok. The first Thor looks too clean; Ragnarok overcorrects to cartoony comic splash page; the Dark World's polished gold sits between.
“the 1st one is just too clean.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:39:22 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Thor: The Dark World → Idris Elba. Heimdall is where it shows Elba is too famous for the role; the franchise gives him an action scene to keep him.
“Idris Elba is officially too famous for this role.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:39:52 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Black Panther → Idris Elba. Elba, stuck as Heimdall, could have played the Forest Whitaker part or the Daniel Kaluuya part in Black Panther.
“he could have played the Forrest Whitaker part.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:40:35 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Idris Elba → The Wire. Elba got very famous through The Wire's late-arriving HBO Go audience, so he is now too big for Heimdall's small part.
“The wire got really big around this time because of HBO Go.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:41:12 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Alice Krige → Star Trek: The Original Series. Krige is the Borg Queen from Star Trek.
“She's the Borg Queen.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:46:00 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: The Dark World → Tarsem Singh. The film reads as if Tarsem Singh directed a Thor movie, a little less bespoke.
“this one kind of looks like if Tarsum Singh directed a Thor movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:49:04 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Thor (next one) → Baz Luhrmann. Baz Luhrmann should direct the next Thor, but he can't make a film on time and cheap.
“You know who should do the next door?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:49:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
unmapped (anecdote): Baz Luhrmann → The Get Down. On The Get Down he shut down production five hours to buy 150 oranges for a fruit cart shot.
“there aren't enough oranges in the fruit.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:49:46 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
programming (programming): The Nutcracker and the Four Realms → Thor: The Dark World. Joking that a 'four realms' film from the director of Captain America should have had nine realms.
“He won't settle for four.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:50:31 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange does tactile magic well, with sparks, whereas Thor's magic read as CGI doodles elsewhere; the Dark World's has texture.
“I think Doctor Strange does really well, but they make magic look tactile, which is hard to do.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:51:02 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Rene Russo → Lethal Weapon 3. Russo popped at an older age than expected; she was about 35 in Lethal Weapon 3.
“Like by the time she was in like Lethal Weapon 3, she was like 35.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:57:28 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Stuart Townsend → Thor. Stuart Townsend was cast as Fandral then fired for showing up five hours late to a costume fitting.
“And he showed up 5 hours late to a costume fitting.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:58:47 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: The Dark World → Black Panther. Black Panther does Thor-style city-under-attack better than Asgard, which never reads as a city or a planet.
“You never really understand if Asgard is a city or a planet.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:59:42 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Christopher Eccleston → The Story of G.I. Joe. Eccleston jumped in at the last second here as he did for G.I. Joe's Destro, replacing the originally cast Mads Mikkelsen.
“This was supposed to be Mads, and then it became Eccleston.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:02:24 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Joshua Dallas → Once Upon a Time. Joshua Dallas played Fandral in Thor but could not return because Once Upon a Time was renewed, bringing Levi back.
“Then they hire Joshua Dallas. Then he can't come back for this because once upon a time gets renewed.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:02:41 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Rene Russo → The Thomas Crown Affair. Russo has range, citing Thomas Crown Affair and Get Shorty.
“Thomas Crown affair.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:03:28 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Rene Russo → Get Shorty. Russo is loved in Get Shorty.
“Love her and get Shorty.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:03:32 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → The Lord of the Rings. The ether lodging in Jane and slowly corrupting her is like the One Ring and Frodo.
“It's sort of almost the like the ring for Frodo-esque.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:09:40 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Anthony Hopkins → Red Dragon. After Hannibal money, Hopkins appeared in Red Dragon, which is a remake of Manhunter but worse, ruining the franchise per his son.
“And it's just a remake of Manhunter, but worse?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:12:29 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Anthony Hopkins → The Silence of the Lambs. The Hannibal series pivoted to a prequel to Silence of the Lambs with an actor decades older.
“Remake a prequel.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:12:48 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Thor: The Dark World → Spider-Man. Running Tony Lip joke: he played every person on the rail car in Raimi's Spider-Man.
“People forget that Tony Lip played every single person on the rail car in the 1st Raimi Spider-Man.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:18:21 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Green Book → Roma. Oscar odds as of the recording: Roma 60, Green Book 13, with Klansman and A Star Is Born next.
“No, I would say like it's like 60 Roma, 13 green book, 10%, you know, who the fuck knows?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:19:23 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Bohemian Rhapsody → Bryan Singer. The speakers say Bohemian Rhapsody's critics are partly about its director, and joke about Singer becoming president.
“maybe because it was directed by a rapist?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:20:28 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Thor: The Dark World → Jason X. A spaceship is enough to win the speakers over, even Jason X's.
“Easiest way to win me over is put one spaceship in the movie, and I'm at least a little bit.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:22:00 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Jason X → David Cronenberg. Cronenberg is claimed to appear in Jason X and is recommended as an actor in the Canadian film Last Night.
“David Cronenberg in that movie?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:22:20 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
people (people): Last Night → David Cronenberg. Cronenberg plays an office manager in the Canadian last-night-on-earth film.
“And David Cronenberg is in it as like the manager in an office and he's really good in it.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:22:39 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Skarsgard's penis-showing in the Dark World is likened to the Swedish made penis enlarger pump gag.
“This feels like the Austin Powers, Swedish made penis enlarger pump.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:26:37 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Mike Myers → Inglourious Basterds. Myers lately works in two-day cameos like Bohemian Rhapsody and Inglourious Basterds.
“And inglorious bastards are both like, hey, wouldn't it be funny if you did this and showed up for like 2 days?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:28:26 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → While You Were Sleeping. Jane's fake-out (it was all a dream) is likened to While You Were Sleeping with Peter Gallagher and Bill Pullman.
“Well, Jane Foster was sleeping.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:32:23 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Your Name → Marc Webb. Marc Webb is directing an American Your Name remake about Native American culture; the speakers say it's a bad idea.
“Mark Webb is directing an American remake of your name.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:32:54 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Your Name → Chloe Zhao. They'd rather see Chloe Zhao do it, but she's busy with a Frances McDormand film and a Marvel movie.
“And then she's making a Marvel movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:33:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Marc Webb → (500) Days of Summer. Webb's one great film was 500 Days of Summer, ten years ago; two outright horrendous movies since.
“the guy knocked out of the park in 500 days of somewhere”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:34:10 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
career (career): Marc Webb → Gifted. Webb made Gifted with Chris Evans; it's boring.
“The gifted?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:34:26 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Thor: The Dark World → Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange fails on comedy, trying too hard to make Strange like Tony Stark; they should have owned being po-faced like this earnest film.
“That movie conclusively fails on the comedy front.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:36:31 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → Alita: Battle Angel. Griffin's line from his Alita review frames this film: he is defenseless before silly sci-fi epics that dump lore through a simple hero's journey, like Jupiter Ascending, Valerian, Aquaman.
“Think of films like Jupe, ascending, Valerian, Aquaman, colorful mega budget, nonsense splash into a grand canvas.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:38:25 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → Jupiter Ascending. Same family of lore-heavy, simple hero's-journey spectacle.
“Think of films like Jupe, ascending, Valerian, Aquaman”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:38:25 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
people (people): Thor: The Dark World → Don Payne. Don Payne wrote the original draft, his last script; the portal-fight gimmick likely came from his comedy and Simpsons background.
“I wouldn't be surprised if this was a thing that Don Payne brought in.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:45:38 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Don Payne → The Rise of the Silver Surfer (Fantastic Four 2). Payne wrote Thor 1 and Rise of the Silver Surfer, which is better than the first Fantastic Four because of him.
“And he wrote Rise of Silver Surfer, which I think is the reason why it's a little better than the 1st one.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:45:56 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Don Payne → The Simpsons. Payne's weirder ideas in superhero movies came out of his Simpsons background.
“But I think it came out of the Simpsons.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:46:13 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Monsters, Inc.. The portal-hopping final fight is like the door-chasing end of Monsters, Inc.
“It's like the end of Monsters Inc. where they keep on going through the doors.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:46:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → The Simpsons. The portal landing in odd places reminds the speaker of a Simpsons Homer/Bart stunt episode.
“Do you remember when Bart starts jumping on his bike and Homer does it and then he falls down the cliff for like ever?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:47:36 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: The Dark World → Star Wars (Return of the Jedi / Jabba's palace). A fire-world portal is called Mustafar, kicking off a long Star Wars riff on Jabba's palace and Sy Snootles voiced as a Tony Lip bouncer.
“Yeah, it's Mustafar.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:50:18 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → The Fate of the Furious. The London flat where Thor and Jane land looks like the penthouse where the Fast & Furious gang drinks Budweisers at the end of Fate.
“It sort of looks like the flat where they Fast and Furious gang gathers at the end of fate.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:54:27 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Thor: Ragnarok → Thor: The Dark World. The speakers feel Ragnarok mocks fans who liked this film and the mythos it embraced.
“feels like Ragnarok is making fun of us for liking this movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:56:30 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Credits that run least to most important, with the star last, as in Fallout, parallel the cast roll here.
“I like it that in the Mission Impossible Fallout, they save Tom for last.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:58:58 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Thor: The Dark World → Dreamgirls. Same idea as Dreamgirls, which builds to introducing Jennifer Hudson.
“Dream Girls does a similar thing where they build up...”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:59:20 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Thor: The Dark World → Guardians of the Galaxy. The Collector mid-credits scene already shows the Guardians' comic space weirdness; the speaker thinks James Gunn directed it.
“I think gun directed this. It's 100% difficult.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:59:51 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Benicio del Toro → Avengers: Endgame. They hope Endgame has Benicio del Toro's Collector and Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster together as the Space Brothers.
“If Endgame doesn't have Space Necio and Jeff Spaceblum together as the Space Brothers.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 2:01:05 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Thor: The Dark World → Doctor Who. Marvel in general is indebted to Doctor Who's tone of lightness, comedy, hope and teamwork, especially the Russell T Davies era.
“I think Marvel in general is very kind of indebted to Doctor Who with the same tone of like lightness and comedy and hope and team teamwork.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 2:02:06 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Ender's Game → Harrison Ford. The box office game answer is Ender's Game with Harrison Ford in a supporting role and Gavin Hood directing.
“Harry Ford.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 2:08:20 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Ender's Game → Gavin Hood. Ender's Game was a flop directed by a director the speakers dislike (transcribed 'Gavin Hyde').
“Who sucks?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 2:08:23 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)

Fun items (25)

fun, about Patty Jenkins: The speakers say Jenkins's firing is why Portman left; the film became Alan Taylor's TV helmsman take.
“Right. replaced her with Alan Taylor, who was sort of like a TV helmsman.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:30 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Alan Taylor: Taylor, asked about this movie, says don't ask him to talk about it.
“Taylor, when you ask him about this movie, is just like, don't ask me to talk.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Sif: Sif's first fight in Vanaheim: she folds the demons like laundry and fights with a shield.
“I swear to God, she's folding them like laundry.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:22:16 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: See the scene where Thor and Hogun are in the Asgard bar: a pug, roasts, laughter, Thor in a little cap.
“They got a little pug.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:27:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Stellan Skarsgard: In the Greenwich scene, Selvig is naked again in the no-pants zone; the speakers joke he must have written a nude clause into his Marvel deal.
“Do you think when he signed his Marvel deal?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:32:32 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Bloodshot: Griffin tried hard to get cast in Bloodshot as a clipboard scientist because it shot in Cape Town; Lamorne Morris got it.
“But I was trying so hard to get cast in that.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:44:09 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Baz Luhrmann: Crew on The Get Down shut down production five hours to buy 150 oranges for a fruit cart.
“He was like, I want like 150 oranges.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:50:00 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Idris Elba: Elba's Heimdall gets a stunt where he stabs a spaceship; the speakers say these movies must give him an action scene.
“so cool to stab a spaceship with a knife.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:58:24 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Rene Russo: Frigga fights Malekith with a sword, and is taller than him; the speakers like her statuesque quality.
“I like that she's taller than Mal Keith.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:03:13 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Frigga: Frigga's Viking funeral, defended as the movie taking itself seriously; Portman later wears Frigga's dress, which the speaker says makes zero size sense.
“you got to take your own movie seriously.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:06:13 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Heimdall: Heimdall guards the rainbow bridge alone; the speakers debate what podcasts he'd listen to: not Comedy Bang, more S-Town or documentary.
“What podcast do I think he likes?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:07:26 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Anthony Hopkins: The speakers savage Hopkins's Odin beard as fake, and say his set must be an owned medieval backdrop.
“The fakest fucking beard.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:10:08 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Anthony Hopkins: Hopkins's Twitter: weekend videos at his window and a jazz-dancing clip; they play it live.
“is actually like one of the great tweeters.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:10:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Loki: Loki's reveal in the prison: no mask, a mess after his mother's death, which launched a thousand Tumblr Lokis.
“this inspired a 1000 tolers.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:14:44 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Loki: In the escape sequence Loki shapeshifts Thor into Sif, and the speaker likes the unnamed cameo that comes with it.
“Right. He turns Thor into Sif.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:16:24 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: The Dark World: See the scene where Jane slaps Loki on first meeting him again, 'for New York'.
“That was for New York.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:17:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Spider-Man: Running Tony Lip joke: he supposedly played every person on the subway rail car in the first two Raimi Spider-Man films.
“People forget that Tony Lip played every single person on the rail car in the 1st Raimi Spider-Man.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:18:21 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: The Dark World: The brothers-in-a-boat scene: a speaker admits being choked up, the movie hit the brother spot.
“this movie hit me right in this brother spot.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:25:07 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Loki: Loki gets his dying redemption moment, using the black hole weapon design the speakers like.
“You give Loki like a little redemption moment.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:35:27 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: The Dark World: The portal fight is where the hammer, with Thor out of the world, zooms around looking for him, then zooms back.
“I also like that every time Thor's out of the world, the hammer just kind of like starts zooming around because he doesn't know where to go.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:47:48 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: The Dark World: The climactic portal fight, set up as a gimmick for forty-five minutes: characters zap between Greenwich, Vanaheim and Frostland; a Frost Beast turns up; Thor throws a car at Malekith.
“He throws the car on him.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:48:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: The Dark World: Malekith is portaled in pieces, and says he's fine, like Monty Python's Black Knight.
“I like how Melachi tries to be like, I'm fine.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:52:11 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Thor: The Dark World: Griffin overhypes the final fight from the opening credits.
“I shouldn't have started talking up the gimmick at the opening credits of this one.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:54:01 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Benicio del Toro: The Collector mid-credits scene: Benicio del Toro as Space Nesia whispers 'don't tell anybody'; the speakers imagine his demands on the Guardians ride.
“It's weird also that in this scene he leans in and goes, don't tell anybody.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 2:00:09 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Ender's Game: The end-of-episode box office game: a flop sci-fi adaptation with Harrison Ford.
“The film is Andrew's game.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 2:08:18 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Griffin Newman (host): Loves lore-heavy, dorky, earnest sci-fi fantasy with real sets, tactile design and a spaceship in it; likes the Thor mythos and Sif. Dislikes things that mock their own source material (Ragnarok) and thinks the first Thor is too clean. A sucker for spectacle that dumps lore on a simple hero's journey.
David Sims (host): Loves Sif, mythology, the practical-looking gold Asgard and the sibling story between Thor and Loki. Hates the first Thor and likes Dark World far more than Ragnarok. A sucker for spaceships and gap-toothed actors.
Ben Hosley (host): A first-time viewer of the film who drifts through the commentary, says he likes dark movies and is won over by the portal fight. Not a high fantasy fan and says he has not watched Game of Thrones.

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong

Giacchino fan → Marvel/Giacchino fanfare (probably 'fanfare')
Chris Rios → Christopher Yost
Robert Rodad → Robert Rodat
McFeely Marcus → Markus & McFeely
Eduwale, Eckon Nyagbaje → Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Hogan → Hogun
Cork/Clark → Korg
Humdoll/Heimdahl → Heimdall
Stellen-S/Scarsgard → Stellan Skarsgard
Zachary Levy → Zachary Levi
Tarsum Singh → Tarsem Singh
Boz Luhrmann → Baz Luhrmann
Sydney Poland → Sydney Pollack
Alice Krich/Crage → Alice Krige
Tallula Riley → Talulah Riley (probably garbled)
Mark Webb → Marc Webb
Chloe → Chloe Zhao
Ryan/Brian Singer → Bryan Singer
Snice/Size Noodles → Sy Snootles
Space Nesia → Benicio (Space Nicio)
Jupe, ascending → Jupiter Ascending
Andrew's game → Ender's Game
Gavin Hyde → Gavin Hood
Harry Ford → Harrison Ford
Kid or Whim King → The Kid Who Would Be King
Shepherdon → Shepperton
Lamar Morris → Lamorne Morris
Jordan Fish → Jordan Fish (guest)
Joe Panteliano → Joe Pantoliano
Tony Lipping → Tony Lip (running joke)
Fangel/Pandrell → Fandral
Malachith/Mal Keith → Malekith
Seth → Sif
Kramer Morgenthau (correct)
Roma(ley)/Romley → Romilly
Grough → gruff

Blank Check — Patreon: Thor: The Dark World

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

Films that came up

compared (25)

anecdote (12)

passing (38)

subject (1)

dismissed (1)

recommended (1)

Claims (87)

Fun items (25)

Who's talking

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong