Sorry Cumberbitches, it seems that Benedict is now off the market. So for now it’s time to move on and find someone else to spend hours Googling. Is there anyone as well educated or good looking as Tom Hiddleston to replace BC? Let’s also not forget that he dances better than anyone you’ve ever seen. Shakira was telling the truth when she said that hips don’t lie. I was lucky enough to see him at the Donmar Warehouse when he was playing Coriolanus,and as a Shakespeare novice I do not regret my decision to go. But being unable to watch him live every night means that the DVD collection takes a hammering to. Is it difficult to pick his best five films? Yeah, but for the sake of fangirling and procrastinating I’ll give it a go.
Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen returned to give us Midnight in Paris. The film centres around Owen Wilson as a struggling screenwriter who is going through a rocky patch with his fiancee. His break to Paris only becomes much more confusing when he finds himself transported back in time at midnight. Queue Hiddleston as famous author F. Scott Fitzgerald who introduces the struggling screenwriter to meet Ernst Hemingway. Although Fitzgerald doesn’t have much screen time, Hiddleston still makes a fine impression as the author and is one of the best parts of the film.
War Horse
War Horse centres around Albert and his horse Joey through the First World War. Albert had raised Joey since his birth and became best friends with the horse, but as soon as war hits Albert finds himself separated from Joey as the horse is needed for the men at war. The film is an emotional roller coaster following Joey through his trials and tribulations of war. But the film shows all the aspects of war by following the horse; for example, we see how it was for the men fighting on both sides and those who didn’t actively fight. Hiddleston plays Captain Nicholls, the soldier who takes Joey from Albert, but promises to look after him during their time together. And he does just that. He writes to Albert often and draws pictures of Joey too, making him charming and caring. What is there not to love? Unfortunately his character meets a sticky ending, but Captain Nicholls memory will live on.
Only Lovers Left Alive
This is one of Hiddleston’s performances I did not expect to see. He plays a vampire named Adam who is spending his lonely days waiting for his long lost love Eve to come back into his life. Vampires were suddenly okay to watch again during that film. They didn’t glitter and they didn’t spend their hours professing their undying love for each other. Adam was surly and moody, but he was brilliant to watch. Not once did he fall into self depression too much and make you hate his character (as if that was possible!). Only Lovers Left Alive was a surprisingly interesting take on the vampire genre, but at over two hours long it is a heavy watch, yet definitely worth it.
The Deep Blue Sea
Not to be confused with Deep Blue Sea which is a film about sharks and claims to be better than Jaws. Take from that what you will. The Deep Blue Sea is a romantic drama starring Rachel Weisz and Hiddleston as a couple embroiled in a passionate affair. Weisz plays Hester, wife to High Court judge Sir William Collyer. Her marriage is loveless and there is no spark between the pair, but that soon changes when she meets Freddie Page, a handsome RAF pilot who is troubled by his memories of the Second World War. Weisz was praised for her portrayal of Hester and Hiddleston for his time as Freddie. Both of the characters were portrayed well and their emotions were raw on screen as you longed for them to be happy and forget all of the troubled times they had been through.
Loki
Naming a film would have been too difficult, and so I had to go for naming the character. Thor, Avengers Assemble and Thor: The Dark World gave us the character of Loki. He could have been a standard villain who would have been forgettable. He could have been a Frost Giant who only appeared in one film. He could have been Malekith. All of them didn’t go down in Marvel history. But Thor’s trouble adopted brother who only ever wanted to be accepted? How can he be forgotten? Hiddleston’s portrayal of the God of Mischief brought a raw quality to Loki. The scene where he discovers his true parentage is especially moving, along with the scene where he is pleading for his father to believe how he could have been successful. There is a side to Loki which only wanted acceptance. Many villains would have been killed off, but Loki returned to fight the Avengers. Was it wrong to root for the bag guy in that film? He had gone from a vulnerable character to a villain who truly did want to rule and prove himself. And there is no denying that he was the best thing about Thor: The Dark World with his with and sarcasm…and almost redemption. Loki should hopefully be back for the future Marvel films and how could he not return? Hiddleston’s portrayal of him is, without a doubt, the best thing about the Thor franchise.
Confessions of a Hopeless Law Student 