The latest in Marvel Studios’ acclaimed superhero franchise, Thor is the first of two Avengers-related films this summer, and has been receiving solid acclaim from a variety of reviewers. How does it stack up to the high expectations comic fans tend to have, though? Let’s be honest, we’ll complain about anything. Follow the cut for one such fan’s opinion of Kenneth Branagh’s take on Marvel’s take on the god of thunder.
As an additional note, this is a spoiler free review! So no need to be afraid of anything that might be hiding underneath this cut.
Easily the number one thing that drew me into Thor was the way the Asgardians (and thus the story as a whole) was handled. It would have been so easy to handle this movie like your run-of-the-mill fantasy movie, modeled after Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films; people eat up those sorts of films, regardless of their quality, because they are comfortable and familiar. Instead, Branagh & co. recognized that Marvel’s Thor is different from the Thor of ancient mythology, and opted for more of a sci-fi approach than anything else. Anyone who has been a devoted fan of Marvel’s Thor will tell you that this is a very, very good thing. When Jack Kirby and Stan Lee reinterpreted the ancient Norse god as a Marvel hero, they didn’t opt to leave him as-is; rather, their wild imaginations molded Ancient Asgard into a setting that straddled the line between fantasy and science fiction. This core idea was very well-respected in the film, and led to the film seeming that much more unique and enjoyable.
In that same vein, the visuals of this movie are absolutely gorgeous. As the trailer showed, Asgard is modeled as a futuristic reinterpretation of the grand castles of fantasy tradition, and the garb of the gods reflected this semi-mystical, semi-technical quality. There were a few shots were the costumes seemed somewhat rubbery and fake (bringing back terrible Batman & Robin flashbacks), but they were few and far between and didn’t hurt the film in the slightest. This film was definitely more of a visual spectacle than any of the other Marvel Studios productions, and I would love to see it a second time just to scrutinize the scenery – and maybe this time in 3d.
As an action film, though, the important question is obvious: how were the action scenes? While not every scene stunned me, there were more than enough great ones to qualify this as a solid action flick, and then some. Perhaps what I was most worried about before I saw the film was how Mjolnir would be handled. Flying hammers aren’t a common sight, and I was convinced that Thor’s weapon of choice would look rather silly on screen. There were a few scenes where this was the case, but – again – it’s hardly enough of a reason to dock the movie a few points. I was very surprised by how well the spinning of Thor’s hammer looked, despite that fact that, you know, that’s a pretty ridiculous way to fight. The scene featuring Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three versus the Destroyer was a standard, explosions-every-which-way fight scene that you would expect in a modern action flick (though there is one really awesome scene where the Destroyer… well, go see the film, you’ll see what I mean). The final confrontation between Thor and Loki, though, was a spectacular light show of a battle, and really captured why this film was different from your run-of-the-mill fantasy film (visually, of course).
Don’t be fooled by the rather serious trailer. Thor is incredibly fun, and will have you laughing much more than you might think, which mostly stems from Thor’s confusion on now being in Midgard and adjusting to the different conventions of the time. Of course, this is hardly something that has never been done in a film before, but Chris Hemsworth pulls it off better than many actors I have seen. Rather than directly acknowledging how silly and zany he is – a common mistake – he does a perfect job at convincing the audience that he thinks he is acting completely normal, and that makes it that much funnier. As a comic fan, it’s fun to see this aspect of Thor played up again. Since Stan and Jack finished up their first run, Thor has always seemed more of a wise character, and writers seem to forget that it was his arrogance and, quite frankly, his stupidity that got him cast out in the first place. While the more solemn portrayal of Thor that has been frequenting comics is interesting, it is this “stage” of Thor that I find more likable and fun to watch.
Continued belowAs entertaining as Hemsworth’s Thor is, though, accolades must be given to Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, who was masterfully portrayed. Hiddleston’s delivery in certain areas – particularly upon discovering his heritage – made me quick to wonder whether or not he was wasting his time in a mere action film (even if it was a good one). Of course, this is a big-budget production that is probably paying him quite well, so I suppose “wasting” isn’t the correct word in this case. Through both the strength of Hiddleston’s acting and the writing of the character, Loki’s gradual transition from a sower of mischief into one of mayhem is one that can be sympathized with, until he goes too far. The rest of the cast does a great job as well, most notably with Anthony Hopkins as a stern yet softer-hearted Odin than one might be used to, and Natalie Portman doing a solid job as Jane Foster. As a comics fan, though, I loved the heavy inclusion of the Warriors Three, and enjoyed all three actors’ performances (particularly, of course, Ray Stevenson’s Volstagg).
As many accolades as I have for Thor, though, it certainly wasn’t perfect. Of course, there’s the obvious fact that it was just an action film, and wasn’t cerebral in the slightest, but I can’t really knock it for that. The story is one of hubris and the realization of said hubris, which is certainly something that should be addressed, but is hardly anything new. Again, though, that isn’t really a mark against the film. The pacing of the first 45 minutes to an hour, though, was a bit off. The beginning was rather condensed, in order to get the ball rolling, story-wise, and while I wouldn’t say that it was too condensed, it did seem to jump from place to place a bit suddenly. However, I can’t tell whether this was a problem with the script or the editing.
I also was let down by the film score. It’s not that a movie needs a memorable score in order to be great – hell, a few of my favorite movies have terrible scores – but the otherwise accomplished Patrick Doyle slipped up a couple of times in terms of fitting the tone of what was occurring onscreen. To be particular, there were a couple of moments where the music should have been evoking a solemn feel, and, while you could tell Doyle was trying to accomplish that, instead we were given something that sounded more sentimental. It’s a small goof, but it was bothersome enough that it distracted me from what was going on – and not in the way a good score does.
I have to say, Thor was the Marvel film that I was expecting the least from. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. Is Thor and amazing film, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before? Hardly. Is it a fun heap of action and comedy that continues Marvel Studios’ trend of making superhero movies that don’t necessarily seem to super-heroic? Verily.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – I say thee yea!
