Thor (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Thor', directed by Kenneth Branagh (of all people), opens the summer movie season with a bang. For most of the 1st half hour, we are transported (via prologue) to the magical realm of Asgard - an incredible looking planet where golden palaces shimmer on cavernous mountaintops. In Asgard, we meet the stern King Odin (Anthony Hopkins), & his 2 sons: powerful but arrogant Thor (Aussie, Chris Hemsworth) & the seemingly inferior Loki (Tom Hiddleston). An imprudent retaliatory strike by Thor into Jotunheim, the terrifying realm of the Frost Giants, gets him into trouble. See, Thor had it on mind to defeat the Asgardians' enemy, Laufey (Colm Feore) the Frost Giant leader. But all of this angers Odin because Thor's recklessness endanger centuries of peace btwn. the realms. Enraged, Odin strips his 1st-born of his powers & casts him out of Asgard to live among the humans on Earth.
There, Thor is found wandering in New Mexico's desert by 3 eager scientists: Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) & Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), ranting & raving about his missing hammer (the source of his powers). As Thor tries to adjust to 21st c. Earth (fish-out-of-water elements ensue) ... he tries to convince his new friends, and people like S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), that he is not some lunatic, but the actual Norse God of Thunder {haha}. And of course, some romance starts to flicker btwn. Thor & Jane. Meanwhile, back in Asgard, King Odin falls ill, and with Thor banished, Loki uses this crucial time to attain the title of King. What is he really up to? Just who IS Loki, anyway? What lessons about being a hero has Thor learned? By Loki’s hand, a dark force invades Earth. And it's up to Thor to save both planets from certain malevolence.
'Thor' won't be winning awards for excellence. But what it does (mostly well in its 110 minutes) is mesh a massive conglomeration of Norse mythology, comic book milieu, Shakespearean-like melodrama, brooding kings, scheming brothers, proud warriors, usurping of thrones, grandstanding, bang-'em up CGI, eye-popping art direction, light romance, cheeky humor, action, bombastic music, scary creatures, fiery explosions, etc ... like I said, massive conglomeration. 'Thor' tells an origin story (like the 1st 'Iron Man' did - character introduction, back stories, perfunctory plot), but it does so quite ably.
The film also benefits greatly from its charismatic star, Chris Hemsworth. Not only does he have obvious physical command, but his voice is engaging, he's funny & he handles Thor's emotional arc from entitled-to-humble quite well. The dude has got 'it'. The other stand-out performance is that of Loki's by British thespian, Tom Hiddleston. Loki is the most conflicted character in the plot (identity issues, flailing allegiances). He is not a clear-cut villain; which is good. And I was never sure of Loki's ambitions/intentions -- so Kudos to Hiddleston for bringing dimension to that shifty character.
My only issue with the movie is: I wanted everything to be just a little bit better. I LOVE Asgard. But I wish we could have seen more of the inner workings/day-to-day of that realm. Anthony Hopkins gets some chewy dialogue ... I just wanted more of it. Patrick Doyle's musical score is rousing, if not melodic or memorable. The special effects are excellent in some scenes (the rainbow colored bridge & planet transporter? WOW), but unfinished looking in others -- effects may not be Branagh's specialty. Natalie Portman is charming as Jane Foster, but there's not much in the script for her to do; ditto Skarsgard & Dennings. Comic book adaptations thrive in fish-out-of-water segments. I mean, here we've got a Norse God who's landed on Earth & asks a shop worker for a horse to ride on {haha} -- that's hysterical.
There's one other scene where Thor is done drinking his coffee in a cafe & smashes the cup on the ground; demanding some more - as he would in his palace -- funny. There needed to be more of that. There needed to be more interplay btwn. the characters. There needed to be more of everything. But I'm getting nitpicky because I really did like what I experienced; knowing that Branagh could have really missed the mark ... and doesn't. 'Thor' is a spectacle, through & through. It doesn't take itself too seriously (which is good). I was entertained (chomping away at my popcorn), & enjoyed the grand scale variety of mythology, robust performances, humor, enormous set pieces, scary-ass monsters, & ancient heroes doing their thing.
There, Thor is found wandering in New Mexico's desert by 3 eager scientists: Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) & Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), ranting & raving about his missing hammer (the source of his powers). As Thor tries to adjust to 21st c. Earth (fish-out-of-water elements ensue) ... he tries to convince his new friends, and people like S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), that he is not some lunatic, but the actual Norse God of Thunder {haha}. And of course, some romance starts to flicker btwn. Thor & Jane. Meanwhile, back in Asgard, King Odin falls ill, and with Thor banished, Loki uses this crucial time to attain the title of King. What is he really up to? Just who IS Loki, anyway? What lessons about being a hero has Thor learned? By Loki’s hand, a dark force invades Earth. And it's up to Thor to save both planets from certain malevolence.
'Thor' won't be winning awards for excellence. But what it does (mostly well in its 110 minutes) is mesh a massive conglomeration of Norse mythology, comic book milieu, Shakespearean-like melodrama, brooding kings, scheming brothers, proud warriors, usurping of thrones, grandstanding, bang-'em up CGI, eye-popping art direction, light romance, cheeky humor, action, bombastic music, scary creatures, fiery explosions, etc ... like I said, massive conglomeration. 'Thor' tells an origin story (like the 1st 'Iron Man' did - character introduction, back stories, perfunctory plot), but it does so quite ably.
The film also benefits greatly from its charismatic star, Chris Hemsworth. Not only does he have obvious physical command, but his voice is engaging, he's funny & he handles Thor's emotional arc from entitled-to-humble quite well. The dude has got 'it'. The other stand-out performance is that of Loki's by British thespian, Tom Hiddleston. Loki is the most conflicted character in the plot (identity issues, flailing allegiances). He is not a clear-cut villain; which is good. And I was never sure of Loki's ambitions/intentions -- so Kudos to Hiddleston for bringing dimension to that shifty character.
My only issue with the movie is: I wanted everything to be just a little bit better. I LOVE Asgard. But I wish we could have seen more of the inner workings/day-to-day of that realm. Anthony Hopkins gets some chewy dialogue ... I just wanted more of it. Patrick Doyle's musical score is rousing, if not melodic or memorable. The special effects are excellent in some scenes (the rainbow colored bridge & planet transporter? WOW), but unfinished looking in others -- effects may not be Branagh's specialty. Natalie Portman is charming as Jane Foster, but there's not much in the script for her to do; ditto Skarsgard & Dennings. Comic book adaptations thrive in fish-out-of-water segments. I mean, here we've got a Norse God who's landed on Earth & asks a shop worker for a horse to ride on {haha} -- that's hysterical.
There's one other scene where Thor is done drinking his coffee in a cafe & smashes the cup on the ground; demanding some more - as he would in his palace -- funny. There needed to be more of that. There needed to be more interplay btwn. the characters. There needed to be more of everything. But I'm getting nitpicky because I really did like what I experienced; knowing that Branagh could have really missed the mark ... and doesn't. 'Thor' is a spectacle, through & through. It doesn't take itself too seriously (which is good). I was entertained (chomping away at my popcorn), & enjoyed the grand scale variety of mythology, robust performances, humor, enormous set pieces, scary-ass monsters, & ancient heroes doing their thing.