"THOR" (2011) Review
"THOR" (2011) Review
My knowledge of European-based mythology is very sketchy. I am familiar with some figures of both the Greek and Roman mythologies. But my knowledge of Norse mythology is even less. As for the many characters from Marvel Comics, I barely knew about any of them - aside from "SPIDER-MAN", until the past decade or so. One can only imagine my surprise when I learned that one of Marvel Comics' more successful super heroes was the Norse god, Thor.
Based upon the Norse mythology and the Marvel Comics character, "THOR" is an origin tale about the God of Thunder (and several other things), and how he ends up on Earth and becomes affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D. The story begins in New Mexico, when scientist Jane Foster, her assistant Darcy Lewis and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig stumble across a figure that has tumbled from a wormhole in the sky. That figure turns out to be Thor, the Norse god that was exiled by his father, Odin, king of Asgard.
Earlier, Thor had been preparing to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but his ceremony was interrupted when Frost Giants attempted to retrieve the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters, which had been taken by Odin in an earlier war. Against Odin's order, Thor traveled to Jotunheim, the Frost Giants' realm, to confront their leader Laufey; accompanied by his brother Loki, childhood friend Sif and the Warriors Three - Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun. A battle ensued until Odin intervened to save the Asgardians, which destroyed the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor's arrogance, Odin stripped his son of godly power and exiled the latter to Earth, accompanied by Thor's hammer Mjolnir - the source of his power, now protected by a spell to allow only the worthy to wield it.
No one had been more surprised than me upon learning that actor/director Kenneth Branagh had manned the helm for "THOR". Pop culture movie franchises were nothing new to him. After all, he had appeared in 2002's "HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS". But directing an adaptation of a comic book series? Mind you, "Thor" is a different kettle of fish in compare to . . . say "Spider-Man", "The Fantastic Four" or "Captain America". After all, Thor originated as a figure in Norse mythology. However, I must admit that I found it difficult to wrap my mind around the idea of a known Shakespearean actor directing a comic book hero movie.
In the end, I believe that Branagh did a pretty good job. "THOR" turned out to be a solid tale filled with mythology, some first-rate acting, family drama, comedy and action. The best aspect of "THOR" was to me - hands down - the family drama surrounding the main hero and his relationships with his father Odin and his younger brother, Loki. The family drama began with a mixture of Thor's arrogant nature and brother Loki's discovery that he was an orphan that Odin had discovered in the Frost Giants realm. Despite his discovery that he was a Frost Giant instead of an Asgardian, Loki viewed Thor as an unsuitable heir to the Asgard throne and used Thor's exile to muscle his way to the throne . . . and, uh Odin's heart.
Another aspect of "THOR" I found interesting was the story line about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation into the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth and his hammer Mjolnir, which is stuck in the middle of the New Mexican desert like Excalibur. The first encounter between the forces of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Thor during a rainy evening also provided some interesting action. This sequence not only featured a brutal fight to the now mortal Thor and a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a cameo appearance by future Avenger member, Clint Barton aka Hawkeye.
The New Mexico sequences provided most of the comedy featured in "THOR". The former Norse god's interactions with Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis and the locals of the New Mexico town where they resided. Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne's screenplay not only provided a good deal of slapstick humor and witty one-liners for the Darcy Lewis character, but also a variation on the "fish out of water" theme for Thor's character arc.
And If there is one thing that the movie did shine was its production designs and cinematography. Bo Welch did a excellent job in recapturing the rugged setting of the small New Mexican town and the Frost Giants' realm of Jotunheim, featured in the film. But he did a superb job in his design of Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods. Asgard possessed a sleek, colorful and over-the-top quality that reminded me of what the Art Deco style would look in the hands of Hollywood craftsmen in the 1930s and 40s. And Haris Zambarloukos' photography did great justice to both settings, especially Welch's designs for Asgard. Even though I found the movie's theme somewhat conflicting, I must admit that I found Paul Rubell's editing rather smooth and well done in both the action sequences and the jumps between Asgard and New Mexico.
However, I have yet to encounter a movie that I would consider perfect. And "THOR" was far from perfect. The film's main problem was that it seemed to have a conflicting quality about it. Because the movie's setting constantly moved from Asgard to New Mexico and back, it ended up striking me as a mixture of "CLASH OF THE TITANS" and "STARMAN". And this conflicting style did barely had any balance. I could have settled for "THOR" beginning its story in Asgard and remaining in New Mexico until the last scene. Unfortunately, most of the movie's more important action occurred in Asgard, leaving the New Mexico sequences to bear the brunt of most of the comedy. By the time the movie's last scene ended, I could not tell whether this was a movie about mythological gods or a comic book hero. "THOR" was a pretty good movie, but it did not exactly rock my boat. I found the story a bit mediocre and conventional. And the problem, if I must be honest, rested with Marvel Comics' decision to create a comic series about a well-established mythological figure, instead of a new and original character.
If there was one aspect that "THOR" was blessed with . . . it was the cast. The three actors and one actress that portrayed Thor's Asgardian friends - Sif and the Warriors Three - were very popular with moviegoers when the film first hit the theaters back in 2011. I can see why. Josh Dallas, Jamie Alexander, Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano made a first-rate screen team. I do not think they were able to re-capture the same chemistry in future movies as they did in this one. More the pity. Although Rene Russo went from went from leading lady to character actress within a decade, I have to give kudos to her for giving a warm and solid portrayal of Thor's stepmother, Frigga. I was amazed at how Elba managed to convey all of Hemidall's emotions and intelligence with very limited movement. No wonder he became very popular with many of the film's characters. And Colm Feore managed to do something quite similar. He conveyed all of Laufey's malice and secrecy behind a ton of body makeup.
Aside from Hemsworth's foray into slapstick, the New Mexico sequences featured a deliciously sly and humorous performance by Kat Dennings, who portrayed Darcy. And it was great to see Clark Gregg reprise the role of Phil Coulson for the third time (he made two earlier performances in the two IRON MAN movies). Thankfully, the movie's script allowed him to be more complex and increasingly sardonic, allowing Gregg to really show his acting chops. Finally, the movie benefited from solid performances by Anthony Hopkins' majestic portrayal of Odin, Thor's father, Stellan Skarsgård as Jane's dependable and practical mentor, Dr. Eric Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in the movie's post-credits sequence. Only Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye seemed wasted in this film. In fact, he did nothing at all, except pose with a bow and arrow. Scarlett Johanssen had a bigger role in 2010's "IRON MAN 2". This seemed like a poor introduction of the Hawkeye character into the MCU, considering that he was scheduled to appear in the 2012 film, "THE AVENGERS".
I never thought Anthony Hopkins, of all people, would end up in the a comic book movie franchise. But I am glad that he did. He gave a very commanding performance as Odin, King of Asgard and father of both Thor and Loki. In fact, one of my favorite moments in the film featured Odin stripping Thor of his power and this was due to a powerful performance by Hopkins. Natalie Portman gave a charming and humorous portrayal of Dr. Jane Foster, the astrophysicist who was not only obsessed with her work, but eventually finds love with Thor. Mind you, I did not find her character particularly exceptional. I am glad to say that Portman managed to make Jane a more than interesting personality. One of the best performances came from Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki, Thor's resentful and conniving younger brother. Loki was definitely the movie's main villain. The joke he had played (luring three Frost Giants to the chamber that held the Casket of Ancient Winters) on Thor's ascension ceremony not only led him to the discovery that he was an abandoned Frost Giant infant taken by Odin, but also gave him the opportunity to discredit Thor and take the latter's position as Odin's more cherished son. Mind you, I cannot say that Hiddleston conveyed Loki's mischievous sense of humor effectively. But he did handle Loki's conniving nature, jealousy toward Thor and outrage over the story behind his true nature with great skill and subtlety.
I had been surprised to learn that lead actor Chris Hemsworth was the same man who portrayed James T. Kirk's doomed father in the 2009 movie, "STAR TREK". His George Kirk had been so dull. Fortunately, portraying Thor gave Hemsworth the opportunity to shine in a complex role that developed from an arrogant and over-privileged prince with an aggressive sense of self to a more compassionate and wiser man who had fallen in love. For an actor who only had eight or nine years of acting experience a decade ago - most of them on television - Hemsworth more than held his own against the likes of Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins. Those scenes that featured Thor's encounters with Jane's van conveyed Hemsworth's talent for physical slapstick humor. As an on-screen fighter, he struck me as a bit crude, but he improved with time.
In conclusion, "THOR" proved to be an entertaining movie and another step toward "THE AVENGERS", the big Marvel Cinematic Universe saga for 2012. The movie provided solid direction from Kenneth Branagh and excellent performances from most of the cast. But the movie's conflicting genre(s) and somewhat mediocre story led me to realize that I would never consider it to be one of the outstanding releases from Marvel Studios.