What better character to bring the summer movie boom than the God of Thunder himself, Thor! Marvel’s latest endeavor moving their print hero’s to the silver screen starts this year’s summer movie season and is the first of two Avenger’s setup movies with Captain America: The First Avenger coming this July. Thor takes us from the distant realm of Asgard to the deserts of New Mexico and keeps us thoroughly entertained throughout. We are treated with a quick history of how the Asgardian’s came to be Nordic Gods, hundreds of years ago the “Frost Giants” of yet another realm decided to try and take over Earth, the primitive Viking force they encountered was no match for the army of frost giants so down comes Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and his army to destroy the frost giants and save earth. Fast forward a few hundred years, Odin’s sons Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki are in contest for the throne of Asgard, with Thor in the lead. On the day of Thor’s coronation three frost giants break into Asgard to steal back their “casket” aka the heart of their civilization. The three are quickly destroyed by the “Destoyer” a giant metallic robot who shoots high density flames from his face. Odin decrees that there is no retribution to be had and the transgressors have been dealt with. Not happy with this Thor takes his core warriors to Jautenheim, the home world of the frost giants and opens a can of Asgardian vengeance on it’s inhabitants, before they can get back to Asgard they are cornered and saved only when Odin shows up at the last second. Having broken the truce with Jautenheim, Odin has no choice but to strip Thor of his power and exile him to Earth. Thor’s not alone in his trip to earth though as Odin also sends Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer and source of his power, to Earth instilling in it that whoever is worthy shall lift this hammer and have the power of Thor. Thor awakens on Earth when he’s struck by a van driven by physicist Jane (Natalie Portman) and her team. From here Thor must become the man he’s supposed to be and find his way back to Asgard to reveal the traitors amongst his people and save his home from destruction.
(FULL Review after the break! So click read more!!)
Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, downright amazing. There….is that quote worthy enough for ya? I have to be honest with you I was extremely nervous going into this film…Marvel’s track record is good enough, sure, but they’ve never dealt with magic before. I mean, this is the stuff that if not done right could come of as straight up cheesy. I’m happy to report that though the movie is full of God’s and magic and more otherworldly things they somehow do it so that it doesn’t bring you out of the movie. Asgard, Thor’s home world, is downright beautiful and I love that they managed to explain their existence in Earths Nordic mythology. The cast….I mean WOW, Marvel’s always done a great job with casting but there is not a weak spot in the chain as far as Thor goes. Hemsworth is especially good, carrying scenes (especially those taking place during his…adjustment period....to earth’s culture, which had definite possibilities of coming off badly, had another actor stood in his place. He’s simply likeable, that’s all there is to it. Portman is perfect as Jane, only an actress of her caliber could be so beautiful and still pull off shyness…oh and she’s a master physicist; put it this way, her performance is the polar opposite of Denise Richards as bond “babe” Christmas Jones. Complementing her as the witty sidekick is a totally loveable Kat Dennings, who adds most of the laughs not received through Thor’s adjustment to humanity. Also keep your eyes open for a great cameo from a Oscar nominated future Avenger. The action in the movie is top notch, you can easily tell that no dollar was spared on this production. Though there is a lot of time where not too much is going on the story and script is strong enough that you don’t really notice that you’ve just been watching people talk for 20 minutes. A scene to keep your eyes out for is what I will refer to as the “transformation” scene. If this scene doesn’t blow your skirt up than I don’t know what will.
Bad stuff, bad stuff….hmmmm. Well, for one the 3D is not worth the extra money…but then again, it never really is. There’s nothing expressly wrong with it, it certainly doesn’t detract from the film ala Clash of the Titans but it doesn’t add enough to be worth another $5 of your hard earned dollars. I also could’ve done with more of the Asgardian in fighting instead of dealing with the frost giants, I understand their necessity…just didn’t think they were all that impressive. That brings me to my next gripe, all of the major threats in the film are dealt with rather quickly once they arise. You won’t find a 20 minute long action scene here, but what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality.
Marvel Studios has knocked one out of the park with this flick and it appears they used Thor’s hammer when swinging cause that baby is WAYYYY outta here. I’ll have to watch both Thor and Iron Man 2 again to decide, but my gut reaction is that this is the best thing Marvel has put out yet. I’m desperately hoping that Captain America: The First Avenger keeps this trend going, seeing as how he’s the main guy in the Avengers should his movie suck it will spell bad omen with a capital O for the future team projects. I think it goes without saying at this point that Thor is a must see, avoid 3D but DEFINITELY see it in theaters, though you may want to wait until week two if you’re not a fan of crowds, based on the lines I saw at the press screening people are ready to head out in droves to see this flick.
4.5 Out of 5 Guttenberg’s
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston
Directed by: Kenneth Branaugh
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Release Date: May 6th
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