Movies Reviews

Thor – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie May 6, 2011, 9:53 GMT

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the epic adventure, "Thor," which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young ...more

It’s a Marvel kind of a season and that’s a good season.  Marvel, who also makes the Iron Man and Spider man films, relies on quality scripts, art direction and casting to make films that are significant as well as fun.

With X-Men: First Class, Nick Fury, The Avengers, Captain America, Dr. Strange, Deadpool and Ant-Man on the horizon, and Thor a precursor, it may prove to be a dynamic few years at the movies. 

The obscenely financed, nerd fed celebrations of ritual war, the cult of personality and larger than life milieu of comic book superheroes is catnip.  It costs a lot, it makes a lot and we hope Marvel keeps pumping out more of the same, high quality superhero films.

Shakespearean in scope and tone, Thor is a comic book super hero you can really get behind; if offers everything a good movie needs – comic book based or otherwise – a compelling story,  a cultural mythos,  heroism and in this case, a unique language.   And this Chris Hemsworth kid’s not bad.  He is Thor and he has the physique and presence to undertake such a part. 

You know it’s going to be loud – Thor is the God of Thunder – but you may not be prepared for the bone rattling, deep gut growling, howling cacophony of it all.  It’s a physical ride, more than mere story and visual art; you can feel it through and through.   The art direction is stunning and original – we’ve never seen a space universe like Thor’s home Asgard. 

Oh, by the way, Thor only pops in to earth to drink in the worship of adoring Scandinavians!  An ego boost! He has bigger fish to fry like assuming the crown of his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) keeping the peace within Asgard, controlling his loose cannon brother  Loki (Tom Hiddleston)  and working off excess space testosterone that seems to course through his mighty veins. 

Life on Asgard is focused on warfare and getting something the other guy doesn’t have, power, the hammer, the crown, the girl.  Politics and being on high alert is what passes for life here. And Thor is one pugnacious, self-important dude, the kind who rarely stops to think things through; he offends many and is always at war.

Long story short, Thor literally lands in a New Mexico desert, in exile from Asgard.  He regains his composure and finds he is no longer in gilt chambers, on bridges made of ice and stars with soldiers in gold breastplates and fur.

No, he’s in the desert in rural New Mexico, and Natalie Portman’s shaking him awake.  And suddenly he’s in jeans and a plaid short.   She’s with her colleagues Erik (Stellan Skarsgård) (conveniently Scandinavian!!) and adorable but daffy Darcy (Kat Dennings), scientists experimenting and researching in a very hip looking glass desert dome. 

Thor’s arrival draws the attention of the feds and they close rank around the spot where he landed and a mysterious hammer and, insult to injury, steal the scientists’ work and iPods. 

The idea of a space god landing in small town USA and hooking up with this crowd and finding one especially attractive is funny – and the film certainly mines that territory.  How would space gods behave if they ate at the diner, strolled down the dusty boulevard, admired the view, developed a crush on a local cutie?  It’s funny.   Watching the locals gape?  Hilarious.

The Earth and Asgard sequences are vastly different but co-exist well.  The filmmakers have found a good and comfortable balance and it’s never jarring, but always interesting.  There is plenty to see in Thor besides these two worlds, huge moments, intimate moments, battle scenes and chase scenes, love scenes and fun scenes. 

It’s big, noisy, fast, thrilling, sweet, romantic and wickedly entertaining. Two hammers up.

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Written by Ashley Miller, Zach Stentz, et al
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Opens May 6
Runtime: 114 minutes
MPAA: PG 13
Country: USA
Language: English and Asagardian