2011’s Thor, directed
by Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings,
Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander, Josh Dallas,
Tadanobu Asano, Ray Stevenson, Stellan Skarsgard, Tom Hiddleston, and Colm
Feore.
What is it about?
Thor is about a
(Norse-ish) demi god of thunder (Chris Hemsworth) who is the prince of the
planet Asgard, lead by their King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Queen Frigga (Rene
Russo). Arrogant and entitled, Thor, his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and
their friends, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three
(Jaimie Alexander, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, and Ray Stevenson)
foolishly attack their rivals, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. On the brink of
defeat, Odin intervenes and whisks the group back to safety. Disappointed, he
strips Thor of his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, as well as his powers, and sends
Thor to earth as punishment. Thor meets up with scientists (Natalie Portman,
Kat Dennings, and Stellan Skarsgard), and while he is gone adjusting to earth’s
strangeness, his brother Loki attempts to usurp the throne. Will Thor be able
to regain his honour and return to his home planet and loyal followers before
Loki’s treachery does him in?
Why is it worth seeing?
Thor is the fourth
film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s Phase 1 stage of Marvel’s grand
experiment. Similar to Iron Man, Thor features some deft casting in the
discovery of Chris Hemsworth to play the Norse inspired demi god, and it is
hard to imagine somebody else playing the future Avenger. And the Thor origin story is the most
influential in the events leading up to the eventual Avengers movie.
Director Kenneth Branagh brings some very pretty
cosmological set backgrounds, as the characters travel inter dimensionally from
one place to the next. He contrasts that nicely with lovely creatures such as
Hemsworth, Hiddleston, and Portman- who are always easy on the eyes.
Less easy is the business of creating worlds believing in.
Asgaard, as well as Jotunheim, exist in a green screen
world that is centred dead smack in the centre of Uncanny Valley. More organic,
but similarly geographically nihilistic, is the portrayal of the town, Puente
Antiguo, in New Mexico. It’s difficult to not be reminded of a low budget Western,
where there’s one downtown street built out of particle board.
Along with a lack of terra firma worth
resting on, is the other issue of middling battles and fight scenes. As a formidable but
forgettable generic body-less knight blasts intense beams of energy out of its
(not) face, did anybody witness James Marsden on the sidelines making a grievance for character defamation?
At times heavy on visuals, but lightweight on making an
impact, Thor has much to bellow and hammer,
but little to say or do. It’s biggest impression is how much of an impact its
seeds will make in the future.
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