Well, this review is a little late and I’m sure that most of you that even thought about seeing it have seen it by now. And, you know what? That’s alright. It’ll make my review a lot easier cause I want to break down the progress of the film. So, while I will still try to keep this spoiler free I’m going to really break this movie down some.
So, to start off: I don’t really think this whole Avenger’s movie needed all this build up. I don’t think every member of the Avengers needed a movie. Going into Thor, I thought he probably needed it the least. (Actually, The Hulk was the one that needs a movie the least but I know better then to dream when it comes to movies.) I would still argue that, based on how the movie ends, we didn’t need a Thor movie at all. However, after seeing the movie I have to admit that Paramount and/or Marvel did succeed at making this movie matter.
You see, Thor did a great job of setting up OTHER parts of the Avengers that have nothing to do with the actual hero Thor. Establishing other characters that may or may not play vital roles in the Avengers movie.
But, whether or not a Thor movie was needed, it was made, and it’s time to take a look at that movie for what it is. Now, to clarify, I’m a fan of Norse Mythology and I’ve never really liked the way Marvel handles that mythos… but, I do like the character Thor in the Marvel Universe. Odd, I know, but regardless that’s how I felt going into the theater. A bit cranky about the myth stuff, not sure the movie even needed to be made, but excited for a little Thor loving.
Unfortunately for me, the movie pretty much starts with Thor’s mythical realm of Asgard. It goes on and on for about twenty minutes… establishing characters, background, and why Thor is on Earth. While some of the characters upset me, a few others where presented so well I have to admit that I was impressed. So, the myth stuff was a toss up.
Overall, I thought it looked great but I was actually very bored during the Asgard segment that began the movie. What I would’ve suggested to the writers instead is a bit more “in medias res” for this. I’d have rather seen us jump in during the battle that lead to Thor’s being cast out of Asgard without all the build up. Just toss us into the confrontation between Thor’s pack and the Frost Giants. Then give us some of his first few days on Earth. Later, during a scene between he and Jane Foster driving in a truck and her asking him a bunch of questions we could’ve been given the full background of Thor, his family, the Frost Giants, and the whole thing. I think the flow would’ve been a lot easier to get into, and to be honest, I would’ve been more invested in the character Thor and his struggles earlier in the film. Instead I nearly lost all interest and I didn’t feel connected to the character at all until more then halfway through the movie.
Alright, that’s all my thoughts on the plot. What about the acting? Fantastic. All win. I don’t know who Chris Hemsworth is, but from now on I’ll always call him Thor. The same way that Dwayne Johnson will always be Rock, now Chris Hemsworth will be known forever to me as Thor. He was spot on. Perfect choice. Natalie Portman was again amazing, and in the last two years (without even seeing Black Swan yet) I’ve really developed a lot of respect for her work. On a side note: the kiss between Chris and Nat was HAAAWWWTTT. Hot hot hot. You know when you bite your Hot Pocket to early and it sears every bit of flesh within your mouth? But it’s to late now so you swallow and tears well in your eyes and you nearly pass out? Well, it was that hot but without all the pain. It. Was. Hot. And it’s not creepy that I think that. Not at all.
Oh, and Loki was okay. I think that’s a very hard character to play and Tom Hiddleston didn’t do a bad job. The character is just a nightmare and I can’t fault him for being a tiny bit flat. Everyone else in the film was just okay, but really no one else mattered.
The most interesting thing for me was the director. I had NO CLUE that Kenneth Branagh was the director. No idea. Had I known, Thor would’ve been a top three anticipated movie. I am a HUGE Kenneth Branagh fan. HUGE. Admittedly, it’s his work with Shakespeare that I love so much. Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Henry V are some of my favorite movies. Ever. The only reason I ever even read Shakespeare was because of Kenneth Branagh. The man is brilliant. Branagh, not Shakespeare. Oh… wait… okay, they’re both brilliant but I was referring to Branagh in this case.
That said, I wouldn’t claim Thor as one of his best works. Still, you can see his fingerprints all over this film. The chemistry between Thor and Jane Foster (despite a weak WEAK written script between the two) was made believable because of good acting and great directing. The vision of Asgard was beautiful and I know that was at least 80% Kenneth. Almost every successful joke came down to great timing, and that is created by a great director. So, it’s my opinion that a lot of the success of this movie will come down to Kenneth Branagh. And that is about the only time you’ll hear me praise a director. So enjoy it. One thing I didn’t like was the action sequences- also the director. In that respect Thor fell flat. None of the fights felt very epic and most of the larger battles were to all-over-the-place to really follow. That would be my one big director complaint.
Alright, final score time. Did Thor live up to it’s divine background, or will I slap it down like Thor was cast down from Asgard? The answer is: neither. Three Mjolnirs.
It was alright. I wasn’t as impressed as Twitter apparently was, but I didn’t hate it at all. I’d recommend it to most people. It was the middle spot on my top ten must see list and it really was just average. A good starting point for Captain America and Avengers later on, but I won’t be counting the days till its bluray release.
In the end, I still say this movie never had to be made. But… it’s not soooo bad that it was. I guess.
