Review: Thor

The summer of 2011 promises a glut of superhero films. With Green Lantern appearing to feature a scale more befitting a Star Wars film than the typically Earthbound comic book films we’ve been exposed to thus far, and Captain America bringing the genre into 1940s period high-adventure, the superhero film is still going strong, even venturing into promising new directions. While both of those films (along with Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class) have showed great promise in their marketing materials, the biggest question mark of the summer movie season has arrived before them all. Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, detailing the adventures of the god of thunder himself, comes already burdened with the weight of expectations. Unlike 2008’s Iron Man, which snuck up on audiences and won them over with charm and action to spare, Thor heralds the second wave of Marvel’s attempts to create a cinematic Marvel Universe that houses many of its most prominent characters, all culminating with next summer’s The Avengers. It is with a modicum of relief that I can say Thor is a largely successful, yet fairly uneven superhero flick that shines more often than it stumbles.

In the mystical realm of Asgard, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) rules over his kingdom, attempting to instill the virtues of a just leader in his two sons, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). On the day that Thor is to be crowned the new king, an incident involving Asgard’s old enemy, the Frost Giants, disrupts the ceremony. Bent on proving his might to the Frost Giants, Thor disobeys his father and attacks their realm, pushing the two civilizations to the brink of war. Furious, Odin banishes his arrogant son to Earth, stripping him of his powers and the mighty hammer Mjolnir until he can learn humility. This puts Thor into contact with Jane Porter (Natalie Portman), a scientist researching the existence of alternate worlds, of which Thor is potential proof. As Thor must learn to cope with his human limits, Loki makes a grab for the throne of Asgard, attempting to engineer a conflict with the Frost Giants while ensuring that Thor cannot return to stop him.

The early scenes of Thor show much promise. After an unnecessary prologue involving Jane coming across Thor’s body in the desert, we are immersed in Asgard for the first third of the film. Branagh is clearly more interested in these scenes than the later ones set on Earth, as it allows him to indulge in all manner of theatrics and intrigue. The fantasy realm is well-realized, a place simultaneously of the past and the future. Here people wear suits of armor with ornate helmets, speaking portentously of things like the Bifrost Bridge, and the power of Mjolnir. This is more Lord of the Rings than Iron Man, and thus it’s all extremely silly, but also very fun. It’s a nice departure from the staid locales of most superhero films, providing the film with a sense of scope that the trailers did not promise. Furthermore, the actors seem to be having a ball with all of this. Chris Hemsworth, previously glimpsed briefly in the opening scenes of Star Trek as Kirk’s dad, is excellent. He imbues Thor with the requisite power and arrogance, but he also shows a great deal of genuine charisma, a screen presence that seems effortless and endears the character to us even when he is behaving foolishly. Anthony Hopkins gives a standard, recent Anthony Hopkins performance, which means he chews scenery like there’s no tomorrow. But with scenery like this, it’s no wonder. Finally, Tom Hiddleston is quite impressive as Loki, conveying deceitfulness the character requires, but never letting us lose sight of the hurt and fear that fuels his quest for the throne.

Once Thor is banished to Earth, however, the film’s problems start in earnest. First of all, the tone takes a shift into some broad comedy for a bit. Kat Dennings grates on the nerves as the comedic relief, a research assistant to Jane. Most of her jokey scenes have been featured in the trailers and, while they are brief, they do their part to disrupt the film’s flow. In keeping with that, the Earth segment causes the film to lose focus. By this point Thor’s arc is obvious: He must learn humility and the value of self-sacrifice in order to reclaim Mjolnir and his rightful place in Asgard. Theoretically the Earth scenes should show us that Thor is growing, learning to care about others as he grows to care about this strange new world. But that transformation seems to be taken for granted, with Thor arriving at his newfound wisdom out of nowhere after a few days of searching for his weapon and having the briefest of interactions with actual human beings. The film spends the time building up Thor’s character, only to abandon him for a 15-20 minute stretch as we follow Portman’s character as she struggles to comprehend this handsome new development in her life. But Portman’s character is not given much definition other than “she’s a serious scientist” and then “she’s in love with Thor.” Admittedly, Portman is extremely charming in her role; I especially liked how flustered and smitten she acts around Thor. But for us to believe that she is the reason Thor learns the value of others, she would need to be a more fully developed character.

The flaws don’t end there. I understand that product placement is an inevitability in modern blockbusters, but does it have to be so flagrant? 7-11 and Dr. Pepper are featured prominently in shot after shot, and it becomes distracting as the film goes on. Furthermore the at this point obligatory inclusion of elements of S.H.I.E.L.D., which will pay off in The Avengers, feels unnecessary, though they are integrated into the plot more smoothly than in Iron Man 2. This includes a cameo by a prominent actor set to appear in The Avengers who is in this film seemingly only to announce his existence to the general movie-going populace. It’s not integrated well and it comes off as forced (however, I should admit that I enjoyed some nods to the other films, including one tossed off reference to Bruce Banner’s predicament). Lastly are the dutch angles. I haven’t seen them so overused since Battlefield Earth. Okay, it isn’t that bad, but it feels like an unnecessary stylistic flourish that adds little to the proceedings. The opening scenes made me nervous with how prominently they appeared, but either they were used less later in the film or I got used to them.

Despite those flaws, Thor remains an enjoyable experience. The scenes on Asgard, as mentioned, are epic and silly and very fun, and the action is both inventive and well shot (which is a blessing in modern Hollywood). When Thor springs into action with Mjolnir you really get a sense of the awesome power that he wields. His fight on earth with a giant Asgardian killing machine is filled with iconic imagery, Thor flying around with his flowing cape while lightning clashes in the background. And the ending, when Thor returns to Asgard to stop his brother’s machinations end things on a satisfying note, both in terms of action and thematics. Special mention must be made of Idris Elba as Heimdall, the guardian of the portal between worlds. He’s quite an imposing figure, and his booming voice lends a power befitting a citizen of Asgard (he also gets the funniest line of the film, a quick aside that doesn’t disrupt the tone as the other humor does). If there is a sequel, the Elba had better be back.

What I can say definitively after viewing Thor is that I eagerly await Chris Hemsworth’s pairing with the rest of the Avengers, as it’s clear that he is a star and one who can hold the screen with the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans (who, barring something going horribly wrong, should be a great Captain America). I also look forward to future adventures in this universe, a place unique to comic book films thus far. If they can find Natalie Portman something to do in the next one and get a less uneven script, then there’s no reason that Thor can’t join the ranks of the best big screen comic book heroes. As a kick off to this summer of superheroes, it’s more than worthy.