How do you do a film about a hammer-wielding Norse god? How do you do it successfully with a director best known for Shakespearian adaptations? And with relative unknowns as both the hero and the villain of the film? Thor is a film that tries to answer all these questions as it tackles what could be an impossible project to get right; to make and have people take it serious enough to go watch it. Sam Raimi attempted to back in the 90s and failed to get it developed, so can the comic company itself do it?
The film centres around Thor (Chris Hemsworth), son of Odin All-Father (Anthony Hopkins) and heir to the throne of Asgard - one of nine realms which make up the universe. On the day of his coronation, the event is interrupted by a break-in in the Vaults as Frost Giants (creatures from a separate realm which the Asgardians waged war with) to retrieve their source of power: the Casket of Ancient Winters. Because of this break-in, Thor alongside brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), potential love interest Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three (Joshua Dallas, Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano) travel to the Frost Giants home Jotunheim to seek revenge and the praise of his father for doing what he couldn't. Odin stops this and punishes Thor for treason by removing his power and worthiness, casting him out and ensuring that only he who is worthy can pick up Thor's trusty hammer Mjolnir. Once cast onto Earth (also known as Midgard), he meets a trio of scientists lead by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who initially believe him to be a madman before noticing him in the data received from the wormhole that Thor arrived from. From there, Jane tries to figure out the mystery of Thor and his strange mannerisms whilst Thor tries to retrieve his hammer, which secret organisation S.H.I.E.L.D, here lead by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg in his third outing thus far) which was teased in the post-credits scene in Iron Man 2. Back on Asgard, Loki discovers his true heritage and is given the role of ruler of Asgard following father Odin falling into a coma, which he uses to his own advantage due to always craving the throne to ensure that Thor doesn't return.
If you had said before this film that Kenneth Branagh could direct an action film, most would scoff. His filmography as a director was filled mainly filled with period pieces or adaptations of classic stories such as Frankenstein and Henry V, but surprisingly he fits the bill here. The scenes set on Asgard show the elegance of the realm likely picked up from scenes revolving royalty whilst the Earthbound action sequences do look really good, if not a tad generic. His work on the scene where Thor gets to his hammer is a wonderfully filmed scene thanks to Branagh, and it is a pity that he couldn't return for the later sequel. The screenplay itself is a little safe, opting for the outsider approach where the foreigner is instead from another world than simply abroad, although gags revolving around Thor learning how different Earth customs are compared to Asgardian thankfully don't pan out into a running joke, as there's very few of them and they are never repeated (bar "Another!", which is reused briefly in Thor: The Dark World). But like I said, it doesn't go too far out there, even reverting back to the standard romance storyline that Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk refreshingly didn't feature.
That said, the chemistry that Hemsworth and Portman do share is rather strong, and it's evident that there is possibly some actual connection between the two. Portman's Jane Foster being smitten by this strangely hunky madman thankfully isn't an immediate feeling, whilst Thor grows fond of her when it's evident that Foster is with a small but significant scene between the two explaining the science of the nine realms. There's also some strong chemistry between Hemsworth and adopted brother Hiddleston, showing strong rapport in the first act and a key change in allegiance for the standard big battle at the end. It's also an interesting twist that the hero is adamant about fighting his enemy, as all the Marvel films as of 2015 - with the exception of Captain America: The Winter Soldier - have been straightforward with the conflict of the bad guys as they simply didn't like each other or believed in different beliefs. Such a hesitance continues into the duo's return in the following year's Avengers Assemble shows that the battle here doesn't affect the opinion Thor has on his brother. As he says in Avengers Assemble, "We were raised together. We played together, we fought together." That's an interesting new dynamic for the superhero genre.
Anywho, Chris Hemsworth is an absolute delight as the titular hero, clearly having a lot of fun as the foolish misfit and certainly making that costume look good. He does have tough competition by Tom Hiddleston, who's quickly been eaten up by fangirls and praised as their new god, but in the battle of newbies he takes the gold. That's not to say Hiddleston isn't good - if anything, he's the strongest Marvel villain thus far - but he isn't given the greatness and overarching appeal that has spiralled out of control yet. Natalie Portman does a fine job as the typical romantic interest, even if she isn't given a lot to do once that romantic angle takes control. Once they have a drive in the RV, the scientist angle of her character is sidelined to lust over her newly-assigned God. Her mini team, composed of Kat Dennings as a student and the newest member of the Branagh go-to club Stellen Skarsgård as Jane's father figure, are both rather good even if they too are fitting specific of being the funny one and the smart one. Kudos to the production team though for not taking advantage of Denning's...physique for cheap shots at comedy. Meanwhile, Clark Gregg is given an extended role as being what causes Jane to help Thor in the first place on his quest for Mjolnir, playing the grounded character despite having just been through weird antics in Iron Man six months earlier, and newcomer to the series Jeremy Renner has a brief cameo as Clint "Hawkeye" Barton, adding nothing to the actual plot but a somewhat amusing running commentary on the events taking place at that time.
Back on Asgard, it's a typical job for Anthony Hopkins as Odin, who gets the blessing of wearing regal gear and a lovely eyepatch. He does a fine job, but nothing quite so prestigious as say Hannibal Lecter. Plus half of his role consists of sleeping, so there's that. Rene Russo has a fleeting appearance of wife Frigga, given little to do for this instalment of the Thor series, so its best just to keep an eye on her before her appearance in the sequel. It's a pity also that Sif and the Warriors Three, whilst given quite a bit to do, aren't really that memorable. Jaimie Alexander has at least had more to do since thanks to her two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, but aside from appearing in a battle against the rather neat Destroyer they aren't really notable. Finally, there's Idris Elba as Heimdall - the gatekeeper to all the realms. Again, he's not given that much to do aside from stick a sword in either the equivalent of a USB post which loads the rest of the universe or as an actual sword. That said, Elba does rather well - so well that it lead to a lengthier role later down in the line.
Thor is far from the most creative film, least of all from the Marvel roster. But what lacks in creativity it gains in enjoyability, as there's rarely a dull moment. The slower scenes are appreciated after action sequences, and it appeases by featuring a newer dynamic between the hero and villain. There isn't a weak actor in the bunch even though some characters are short-changed, and Branagh does a surprise turn and prove that he can direct action films - especially something so utterly bizarre as one about a norse god exiled to New Mexico of all places (very refreshing against the likes of New York). Surprisingly a lot of fun for a film about a guy with a good hammer. 9/10.
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