Kenneth Branagh directs this Marvel Comics-inspired action flick about the thunder god Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful warrior whose father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) -- the king of Asgard -- forces him to live among humans on Earth and learn humility. Once there, he finds a friend (Natalie Portman), along with unexpected enemies sent from his world.
What is there to actually like about Thor? Most of the time a film centered around the Gods and their mystical powers always wind up being high on cheesy CGI effects and low on actual plot development. Here not only does Marvel have to do the difficult task of translating Thor on screen, but they have to do it in a way that it fits into their eventual Avengers mash-up last year. That constant reminder that there will be an Avengers film ruined Iron Man 2 with its random Shield and Fury appearances. You are still reminded of this mash-up a lot during Thor, but they handle it a lot better here by actually having it roll within the plot rather than it feeling like an unnecessary cameo.
Anyway, going back to Thor, he may have the most unrealistic story, development, and origin than all of the other heroes, but here it feels as realistic as you could possibly achieve. Everything they show you, tell you, and revealed to you makes sense so that it can allow you to believe it could happen, even though it’s just not possible. You have to allow your imagination to run with it. The main plot may be unoriginal with the jealous younger brother wanting the crown for himself, but the banishment of Thor to earth for “rebirth” and the actual character development they give to the villain make it feel fresh and exciting. One of the best, if not the best, type of villain you can create is one who never is truly evil; he once was a good man who did terrible things for all the right reasons. This relationship these two brothers share is what stands out most and watching the two of them transform into their most powerful beings is a shining moment for Marvel. They have taken what should have failed and turned it into their best work to date.
Most of that recognition has to belong to the three Gods of War. Chris Hemsworth as Thor nails it, regardless if he is playing the cocky war hero or the sentimental prince. He can flick back and forth without hesitation. I might add his time spent on earth is downright hilarious. At times you’d thought this was a comedy. His brother Loki, played by Tom Middleton, turns in a fine performance himself because he is a villain that you can come to understand and feel sympathy for, you know you can never root for him, but you hope he destroy the demons eating at him from within. Last but certainly not least is Anthony Hopkins as the King. The trailers made him look like complete shit, but he is just so damn awesome here. What should’ve been the cheesiest role of all ends up being the glue that holds these two brothers together. While Portman was in it, I am quite positive they are saving her character development for a sequel because they just could not fit her in as much as they probably would have liked.
Well, Marvel has bounced back mightily from that setback titled Iron Man 2. Thor is the best mainstream superhero flick since The Dark Knight and now probably puts high expectations on Captain America. Thor may be hard to top and if the Captain can match 75% of what Thor accomplished here, Marvel should be riding high going into The Avengers. Fans of fun action films should flock to see this, it is easily one of the better films out this year and certainly one of the better comic book adaptions to the big screen.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
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