Verily, Thor is one of my fave characters…ever, by Mjolnir!
Um, Mjolnir is the name of Thor’s hammer. Duh.
Yes, Thor…Marvel Comics’ version of the Norse God of Thunder, has finally made it to Hollyweird. And…they got it right! Well, mostly. But that’s good enough. “Thor” tells the story of an outcast God who is exiled to Earth, or Midgard, if you’re taking notes. While on Earth he must prove his worth and help humanity when trouble comes calling.
Kenneth Branagh directs Chris Hemsworth as Thor, son of Odin and Frigga, brother to Loki. Branagh was a surprising choice to direct an action flick, but at its heart the Thor saga reads like a Shakespearian tragedy. Ah, Shakespeare? Suddenly Kenneth Branagh is a perfect fit!
Chris Hemsworth, who impressed us all with his small but powerful role as Captain Kirk’s father in STAR TREK, is even more impressive here. He brings all the swagger, bravado, and arrogance Thor is known for, while looking the part, too. The man got seriously buff for the role. He does a really great job.
Natalie Portman, the beautiful and talented Oscar winner for Black Swan, here plays Jane Foster, an astrophysicist. Along with coworkers Kat Dennings and Stellan Starsgard, she helps bring Thor down to Earth, so to speak. While Kat Dennings is basically cute comic relief in the flick, having both her and Mz Portman in the same movie is a beautiful thing. Starsgard is really good in the flick. I’m not even sure if his character is in the Marvel Universe (Portman’s is, but with a different career), but he was very good.
Among the Asgardians in the flick, Anthony Hopkins plays Odin the All Father. He did a fine job and was surprisingly understated. I expected him to chew up the scenery. I’m glad he held back. Sadly he had no ravens with him. You win some you lose some. Rene Russo plays Frigga. Small role, but she was fine. Idris Elba plays Heimdall, the gatekeeper of sorts for Asgard. He was fine, but rather unrecognizable. Thor’s good buddies and often time companions in battle, the Warriors Three, were played very well by Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, and Ray Stevenson, which is kinda funny because he’s played another Marvel character, the Punisher PUNISHER: WAR ZONE. The brave and lovely Lady Sif was played by Jaimie Alexander.
Loki…you know, my dog’s name is Loki. But it turns out maybe I shoulda named him Volstagg…but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, Loki is played by Tom Hiddleston. Loki’s a tricky character, and he’s tricky to pull off. Hiddleston did a pretty good job, but I have to say he played him a little too classy and almost noble for my taste. But he was fine overall and we’ll see him again. Maybe there’ll be a little more meat to him then.
While I really enjoyed Thor, it’s not without its flaws. I do feel though that the good very much outweighs the bad. In fact my biggest complaint going in was the costumes, but I have to admit that was almost immediately forgotten. All in all Thor was pretty great and I can’t wait for the next few Marvel Comics flicks.