FROM THE BUCKET REVIEWS ARCHIVE

Review: Thor

Danny Baldwin · May 13, 2011

Thor proves that summer movies need to be judged as if they constitute their own genre. Here is a film that, in any other form, probably would have gotten rightfully hammered by critics — and I say that in all sincerity, not as a convenient nod to the protagonist’s dedicated weapon. It is astoundingly simple, mostly made up of exposition for the inevitable sequel or reboot — often feeling like an FX-ed up version of the home movie that high-schoolers assigned to creatively interpret a Shakespeare play for which they only read the CliffsNotes would make. But, at the same time, Thor goes down well with a Coke Icee and we like (and often lust for) the characters and the pictures are pretty. When you have all of those ducks and they are cohesively put in a row by a skilled filmmaker like Kenneth Branagh, there really isn’t any room to complain about the work’s simplicity.

Relative newcomer Chris Hemsworth (whose only notable prior credit is James T. Kirk’s father in the prologue of the J.J. Abrams Star Trek) plays the title superhero. Thor hails from the galactic realm of Asgard, where he is about to inherit the throne from his father, King Odin (Anthony Hopkins). But before Thor is crowned, his cockiness proves his undoing; when Asgard is infiltrated by a few enemy Frost Giants, he recklessly takes his troupe of men to the realm of Jotunheim to retaliate. Because this causes unstable cross-realm relations, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. And so begins whole new chain of wild events, as Thor sticks out like a sore thumb when he touches down in New Mexico, at the feet of astrological scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her wry intern Darcy (Kat Dennings). While Thor faces stateside capture, his main problems remain back in Asgard, where his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) discovers a life-changing family secret and makes a power-play for the throne.

CliffsNotes Shakespeare is indeed the term that best describes the family-conflict dominated Thor–and appropriately so given Branaugh’s Old Globe cred–but obviously its Marvel Comics source is at play as well. As one of the final predecessors to The Avengers (where Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Hawkeye, and more will unite), there are more Marvel characters and cross-references here than ever before. Most prominently, Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Clark Gregg), best known from the Iron Man movies, is hot on Thor’s trail after discovering the Asgardian’s hammer, which Odin places in the desert like the Sword in the Stone, only to be unearthed by Thor when he is ready to be king. The freshly-cast Jeremy Renner also shows up as Hawkeye in an attempt to apprehend him, as does Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in a post-credits scene.

But that is not at all to say that Thor is just the obligatory introduction of a character in preparation for The Avengers; while not especially complex, it is a very enjoyable movie unto its own and is deserving of a standalone franchise. Hemsworth is unceasingly charismatic in his macho role, vastly superior to the many irritatingly screamy iterations of similar characters in the past, such as Gerard Butler’s in 300. Natalie Portman is the dreamboat she always is, imbuing everyday human likability in a comic-book character with just as much unmanufactured grace as Gwyneth Paltrow in Iron Man. And Kat Denings — what a breath of fresh air! Known for her indie-girl charm, she steps up to the big leagues here and creates a groovy supporting act. In other words, even if they aren’t exactly complex, the characters are wonderfully personable. Coupled with vibrant and colorful special effects, transporting the viewer to three eye-popping locales across the universe, and Branagh’s trademark directorial force, they can’t help but set the rest of the summer movie season up to be an anticlimax.

* * *

Thor (2011, USA). Produced by Victoria Alonso, Mike Bodkin, Louis D’Esposito, Kevin Feige, Debra James, Craig Kyle, Stan Lee, David Maisel, and Patricia Whitcher. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written for the screen by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, and Don Payne. Story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich. Based on the comic book by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, and Idris Elba. Distributed by Paramount Pictures. Rated PG-13, with a running time of 116 minutes.