Review: Thor

I remember first hearing Marvel was planning a series of films leading up to The Avengers some time around April 2008, just before the first Iron Man. I thought to myself "Huh, that's interesting," but had little other reaction. Iron Man proved an astounding success, taking what was to my mind one of the less-spectacular of Marvel's titles and giving it the star treatment. Robert Downey Jr. brought Tony Stark to life in a way that made his time outside the suit almost, if not more, interesting than his time in it.

Then later that year I refused to watch Hulk, because I thought it looked like a rehash of the 2003 Ang Lee version. (And finally after watching it this weekend, I'm convinced I was right. Hulk fights another Hulk at the end of both films.) Until Iron Man 2 was released last year, I didn't give much thought to The Avengers. Then, just a glimpse of Captain America's shield, and the teaser with Thor's hammer at the end, my imagination was captured, and I began to believe they would manage to pull it all together and create something great.

Now I have seen Thor, and I am completely enthusiastic about The Avengers and the rest of the films leading up to it. Kenneth Branagh has directed a show worthy of sitting on the shelf next to both of the Iron Man films and the rest of your favorite superhero titles. It may well prove to be his most popular movie.

The only complaint I've heard thus far regards the decision to present Thor in 3D. Personally, I'm a fan of films shot in native 3D, the pinnacle being Avatar, but post-production conversions can suffer from mixed results (with 2010's revamp of Clash of the Titans being the most egregious example). I found Thor to be ahead of the pack in conversions, mostly because half of it was NOT converted but rendered in native 3D. It was, in fact, possibly the most heavily effects-laden film I've ever seen, and every moment of every off-world scene was a treat. I just can't wait to see more of Asgard. Everything Earth-side was mostly flat to the point you almost wouldn't realize it was in 3D, an effect which helps enhance the other-worldly feeling of Asgard. (an effect mirrored in the artistic decision to render Asgard as a disc, a world where one could literally fall off the edge).

I'd like, as much as possible, to keep this completely spoiler-free, but I will assume most people reading this have at least some familiarity with the Norse mythology on which it is based. As a refresher: Earth is one of nine worlds connected by Yggdrasil, the world tree. Of the others, two figure into this story: Jotunheim, home of the frost giants, and Asgard, home of the benevolent Æsir, led by Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Odin has two sons, the mighty warrior Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the magical trickster Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Thor is the wielder of the hammer Mjolnir, source of his power. Due to his pride and arrogance, Thor is banished to Earth. And that's as much as you might glean from the trailers, so we'll stop there.

The first thing you'll notice about Thor is the unbelievably perfect casting. Hemsworth was born for the role, towering over the other actors like a summer thunderhead. Not only does he look the part, he inhabits the character so completely one can forget that he's an actor and start to believe it's actually Thor, himself on camera. There is no shortage of big-name star power as well. His chemistry with Natalie Portman works like no other onscreen romance I've seen in a superhero flick, even given the short amount of time devoted to it.

Meanwhile, Hopkins is no stranger to playing kings and leaders, but here as Odin, he conveys more with a single glance than a page of script could offer. Disappointed by his work last year in Wolfman, I found his Odin recaptured his depth as a performer. Sadly, Rene Russo was given very little screen time as his wife, though she was almost unrecognizable in the hair and costumes here. Other notable players were Stellan Skarsgard as Erik Selvig, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis and Tom Hiddleston, who captures the insanity of Loki with a face that reminded me strongly of Paul Dano in There Will Be Blood. The standout supporting actor, however was definitely Idris Elba as the gatekeeper Heimdall. A bit of voice modulation worked to increase his already formidable presence to something you might expect of a character like Aslan of Narnia. If he turned those eyes on me, I would quake in my seat.

Bringing it all together is a fantastic story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich wrapped into an excellent screenplay by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne. While it is effective as an origin story, Thor also features more involvement from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency than Hulk or either of the Iron Man movies and begins to cement them together (also featuring a cameo from Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye). Importantly, it smoothly merges the supernatural element into the series while standing very well on its own legs as a single film. The gorgeous visuals, steamy chemistry and good-natured humor will keep me coming back to watch this more than any of The Avengers prequels. Thor is the best of them.