Three Down, One to Go

By Thomas N.

The only thing I know about this Thor was from the Avengers comic books which featured my favorite heroes, Iron Man and Captain America. This is a film review from a perspective of someone who knows very little about Thor comics, and from that perspective, the movie is good.

Thor is the fourth movie that Marvel Studios has made as a set-up for the upcoming Avengers movie. For people not in the know, The Avengers is a super hero team composed of the best superheroes of Marvel Comics. This is important because the last Marvel Studios’ movie, Iron Man 2, had so many tie-ins for The Avengers that it felt more like a trailer for The Avengers rather than an actual movie. It is good that Thor is not like this. There are a few Avengers story developments in this film, such as the introduction of Hawk-Eye, but it is not overboard. If the viewer stays through the entire credits, there is a bonus scene that preludes Marvel Studious next movie; Captain America.

The story of Thor is set in both the fictional realm of Asgard and modern day New Mexico. Asgard is another dimension that houses gods. The plot begins in Asgard as the Norse god of thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is tricked by his brother Loki, the god of mischief (Thomas Hiddleston) into invading the ice realm of Jotunheim, a realm that Asgard was at peace with. His father Odin, (Anthony Hopkins) banishes Thor to earth and removes his power. On earth Thor meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Thor must prove that he is worthy to regain his power. The plot is foreseeable but it still works well. The story is a more kid friendly than other modern super hero movies. There is no darkness of modern Batman, Spiderman’s emotional battles or Iron Man and Hulk’s seriousness. The movie consists of a fallen god with a giant hammer fighting frost giants, government soldiers, and a giant iron “thing” that shoots lasers out of its face. This direction works well as it provides a movie that is fun and easy to enjoy; the way a movie about superheroes should be. The quality of acting is split and takes a back seat to the plot and the action. In the scenes in Asgard, characters tend to overact and the dialog is very camp. But on earth, the acting seems to be detached and comes off dead. In the end the acting in Asgard is much better even if a bit silly. Thor does have the best Stan Lee cameo to date.

The one thing Thor does well is presentation. Asgard looks superb; everything in Asgard looks real yet fantastical at the same time. The attention to detail helps make Asgard stand out among the normal big cities where superhero movies take place. The only problem is that the scenes on earth are lacking compared to Asgard.

Action is everywhere in the movie. Scenes in which Thor and his friend battle Ice Giants are a marvel to look at. The enemies are no match for Thor and his mighty hammer. In fact in some of the scenes the hammer is more of an action star than Thor. If Thor throws the hammer it will come back to him and he uses this powerful weapon to smash through anything. The battles are not as violent as movies like Iron Man and the newer released Batman films, so this super hero movie is better suited for all ages.

If you are looking for a super hero fix, go see Thor. Lets all hope Caption America is this good…

Run time: 114 minutes
Rated: PG-13

Cast:
Thor – Chris Hemsworth
Jane Foster – Natalie Portman
Loki  – Tom Hiddleston
Odin – Anthony Hopkins