To coincide with the release of Marvel’s The Avengers (Opening May 4th), Marvel Mania is a mini-series dedicated to looking back on how this remarkable experiment began. Throughout this week, we will take a look at all of our heroes’ standalone films, and how they stand the test of time. The series will end with a review of the highly anticipated team-up. We take our journey to godlike proportions with the May 2011 release Thor.
When the prospect of a Thor movie was announced, the legions of Marvel fanatics scoffed at the idea with great skepticism. For good reason too, as many cynics argued that with his mythological roots and outlandish setting, Thor would be the hardest of the Avengers to bring to the silver screen. But just like with Iron Man, Marvel found the perfect cast and crew for the job. The studio cast a relative unknown in Chris Hemsworth as Thor and hired Kenneth Branaugh, a director known for adaptations of Shakespearean works who would be well-suited to the royal drama that plays out in the mythical realm of Asgard. The fact of the mater is, Thor is a flawed but tremendously entertaining epic with real emotion and a dramatic atmosphere that evokes the feeling of a family-friendly Shakespearean classic.
Thor follows our titular character (Hemsworth), the arrogant but extremely powerful prince of Asgard. He is the son King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and the brother of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who himself is the God of Mischief. After Thor’s coronation ceremony is interrupted by an attack by the Frost Giants, Thor recklessly marches into the enemy’s realm Jotunheim and demands battle. Discouraged and enraged by his son’s acts, Odin punishes Thor by stripping him from his power and banishing him to Earth until he learns humility and respect. As Thor leaves, however, a sequence of circumstances puts the plotting Loki in charge of the kingdom. His ultimate plot to upstage his brother may eventually lead to catastrophe, and with the help of Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) Thor must find his moral center and fulfill his destiny as the God of Thunder if the world is going to be saved.
The tricky prospect that comes with making a Thor movie is the rich back-story and other-worldly setting that needs, well, setting up. Thankfully, Thor’s script finds a way to give us the “spark notes” version of the Asgardian lore while still allowing us to get a personal sense of the dense mythology. The set design and costuming accurately portrays a physical embodiment of an otherworldly background. The dialogue supports the setting in that it establishes a sophisticated level of conversation that accurately conveys the classical manner of Asgard.
Thor had the advantage of being directed by Kenneth Branaugh, who understands the rich emotion that lies within the basic story of the source material, and he exploits it to no end here. The family dynamics and philosophical questions involving fate and humility are shoved to the forefront here, and are handled with care and delicacy. Thor finds a way to make the audience contemplate of what it means to have power, and how it can affect us as a person. For a comic book movie to ask such questions in any manner is impressive, and it gives Thor a distinct quality over other origin stories.
The performances in Thor seem to vary on either how well the character is written or how much screen time the character gets. Hemsworth is the perfect Thor, showing us a cocky and physical side yet is also able to show a gentle demeanor as a mere mortal. He also works well in the fish-out-of-water comedy sequences, which are welcome as a genuine change of pace to the dramatic moments. Hiddleston steals every scene he’s in as Loki, the cunning but sympathetic villain who will be the main foil in The Avengers. Hopkins is fine as Odin in a limited amount of time and Idris Elba is captivatingly stoic as the gatekeeper of the Rainbow Bridge Heimdall. One of the biggest failures of Thor, however, is the wasting of side characters. Especially coming off her Oscar, it’s disappointing that Portman only serves as the generic love interest and isn’t given much of a chance to shine. Also underutilized are the characters of Sif and the Warriors Three, a Fellowship-esque band of warriors who stand behind Thor.
For all of the fundamental problems that Thor possesses, the film succeeds overall just by the fact that they found a way to not only make a competent Thor movie, but a good one at that. The wasted characters and mediocre action sequences (excluding the opening battle with the Frost Giants) that come with most Marvel films are present. However, Branaugh understands how to make a Thor film compelling, showcasing the operatic setting while accurately portraying the drama that comes with the scenery. Hemsworth and Hiddleston both give breakout performances and establish a chemistry that will be interesting to follow through The Avengers. Thor may not be perfect, but to those who said it couldn’t be done, he throws the hammer down.
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