Post by Alice on May 24, 2011 17:36:10 GMT -8
Electrifying, or barely a spark?
Warning: This review contains very minor spoilers.
Almost an exact year ago as of this review, I met Collin in person for the first time. It’s one of the happiest days of my life, because I not only hung out with a close, wonderful friend, but also because we watched the cinematic masterpiece, Iron Man 2.
… Yeah, that sequel was fairly lame. But we had a blast regardless because we were together. We even waited for the post-credits sequence. It focused on a crater, and in the center of the crater was a large hammer.
“Oh, God! Thor?!” we exclaimed.
Cut to almost a full y ear later. I just watched Thor last night, and I enjoyed it a lot. In fact, I really liked it. I wouldn't say it's the best Marvel movie--for me, that's a toss-up between Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man. But I think Thor is a fun, splendid, entertaining movie.
Although I have read comic books that featured Thor, I never actually read an issue of his main series. To be honest, I always thought the character looked goofy, what with the helmet, the hair, and the costume. Not so much here, though. This Thor has a beard, and that's awesome. He looks badass, the way Thor should be. I can't say if this movie is faithful to the comic book series, but I can say he looks better on the screen than on the page.
This movie is really two different genres: one is a Shakespearean-lite story of familial trust and betrayal, and the other is a fish-out-of-water comedy. I think both of these genres work well together; I don't think that having just one of these plots by itself would do the film much good, so to have both subplots going works. Of course, most of us will prefer the Asgard scenes because they're fantastical and extraordinary. Who doesn't want to live in a palace with a completely visible outer space up in the sky?
As Thor, Chris Hemsworth does a great job, especially considering that Thor is a character who, if performed by the wrong man, could easily grate. That's not the case here. Even at his most arrogant, Thor comes off as likable. He may have had the wrong approach in the beginning of the film (picking a fight with a kingdom and its denizens, demanding answers, etc.), but his heart was in the right place.
And when he's exiled into Earth, he's willing to learn the customs and practices of humans, which I like. The fish-out-of-water aspect of the film might not be to everyone's liking (truth be told, it reminded me a little bit of Masters of the Universe: The Movie at times), but here I think it's genuinely funny and sincere. I mean it! When this movie is funny, it's funny. My favorite joke in the movie is when Thor drinks coffee for the first time. He loudly proclaims his liking of the drink, asks for another, and shatters the coffee mug on the floor. That scene drew guffaws from the audience not only when Thor smashed the cup, but also the subsequent etiquette lesson from Natalie Portman’s character.
I’ve never really loved Natalie Portman, though I have yet to watch her Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan. As Jane Foster, Portman irritated me at first, but I warmed up to the character over time. Anthony Hopkins isn’t on screen too much, but he’s nice when he is. Even if this film was bad, it’s great to see Hopkins wearing an eye patch. As the villain Loki, Tom Hiddleston was the most vulnerable to overacting and delivering a hammy performance. Thankfully, he avoids falling into the trap. The most surprising cast member was Joshua Dallas as Thor’s friend, Fandral—Dallas is Young Cary Elwes Reincarnate, I swear!
I think Kenneth Branagh is the only director who could have made this movie so enjoyable, so I commend him highly. But this movie isn’t flawless. Thor challenges and overcomes his arrogance way too quickly. We truly expect him to become a new man after spending just a few nights on Earth? I could kinda buy a week, but just a few nights seems like a stretch to me.
Be sure to stick around after the credits, because there’s a post-credits sequence that further hints to the upcoming Avengers movie... if you really want to, that is. While this is the most important post-credits sequence of movies from Marvel Studios (it gives a seriously big plot point), it’s also the least exciting.
Ultimately, I think Thor is a good, fun movie. You might have to suspend your disbelief with this film a little bit more than some of the other Marvel flicks, but I do recommend it.
*** out of ****
