Home  •  About  •  Contact  •  Twitter  •  Google+  •  Facebook  •  Tumblr  •  Youtube  •  RSS Feed
Thor

Thor

By Patrick Samuel • April 24th, 2013
Static Mass Rating: 4/5
THOR (Blu-ray)
Paramount Home Entertainment

Release date: November 7th, 2011
Certificate (UK): 12
Running time: 114 minutes

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Cast: Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Clark Gregg, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Ray Stevenson, Tom Hiddleston, Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore

Superhero movies have struggled a lot in recent years so it comes as no surprise that I was extremely reluctant to see Thor, thinking it would be nothing more than another self-indulgent, franchise friendly, merchandise peddling movie.

With his origins dating back to Germanic mythology, Thor has been worshipped over the ages throughout Europe as the hammer wielding pagan God; a deity of destruction, healing, fertility and strength. In 1962, Stan Lee took inspiration from these myths to create the superhero we know of today, and in director Kenneth Branagh’s new vision, Thor is once again reborn.

The film begins with scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) tracking an electrical storm in New Mexico when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) arrives in a burst of light from the heavens. After bringing war to the peaceful realm of Asgard, Thor’s father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) casts him out, denying him the throne which could now go to his less arrogant brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

Thor

Stripped of his powers and unable to wield his mighty hammer, Thor will come to know what it means to be a real hero, especially when those on Earth are put in danger. While a battle rages between Asgard and the realm of Jotunheim with the Frost Giants and their leader Laufey (Colm Feore), Thor’s faithful friends, Sif (Jaimie Alexander),Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) travel to Earth to bring him back so he can restore peace.

As a superhero movie, Thor is highly entertaining; filled with a lot of action and a very good story with just the right amount of comedy and emotion.

It’s brought to life wonderfully by Branagh and his cast. He couldn’t have chosen a better actor than Chris Hemsworth for the role of Thor; his mix of boyishness and Godliness is balanced to perfection. There’s also an innocence about him which makes you root for him wholeheartedly, especially when he asks Loki “Can I come home?”

Natalie Portman adds much comic relief to the action, accidentally running Thor over a couple of times and swooning at the sight of his physique, and yet she’s very believable as Jane, the committed scientist who refuses to let the government confiscate her research. It’s also nice to see she’s not intimated by him and brave enough to make the first movie on the Mighty one!

Thor

Visually, Asgard is stunning with its golden towers, deep blue waters and skies where you can see clusters of galaxies as if they’re just a stone’s throw away. We don’t really see much of the people who live there or get any real idea of what they do, but there’s so much for the film to cover that we can overlook this detail.

Thor sets us up nicely for Marvel’s Avengers Assemble which will bring together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), among others but on it’s own it’s really everything a superhero movie should be.

Patrick Samuel

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

© 2022 STATIC MASS EMPORIUM . All Rights Reserved. Powered by METATEMPUS | creative.timeless.personal.   |   DISCLAIMER, TERMS & CONDITIONS

HOME | ABOUT | CONTACT | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ | FACEBOOK | TUMBLR | YOUTUBE | RSS FEED

CINEMA REVIEWS | BLU-RAY & DVD | THE EMPORIUM | DOCUMENTARIES | WORLD CINEMA | CULT MOVIES | INDIAN CINEMA | EARLY CINEMA

MOVIE CLASSICS | DECONSTRUCTING CINEMA | SOUNDTRACKS | INTERVIEWS | THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR | JAPANESE CINEMA