Thor: The God Of Thunder

THOR (CINEMA)
Paramount Studios 

Release date: April 27th 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 go and see Thor, thinking it would be nothing more than another self-indulgent,  franchise friendly, merchandise peddling movie.

Well, it’s certainly franchise friendly and I’m pretty sure the shelves at Toys R Us and Hamleys are already stacked with 6” Thor figures already, but nevertheless, it’s something worth seeing if you’ve been waiting for a superhero movie that will finally live up to those long harboured expectations.

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, but now with 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).

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, 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!

Visually, Asgard is stunning with his 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 in Asgard, but there’s so much for the film to cover we might be able to overlook this small detail… but not the 3D. It doesn’t add anything and I was left wondering why they bothered at all when the film has so much going for it already.

Thor sets us up nicely for The Avengers (2012) 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 should be.