Okay I'm just putting this out there, I am a Marvel Girl at heart, yes I enjoyed Smallville but really, who would choose Batman over Wolverine? Superman over The Hulk? Or indeed Green Lantern over Thor?
I have no interest in the latest DC output this year, Green Lantern, despite the pull of Ryan Reynolds who I have loved since he served Pizza in Boston (2 Guys and a Girl). However I was waiting with bated breath for the release of Thor. Now I have to admit that I am not a comic reader as such, I cannot claim to be such a Marvel fan as this, but always watched the cartoons as a kid and seen all the movies released, yep even Daredevil *shudder*. So the pull of Thor was not because I had read all his adventures, but because Marvel and the awesome Stan Lee created him.
Thor, if you know your Norse legends, is the God of Thunder, son of Odin the King of the gods, and perhaps the best warrior of them all. He is not reknown for his brains. Being a god of the vikings he needs to be tough, live in adverse conditions, not be soppy frankly.
Chris Hemsworth's Thor lives up to his Nordic reputation, with a touch of sentiment as well because where would a superhero be without his damsel in distress?
Said damsel is played by Natalie Portman, whose name is Jane, a very appropriate title as their relationship is very much a 'me thor you jane' type akin to Tarzan. Of course Thor can speak properly but just in a very loud, commanding, and medieval king way. This causes a lot of amusement, especially when asking for more coffee.
Hemsworth you may recognise as being James T Kirks Dad in the latest Star Trek movie, or perhaps even from Home and Away. He is a perfect Thor. Loud, muscular, slightly confused, but always with a sense of power to his actions and words. This comes down to direction as well, and Kenneth Branagh, though not a screamingly obvious choice for a superhero movie, brings with him a sense of gravitas and depth to the direction. Branagh is most famous of course for being either the director or star of a Shakespeare play, which when you look at Thor's story is so much more suitable than Ang Lee's prior history of Sense and Sensibility before making the appalling first Hulk movie.
Thor is banished by his father to Earth from Asgard for attacking a former, and supposedly neutral, enemy the Frost Giants. He is seperated from his main weapon, Mjolnir, the great Hammer, which is sent into a Sword in the Stone type scenario with the humble humans trying to prise it from the rock. Look out for Stan Lee's cameo in these scenes.
So Thor has to contend with living as a human, helped by Natalie Portmans' Jane and her fellow scientists played by Stellan Skarsgaard and Kat Dennings. I cannot fault the acting in this movie, and I realise the post-Oscar release probably meant more regular cinema goers wanted to see Natalie Portman again but this time would see a strong and focused individual, who ultimately falls for our hulk of a hero (and who could blame her?). Meanwhile back in Asgard Loki, Thor's brother, is making deals with the Frost Giants and planning to take over Asgard upon his father Odin's death. Although not in traditional Norse Legend the twist of having the trickster god as Thor's brother works well, I assume this comes from the original comics but cannot say for sure, and there is an extra twist that is rather brilliant I won't spoil for those who still have not seen the movie.
The visual effects are brilliant, Asgard and the Frost Giants realm are truly spectacular,and the idea that you are transported from each realm by lightning burst is cohesive with what we know of Thor and more spectacular than just appearing out of thin air, there is drama to it.
The stories of Earth and Asgard are blended together without a hitch, and you find yourself as much interested in the fates of the humans as the gods, who are all under attack.
The film is long in run time, but I never once felt my attention wandering as it moved from serious moment to action scene, interspersed with moments of comic relief coming not from one or two characters but everybody gets a chance with the comedy. This is the genius of Branagh to give every actor their opportunity, as Shakespeare did with his characters. I looked up the history of this film and Sam Raimi was the first to show interest in the making of Thor, I thank the gods he left the project and it took 10 years to be made or we could have had another Spiderman 3 on our hands.
Another point to make is that Marvel have had control over their comics to films since Iron Man, there is a marked difference between earlier Studio controlled creations and the recent movies, which is why we are seeing Hulk remakes and markedly a Spiderman remake.
Thor has benefited from Marvels guiding hand, a wonderful director in Branagh, and superb casting. It is possibly my favourite Marvel movie so far, and I look forward to the Avengers next year where we see the return of Thor along with Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man - Squeal!
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