Country:
USA
Starring:
Chris Hemsworth
Natalie Portman
Tom Hiddleston
Anthony Hopkins
Idris Elba
Rene Russo
Directed By:
Kenneth Branagh
Good marketing will get inside your head and create a need for something your never cared about before. Great marketing will take something already successful with a small but dedicated demographic and reintroduce it to a new platform, cashing in on both the old and the new fans. Whoever introduced Marvel Comics to Hollywood did just that. Whoever in Marvel (or Disney) had the vision of hyping up an Avengers movie by introducing the initiative's members saw through the appeal of an immediate cash-in, so I can respect that *. THOR was part of this Avengers "vision" and it shows. If anything, it's a safe movie. It has decent star power, goes through the necessary details not to offend the Marvel fanbase, sets the table for THE AVENGERS (Loki's the bad guy too) and manages to keep the political variables under the lid pretty well. It's just...not...all that great, really. It left me the impression it was made not to loose money, rather than to entertain people. According to IMDB, it tripled its initial investment, so mission accomplished.
The Thor fans will be familiar with the story. I was more of a Hulk type of kid, but I knew the basic elements of the story. Thor (Hemsworth), son of Odin (Hopkins), is next in line for the throne of Asgard, which is another realm of the cosmos in Marvel's universe. Mythology aside **, long story short, Thor gets banished from Asgard by Odin for ignoring his word and heading into battle with another realm Asgard had a truce with. He is stripped of his powers and sent to earth, where he is found by scientist Jane Foster (Portman) and her team. The easy conclusion is that they stumbled upon a very buff mental patient who eats a lot and who's obsessed about his hammer. But a government agency named S.H.I.E.L.D is interested in that hammer too and many more people. Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Odin is caught with a mysterious ill and goes under while Loki (Hiddleston) takes power. He has one thing on his mind, getting rid of Thor so he can reign freely.
THOR is a competent movie. I found myself being mildly involved in a story I pretty much knew, part due to Kenneth Branagh's sense of drama and to the chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. But it's a movie that spends a lot of time and energy trying not to drop things. That makes any potential mistake the movie would make look so much bigger. I would've loved a little boldness, like let's say a little more inspiration from the actual Norse mythology. The figure of Odin, for example was disappointing. Anthony Hopkins is a great actor, but he doesn't look like he takes this part not very seriously. In fact, he looks like he's interpreting a Shakespearean tragedy where you walk around an altar and yell a lot. Not exactly the powerhouse Odin is supposed to be. I know it's Marvel's Odin and not the Norse one but Hopkins' overdramatic approach got on my nerves.
It was unintentionally funny at times too, which I thought made for part of his charm. The Thor-Odin relationship and the latent daddy issues were not subtle at all. Thor wants to live to Odin's legacy of blood and his old man knows better than to put his people through an excruciating war again. The dynamic is interesting and while Chris Hemsworth isn't the most talented actor, the part of Thor seems cut out for him. It's not too difficult and it relies on his physicality more than emotions and subtlety.
My viewing of THOR felt like walking in a Marvel Museum wing dedicated to the character. It's fun but there's not all that much for your friendly neighborhood cinema lover. This is what you get for making an introductory film, I guess. I suppose later Thor adventures are much more exciting. The liberties taken with the characters are minor, which is in Hollywood more good than bad. It was a nice surprise to see Idris Elba, better known as Stringer Bell from THE WIRE, have a small part as Heimdall. He's a very talented actor. The main objective of THOR was to keep the Marvel ball rolling and not to mess things up for the Avengers initiative (sic). Well, mission accomplished Kenneth Branagh. THOR doesn't wow you and will probably be seen in very few DVD collections, but it's a nice afternoon movie with decent pacing. It's even better when you're supposed to see THE AVENGERS the same night (tee hee hee).
SCORE: 71%
* I got two bucks on Joss Whedon.
** Thor explains it to Jane surprisingly well in about three minutes. Kudos to whoever came up with this straightforward explanation.
