Last night I had an opportunity to see Thor, which I was excited about because the last film I saw in the theater was Cedar Rapids and that’s kind of pathetic.
On the whole, I would say that I found Thor extremely entertaining and it was perhaps helped by my diminished expectations of the film.
I will say that at nearly 2 hours long, the film never dragged for me. And despite the final conflict feeling a little slapdash, I definitely wanted to see more!
I’ve talked with a few people in the comments section of the last two comics about my concerns the Thor is another set up for The Avengers in a similar vein to Iron Man 2. It is and it isn’t. The film tells a crafty origin story that is unfortunately a little light on Asgardian ass-kicking. A little too much time spend on Earth in civilian clothes is good for character development, but it didn’t exactly send my geek heart racing.
But, like I said, the film is entertaining and well-crafted. I can’t criticize it for what I wanted it to be. I can only criticize it for what it is. And I would say it’s pretty darn good!
The following are some random thoughts and observations about Thor. Let’s see if any of them ring true to you, shall we?
- It’s easy to see why Chris Hemsworth was cast as Thor. He is confident, likable and not at all the dumb jock that I kind of think of Thor as being.
- That said, whatever color they dyed Hemsworth’s beard and eyebrows was really distracting in close ups.
- I kind of wish they had Hemsworth wear Thor’s winged helmet for more than one scene.
- Director Kenneth Branagh did an admirable job with the direction, providing a few fake out moments and non-linear storytelling devices that kept me engaged throughout.
- Let it also be known that Kenneth Branagh never met a Dutch angle he didn’t like. This film is littered with them, but it works. It adds to the aura of comic book dramatics without going overboard like Ang Lee’s Hulk did.
- People credit Branagh for bringing “Shakespearean gravitas” to the movie. But the fatherly themes in the plot are so pronounced, I wonder if anyone would be making that observation if, say, Martin Campbell were directing.
- Natalie Portman is very, very pretty.
- Why the hell is Natalie Portman in this movie? I mean, I know she’s no stranger to big-budget science fiction and fantasy (Hello, Queen Amidala!) but at this point, a movie like Thor seems a little below her station, don’t you think?
- There is almost no need for Kat Dennings’ character except to provide comic relief, but she makes the most of every scene she’s in and damn near walks off with this movie. I was more interested in the things her character had to say than anything Natalie Portman’s character had to say.
- I love that Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson is running around in the background. Gregg plays him perfectly with a touch of playful impatience.
- Everyone caught Jeremy Renner’s cameo as the future Avenger Hawkeye during the scene where Thor first tries to reclaim his hammer, right?
- Jeremy Renner kind of looks like Daniel Craig’s younger brother to me. They both have a heavy brow.
- Even though I know Ray Stevenson (who most recently played The Punisher) was the actor who played Volstagg, every time I saw him on screen, I was convinced it was Chris Noth.
- Hey, is that Renee Russo as Thor’s mom? Long time, no see!
- Yes, Anthony Hopkins kills it as Odin. But he could do a role like this in his sleep.
- I feel like I’m supposed to say something about Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He did a good job making him a sympathetic villain at the outset, but kind of tipped over into cartoonish super-villainy at the end.
- The Destroyer is awesome and I want an action figure, please.
- RE: The Destroyer “Is that one of Stark’s?” “I don’t know. That guy never tells me anything.” The humor in Thor was pretty sharp.
- Bonus points for the Donald Blake reference – Thor’s mortal alter ego in the early comics. Kudos for the writers for not getting bogged down in that and telling a straightforward original story. Well, as straightforward a story about inter-dimensional warriors using weapons crafted with equal parts magic and science as you can.
- I was also very impressed with how the effects department brought Thor’s unique powers to the screen. They could have easily had him hitting stuff with his hammer or call down lightning and leave it at that. But having him take flight, carried behind Mjolnir was very well done. Similarly, Thor twirling Mjolnir around by the strap was something I didn’t think they’d be able to translate from the comics as well as they did.
- Production design for this movie is off the charts. From the costumes, to the Frost Giants, to the rich detail and rendering of Asgard – these images were truly otherworldly and God-like.
- With this in mind, the fictional town in New Mexico where Thor lands looks faker than fake. In fact, I’m not sure there were even any roads that lead to or from that town. It literally looks like it sprung up overnight by a Hollywood construction crew.
- Did anyone else find the use of the Foo Fighters song “Walk” over the end credits completely out of place?
- Stick around after the credits for a bonus scene. I probably don’t have to tell you that, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you.
That’s all I’ve got on Thor. It’s quite a bit, actually! What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!
Thor was a fantastically entertaining film for me – one of the best comicbook movies I’ve seen. I didn’t have great expectations for it either but Brannagh did a fantastic job with it.
I’ve heard a few different people say that it was a bit light on with the action but I didn’t notice that at all. I thought it was well paced.
Yes, I squeed a little when I saw Hawkeye. Yes, I love Clark Gregg as Coulson and that he’s popping up everywhere.
I don’t think it was light on action, but it felt a little unbalanced. You have the Frost Giants at the outset and the Destroyer at the end, but very little going on in the middle.
You have the Frost Giants at the outset and the Destroyer at the end
At least that’s one more bit of superhero arse-kicking than you get in the typical origin story, where you have to wait for most of the movie for the main character to get their act together and find the supervillain to fight.
I just got the chance to see Thor last night. It was entertaining… but I didn’t love it.
What I thought was done well:
– Graphics, art direction and special effects (including makeup on the Frost Giants)
– Humor (and the interplay with Coulson and other Avengers movie elements)
– Casting, all around
What I thought was lacking:
– Development! I just didn’t get the sense that Thor’s time on Earth would have changed him as much as it did. Besides the one scene trying to pick up Mjolnir, what does he learn about being ‘mortal’?? Why does that change him? And while all the flirty stuff with Natalie Portman was adorable on both sides, it didn’t seem like the end result would be his sudden, deep love for her.
– My boyfriend disagreed with me, but I thought the scene jumps between Asgard and Earth didn’t work well. They were like two different movies, and while I get that that’s kinda the point of two different worlds… Asgard just ended up looking over-the-top CGI to me when it came on screen just after scenes on Earth. I think it was the faked light.
– I felt like the beginning was a little long (not that it dragged, there was just a little too much there for me). I could have done without the scene in Norway and the first Frost Giant battle. In any case, I’d far rather have more development of Thor on Earth instead.
Just my thoughts. Still, fun movie!
I’m so in love with Kat Dennings. I’ll see this movie just based on that one blurb.
“meow-meow” You’ll get it.
The week before the movie came out in the U.S there was some leaked footage of part of the scene with Hawkeye. Seeing the entire thing tho in theatres….eh… I wasn’t impressed. I’ve never really been a Hawkeye fan but maybe the Avengers movie will change that… I dunno. I kinda like him in the cartoon (especially his love/hate buddy relationship with Hulk).
But yeah. I was totally chuckling over the Don Blake references. Im glad there was at least SOME mention as I was bummed he wasn’t gonna be Don Blake. Course I was also confused before going to see it as to why Jane Foster wasn’t a doctor (or as the case is in Avengers Earth’s Mightiest where she’s an EMT) in the medical field. Noo..now she’s an Astrophysisist…and appererantly a storm chaser. *lol*
Oh and the thing with Laufey (the Frost Giant king). In mythology um…he’s actually Loki’s MOTHER…. but Stan Lee gave him a sex change in the comics. *lol* But hey anything’s possible. Loki switched sexes on a dime in mythology. He even gave birth once…to Odin’s eight legged horse! *lol*
Loki actually switched sexes recently in the comics as well. He was a woman during the Secret Invasion crossover.
I think he was recently killed and reincarnated as a small boy.
Finally someone else who agrees about Kat Dennings. She was one of my favorite things about this movie. Yet many I’ve talked to and stuff I’ve read on line has called her annoying and unnecessary.
Yeah she was there just for comic relief and usually those characters are a waste in these movies. But her, I actually enjoyed. Her being cute didn’t hurt either.
I saw the movie over the weekend. I liked it, but I have a question for everyone: Did anyone else who saw the film in 3-D think the 3-D was almost completely wasted?
If I have a choice anymore, I’ll skip 3D and save the extra money. I’m tired of seeing films that are 20% less bright than they should be for a cheap optical effect.
One should not watch Tron:Legacy on Blu-ray and say to oneself “Oh! That looks SO much better than it did in the theater!”
It wasn’t just the brightness. The only part that felt like 3-d was when the camera was flying through Asgard. Everything else just looked as flat as if it had been a regular movie.
I agree completely. I came out of the movie asking my friend what the point of 3D was in that film. I’m with Tom about staying away from 3D whereever possible – this time around I was with my friend who is a projectionist at the theatre and I got in for $2 so I wasn’t complaining too loudly.
Saw Thor this weekend, liked it quite a bit for what it is. It’s no Iron Man 1 or Batman Begins/TDK, though. The backstory/universe around Thor is what doesn’t appeal to me, way too fantasy for my liking. I like my superhero movies to be somewhat grounded in reality. Having a magical hammer that decides who’s fit to handle it, yeah, a bit too much fantasy for my liking. I’m curious to see how they bridge all that magical stuff into The Avengers with the other superheroes that are mostly grounded in reality and don’t rely on magical superpowers. Thor was still an entertaining movie, though, no questions about it.