THOR
October 14th 2011 23:05
Director: Kenneth Brannagh
Story by: J Michael Straczynski & Mark Protosevich
Screenplay by: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz & Don Payne
Producer: Kevin Fiege
Starring: Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Colm Feore (Laufey), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Stellan Skarsgard (Erik Selvig), Rene Russo (Frigga), Idris Elba (Heimdal), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Ray Stevenson (Volstagg), Tom Hiddlestone (Loki). Jaimie Alexander (Sif), Josh Dallas (Fandral) & Tadanobu Asano (Hogun)
Produced by: Paramount Pictures & Marvel Entertainment
Running Time: 110 minutes Rating: M
Directed by one of the big names in Shakespearean acting and directing with a story written by the creator of the Babylon 5 television series and featuring one of the great acting talents as well as being based upon one of Marvel’s iconic characters you would expect this film to deliver the goods in spades. Although you would also ponder on whether it could considering the big names involved? After all a superhero flick isn’t quite what you’d expect Kenneth Brannagh, J Michael Straczynski and Anthony Hopkins to get involved in, but these three are very much a part of this production and it lives up to expectations – it is a seamless combination of comic book heroism and Norse mythology that drive the storylines of the Thor saga in its original comic format and now in its silver screen incarnation.
Back in the day when I was a lot younger I can recall saving up my pocket money to buy the recent issue of Thor that I could get my hands on in the local newsagents – which was a challenge to say the least. I can recall that over the years he like so many other characters had undergone countless changes and incarnations since I first started reading his comic. With this movie though the filmmakers have like the various other silver screen incarnations have elected to start the story off from scratch…although granted the story isn’t quite what you would expect…
The particular unfortunate so happens to be none other than Thor; God of Thunder and heir apparent to the throne of Asgard; the Realm Eternal. In essence the story is essentially one of two brothers each of them seeking the approval and love of their father; Thor and Loki being the two brothers and their father being Odin. Each of these two youths and later men have lessons to learn although at the start neither of them realises that they are not what they perceives themselves to be – especially Loki. As a character, even when a young boy, Thor is a person full of braggadocio, aggression, arrogance and overwhelming pride in himself. On the plus side though he is a man with a fair degree of honour – so when he instigates an attack on Jotunheim after Frost Giant thieves have attempted to steal an ancient relic confiscated from them in the past he sets in train a series of events that are potentially catastrophic for not only Asgard but also Jotunheim and the earth as well…
Watching this flick I was very impressed with Chris Hemsworth who was given the title role; I felt he carried the character effortlessly and gave the God of Thunder a certain element of humanity as well as that degree of larger than life essence. Even when he no longer has his powers and the world and in particular a nearby town are under threat from the Destroyer; an Asgardian war machine, he still attempts to save everyone and not go quietly into that night. His courage shines through as does his concern for the ordinary people whose lives and livelihoods are under threat.
When the dust finally settled on affairs after all the chaos and carnage I was left wondering why this film was done in 3D, it seemed to me that things worked perfectly fine as a normal feature which is what you get when watching it on DVD as I did. The only reason I could see would be that in 3D when the fight scenes were taking place you’d get the blood curdling experience of seeing Frost Giants leaping out at you, the Destroyer hurling things left right and centre and various other ‘wonderful’ incidents. Like I say though it works fine as a normal feature though I put that down more to a good tight story and decent acting rather than the special effects.
If Thor does have a serious problem it seems to be hampered by the fact that it is in essence a prequel of sorts for the upcoming Avengers. Even though it’s a good flick in its own right you can’t escape the fact that events are being set more so for the epic superhero team flick that is currently in the works than actually being solely focused on Thor and his compatriots. In spite of that though Thor is an enjoyable flick, if you’re a fan or just someone who likes action and supernatural/mythical elements with a new slant then this one is definitely up your alley…well worth taking the time to track down at your local video store.
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