Thor(2011)

Hammer Time.

Going into Thor, I admit all I knew about the character was he was kind of a Viking, had a big hammer and would often get into fights with the Hulk because they both had anger issues. He also was one of the worst dressed superheroes. If you thought the fuss over changing the X-Men’s costumes was overblown, Branagh deserves credit for pulling off a futuristic Viking look that isn’t totally embarrassing or makes you giggle. The armor in this is actually very cool but the film still allows the audience to poke fun when Thor’s companions land on Earth and a watching Fed wonders whether a Renaissance Festival is in town. It will be interesting to see how the film does, on the one hand IMDB are posting great figures with some people(whisper it), saying it’s better than Iron Man(2008) or Spiderman(2002). It isn’t, but it is better than Iron Man 2(2010) and possibly Spiderman 3(2007), on the other hand, the character is a lot less known by the mainstream. Kenneth Branagh, who ten years ago might have made a pretty good Thor himself, directs a very solid if not totally exceptional comic book adaptation. It’s like a slightly dotty mix of the first Superman movie( especially the scenes on Krypton), Flash Gordon(1980)(everyone has very silly costumes and take themselves dreadfully seriously) and of course Shakespeare. It’s actually a great tone to adopt and it the cause of much comedy when Thor is relegated to Earth. The acting and indeed actors chosen are all very good too. Chris Hemsworth makes a great Thor, his bravado and arrogance giving way to thoughtful contemplation and regret as the film proceeds, but still always up for a punch-up. Hopkins carries on breaking off big chunks of the scenery and chewing it as he’s been doing since The Wolf Man(2009), or even as far back as Dracula(1992) if we want to be honest, but sadly spends most of the film in a coma. Rene Russo hangs around in the background and wins the‘Danny Huston in the Remake of Clash of the Titans’ award for ‘I was in this film honest, but they cut all my parts out.’ Portman makes a good love interest although this feels a bit sketched compared to the ones in Superman and Spiderman, and indeed, Portman has now officially become a big money maker because since Black Swan and noticeably in this, like so many other actresses, the higher her box office, the thinner she gets, and she is very thin in this. In the deficit corner, the film suffers from the usual first part need to set things up, the action scenes lack real ‘wow’ factor and I felt no real sense of menace or jeopardy. Partly, I think this was due to there being no real villain, but in a similar weakness to the Superman movies, once Thor has his hammer(which is most of the film), he’s invincible, which is why we really need a General Zod equal to give him a proper run for his money. Also, compared to the vicious fight at the end of Spiderman(much complained about by parents) , Thor also seemed a little too kid friendly, no blood, no on camera deaths which didn’t help. There is also, probably the least effective so far, teaser for The Avengers at the end of the film( if for some reason they don’t make this now, audiences could sue under the trade descriptions act). Thor then was very good in every department, but was never great. 8/10