Thoughts on Thor (2011)

Image courtesy of getwallpapers.comThe next movie in the "Marvel-thon" is the introduction of the character that also had the most recent entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time of this writing: Thor.Just when Thor is about to be sworn in…

Image courtesy of getwallpapers.com

The next movie in the "Marvel-thon" is the introduction of the character that also had the most recent entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time of this writing: Thor.

Just when Thor is about to be sworn in as King by his father Odin, their home world of Asgard is attacked by Frost Giants from the realm of Jotunheim seeking to reclaim a relic from the vault. Thor believes they should pay for this, and decides to retaliate. After his plan goes horribly wrong and Odin intervenes, his power is taken from him and he is exiled to Earth (or "Midgard," as they call it) to learn humility.

What Worked: This has three examples of perfect casting in it: Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as his brother Loki, and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin. As with Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, they look and act like their characters. Even the supporting cast is really good for the most part. There's Idris Elba (Prometheus) as Heimdall the gatekeeper, Rene Russo as Odin's wife Frigga, Jaimie Alexander as Thor's friend Sif, etc.

This is actually a case where the choice of director was perfect as well. Here, the director is Kenneth Branagh, a name that might sound very familiar from the review prior to Iron Man. The only difference is here, he's not also starring in the movie. The reason why having him direct this was a perfect choice is because he has experience with Shakespearean material, and the comics are like that, particularly with the dialogue. The movie doesn't necessarily have that in regards to the dialogue, but rather the look and feel of it, at least with the parts on Asgard.

The effects are also really good, examples being the makeup on the Frost Giants and the production design of Asgard itself. One visual that is really nice is the Destroyer; you'll know when you see it. Speaking of the Destroyer, there is a very brief reference when it first shows up to something that is addressed in Ragnarok. If you miss it, you can look it up later.

There is humor here, and for the most part, it works.

Also, for those who remember the mention of a sub-plot from the Iron Man review involving Pepper and another character, his significance basically starts here, so I might as well say it. It's Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D., played by Clark Gregg. He's kind of like an Agent from Men in Black, and whenever he's appeared in these films so far, he has provided some humor here and there. The significance of another character starts here, but it's in the form of a cameo, so I won't spoil it.

What Didn't Work: In regards to the characters Thor meets on Earth (namely Jane Foster, her assistant Darcy Lewis, and Dr. Erik Selvig, who works with them, played by Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, and Stellan Skarsgård, respectively), the performances were fine. The characters themselves could have been written better, though. Selvig is probably the more interesting one of the three. Jane Foster, an important aspect of Thor's story in Marvel, feels somewhat miscast with Natalie Portman, even if she did fine. While I didn't mind Kat Dennings as Darcy, who along with Selvig is a character made up for the movie, I can totally understand people who think she's annoying (like Jar Jar annoying*). Some of the humor comes from her, and I can also understand those who think some of it falls flat.

The action is also good, but some of it is dark, and in those scenes in particular, there might be a little bit of shaky cam.

The biggest problem, though, is the tone. It's more compelling in the Asgard parts, and then when it cuts back to the events on Earth, it feels more comedic, save for part of the third act. The pacing is also affected because of it.

Overall: Thor is a good introductory movie for a signature member of an iconic superhero team. It's not the best one (so far, Iron Man still takes the cake), but it's still good. Plus, it has a great villain in Loki, who leaves the most impact out of all the villains so far in this series, because he comes into play again very soon. It's also one of those Marvel movies that shows how they are capable of going into certain territories that might have previously been impossible, like mythological in this case, and it would be further proven in future installments in the MCU.

As always, expect a certain cameo and a post-credits scene, which hints at both the next movie and the one following it at the same time.

*Don't worry... I'll get to that series soon enough.