I don’t know enough about the Thor story coming in, so there were parts of this movie when I wasn’t as confused as I was surprised. I saw Thor after seeing Captain America (even though Thor was released a few months ago). I liked the World War II storyline of Captain America. I also liked the mythology storyline of Thor. However, I was not a fan of the back and forth between and present day. I know that many probably liked this aspect of the movie, but I was so engrossed with the movie’s first 15 minutes that I didn’t want to leave this story to enter “the realm” of the present day.
Welcome to the big screen, Chris Hemsworth (12 Strong, Rush). You look like Thor. However, I didn’t picture this character having an Australian accent. Hopefully, Hemsworth enjoys playing this character because it appears that playing Thor will be his life for the foreseeable future. Thor 2 is set to come out in 2012, as is The Avengers. There will likely be multiple Avenger movies as this movie is expected to smash The Dark Knight‘s record for box office revenue. It will be interesting to see how Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, etc., all mesh together. Each of these movies has a different director with a different vision. The Avengers Director Josh Weldon has a serious task of meshing these characters and these movies.
In any case, back to Hemsworth and Thor. Hemsworth did well with the script. The problem is the script he was given was garbage. Thor felt like a children’s movie that attempted to ride the coattails of a movie like Iron Man. While watching the movie, I kept asking myself what the film’s purpose was. It didn’t offer anything new. It felt like a waste of time, energy, and talent. I’ve become a huge Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Annihilation) as of late, and I kept thinking of other quality movies that she could have been starring in if she had not been wasting her time in a film she was too talented for.
Flashback to Norway in 965 AD. We meet Thor for the first time. A war is occurring between the Asgardian Warriors and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. The Frost Giants are a ruthless race seeking to conquer the Nine Realms of the universe but have been unsuccessful due to the Asgard Warriors led by King Odin (Anthony Hopkins – The Silence of the Lambs, The Father). Odin is a peaceful king who seeks not to destroy but to defend what is right. His two sons are Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston – Midnight in Paris, The Deep Blue Sea). When Thor goes against Odin’s wishes, he is exiled to a different realm (present-day New Mexico). He adapts way too well to his new environment. It seems too simple a transition for Thor to go from 965 Norway to present-day New Mexico.
From this point, the movie lost me. It just became too ridiculous. The film was almost like a cartoon, trying to ride the coattails of successful Marvel movies like Iron Man and Spider-Man. The cool CGI effects couldn’t make up for a flimsy storyline that offered nothing in the way of drama and not that much in terms of action.
There are plenty of better superhero movie choices out there. I’d avoid Thor. The only reason I’d even suggest seeing it is to see the origins of this character, so you know a little bit about him and the story when you see The Avengers.
Plot 6/10
Character Development 5/10
Character Chemistry 5/10
Acting 5/10
Screenplay 5/10
Directing 6/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 6/10
63%