Thor
The Norse god of thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), is banished from the mythical land of Asgard by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). In turn he is forced to live amongst humans on earth in hope that he may learn some humility. Meanwhile, brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) assumes the throne as king of Asgard but has a darker plan in store for the universe. Now it’s up to Thor to return home and set things right; and, with the help of his human friends, Jane (Natalie Portman), Darcy (Kat Dennings), and Erik (Stellan Skarsgard) he might stand a chance. Self sacrifice must be made, but who will pay the most?
This latest Marvel comic, um excuse me– graphic novel, to be translated to screen comes at a time when many fans of the genre have grown weary of over-hyped stale plots, CGI madness to the point of lunacy, and poorly acted heroics; however, I’m proud to report, while the film isn’t void of these points, it still gets a lot right. For being a lesser character in the Marvel world, a fleshed out screenplay that blends Norse mythos with modern lore makes for an interesting colourful story. Albeit, a fair amount of the dialogue was pretty wooden, but that’s almost expected, we’re watching a brute swinging a hammer, not a Rhodes scholar, so that gets a pass. Meanwhile, and disappointingly, Oscar winner Natalie Portman phones this one in and
brings little to the table, but she has nice hair….mmmmm…I still can’t give her a pass…The film’s action and battles feel compelling and interesting, and, since many of us don’t know Thor’s character line it’s anyone’s guess how things might turn out. Overall, it’s big, it’s loud, it’s fun, mission complete. Thor is rated PG-13.