New Review: Thor

Hammer Time

I have to be perfectly honest and admit that even though this was the film was chosen as the official start to the summer movie blockbuster season, I wasn’t particularly looking forward it. I’m severely limited in knowledge for most comic book superheroes, and Thor is probably one of those that’s furthest from my mind. I wasn’t too familiar with Chris Hemsworth, but considering he wasn’t even able to carry the five emotional minutes at the beginning of Star Trek, I wasn’t holding out hope he could carry an entire film. Even all of trailers and clips for the film did very little to impress me. The only thing that was attracting me to the film at all was the notion of a classically trained director like Kenneth Branagh handling such action heavy material. Understandably, my expectations were considerably low. Perhaps that’s the reason why I ended up enjoying this film pretty much all the way through.

If you’re like me, and unfamiliar with the backstory of the Marvel superhero, here’s the brief rundown. It turns out that the Norse gods that were worshiped hundreds of years ago were actually just plain old folks on a distant planet, still called Asgard and still holding control over some powers on Earth. Asgard’s kingdom has beaten the Frost Giants and have taken their source of power. In the present, as Thor, played by Hemsworth, is about to succeed his father King Odin (Anthony Hopkins), there’s an attack on Asgard and he leads a party to counterattack. As punishment, Thor and his hammer are banished to Earth until he learns his lesson. It’s here where he strikes a budding romance with a scientist (Natalie Portman) and keeps bumping into those mysterious S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

As strange as it was to here the news, I think that Kenneth Branagh was a perfect choice to direct this material. I often wondered what Branagh’s Shakespearean background could bring to this material, and it pays off well, particularly in the ambitious family dynamics that happen on Asgard. There’s a serious dramatic quality that Branagh brings to the material, and it’s well felt. Branagh even handles the action sequences quite well, maybe not in any spectacular fashion, but considering that serious action is not his pedigree, I was quite impressed with it. He does have some difficulty with the romantic scenes between the Thor and his ladyfriend, and the climax does feel a bit rushed, but for the most part his direction is the saving grace of the film. The screenplay also works well with Branagh’s direction, particularly with some familiar yet still funny “fish out of water” humor. Towards the end, the script does start to have a bit more clunky lines that start to drain on the film a bit more, but it’s still a serviceable screenplay for this material.

Another saving grace for the film is Hemsworth, and I swear that I didn’t believe that I would be saying that. He actually carries the film very well, providing the source for a lot of the film’s heart and humor. He’s a quick comedian when he needs to be, and can be quite tender and emotional when those scenes call for it as well. Hemsworth is a valuable asset for the film, and it’s very entertaining to watch him. Hopkins also gives one of better performances and doesn’t use this opportunity to just stand there and cast a check. Portman is actually kind of unimpressive here, and doesn’t add anything really to the film. Her friend Kat Dennings has that quirky charm, and a lot of the other supporting cast is effective also.

Like most starts to superhero franchises, this one does come up short in some of its exposition and some of the relationships cause the film to drag in the middle and then feel rushed towards the end. However, it’s the winning combination of director Kenneth Branagh and star Chris Hemsworth that makes the film a success. Add to it a worthy supporting cast, a nice sense of humor, and a great look (which maybe has something to do with me not seeing it in 3D), I think this is a great start to the summer movie season. I can’t wait to see if the rest of the summer can be just has entertaining.

B+