THOR

Sep
2011 1

Alright, I am getting tired of all the superhero movies, but- being a geek- I am very interested in seeing what will come of Marvel’s blockbuster crossover experiment. We live in an age where cinema is finally starting to catch up with the elaborate comic book universes of the 20^th century and the visions of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko et all.. As a result, we have a cycle of films (Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, etc,) within the same universe, culminating in the release of Joss Whedon’s Avengers next year (your move, DC). And although I wouldn’t expect anyone but the most hardcore Marvel zombie to care about these things, the experiment has been a success so far (mostly due to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. The Hulk movies sucked).

And now Kenneth Branagh is doing Thor. I guess he ran out of Shakespeare adaptations.

For those pour, ignorant souls who didn’t spend their childhood being obsessed with Viking culture, Thor is the god of thunder in Norse mythology. His weapon is Mjolnir, a big fucking hammer. He is a badass. Moreover, ever since the sixties, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby inserted him in the Marvel universe, where he is part of The Avengers (along with the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and others).

As the film starts, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has family issues. Due to a small missunderstanding (involving his hammer and some frost giants), his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins, obviously)- annoyed at his lack of diplomacy and constant temper- decides to exile him to Earth. His is thrown to our world via a wormhole. He ends up in New Mexico, of all places, where he is conveniently rescued by Natalie Portman (who is supposed to be some sort of astrophysisist). Natalie (who I am going to be referring to as The Love Interest from now on, since that’s all she is in this movie) realises that the atmospheric phenomena that brought that pompous, hunky blond guy in her life are actually the result of an Einstein- Rosen Bridge. She is joined by her two colleagues: Her tutor (Stellan Skarsgard, dignified as always) and her assistant (Kat Dennings, who is only in the movie to be the comic relief and give some contemporary relevance by randomly mentioning iPods, Facebook, etc. This is infuriating, as I happen to consider her an appealing actress and hotter than The Love Interest).

Hemworth does a good job. I wouldn’t be interested in seeing him as Hamlet or anything (hoho), but he manages to make the character of Thor relatable. This isn’t as easy as it seems, as Thor is a very uncomplicated guy. He is honest and chivalrous and he tends to deal with his problems by smashing them with his hammer. This is not a problem in Silver Age comics, but these days we are used to more complex heroes. Still, I ended up liking the big guy.

Not as much as his brother though. The best thing in Thor is by far Tom Hiddleston as Loki, his brother and trickster god of mischief. Hiddleston could have easily played the legendary figure as charicature. Instead, he is conflicted and smart- everything that Thor isn’t. He makes a great villain.

The movie does an excellent job presenting the Asgardians as residents of another universe, who appear as gods due to their outstanding super science (the old Arthur C. Clarck argument about advanced technology being idistinguisable from magic). And, even though I don’t particularly like the extensive use of CGI, I have to admit that most of the effects here look gorgeous. Superstar comic book author Grant Morrison has often said that Hollywood still hasn’t come to grips with Jack Kirby and his cosmic vistas. Well, this may just be the beguinning.

To his credit, Branagh is not condescending towards his material. On the contrary, he directs the Asgard scenes with a stately grandeur, as if he is doing Henry V again. To be honest though, Thor is a pulpy, Flash Gordon / Superman 2 kind of movie (expensive effects nonewithstanding) and I ‘m not sure Branagh would agree. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. His lack of irony is actually rather refreshing.

At the end of the day, Thor conforms to all the blockbuster conventions and that makes it rather ordinary instead of epic. It’s nowhere near as fun as the Iron Man films. Nonetheless, it is a far more elegant and amusing movie than most blockbusters and that bodes well for The Avengers.

PS1: Idris Elba is a god. Literally.

PS2: Oh, and stay until the end of the closing credits for the (now obligatory) teaser scene.

(-Dimitris Kontogiannis-)