Then there came Thor, which on paper had me a little nervous. Supposedly fitting into the Marvel Universe of the last few years was a character who is "The God of Thunder," who comes from a different universe/dimension/realm where there is a civilisation who defend the nine realms from the Frost Giants. It all sounds very mystical and certainly doesn't appear to tie into the very earth-grounded storyline that 'Iron Man', 'The Incredible Hulk' & the upcoming 'Captain America' follow. Despite the trepidation I was intrigued by a couple of elements that were thrown into the mix.
Firstly that Shakespearian theatre legend Kenneth Branagh was to direct his first big-budget-blockbuster. Such an unusual choice on paper, but it suggested that the studio were after someone who could reign in the scope of the premise, tighten the storyline and focus on the characters. Afterall, Branagh has always been known as a lover of his characters and their relationships with others over anything else. Also, it has drawn in a phenomenal cast, (largely as a result of Branagh's involvement) which included Anthony Hopkins & Natalie Portman; both names who on paper should whet any-ones appetite!
Let me get it clear just in case you haven't quite got there yet, I think Thor is the best superhero movie in years. Cleverly thought-out, beautifully filmed and spectacularly acted with some of the most original action sequences there have been in recent years. The only superhero movie I would perhaps put into the same league as this is 'The Dark Knight' but in some regards that is more a crime-drama/thriller than a typical superhero blockbuster. It's a totally different animal.
A good a place as any to start is with the titular "God of Thunder" himself. Portrayed by relative newcomer Chris Hemsworth, Thor is everything you would imagine him to be. Big, strong, heroic and full of purpose he begins as a man full of anger who is exiled from his home land of Asgard after disobeying his fathers commands. Finding himself on earth he now must prove that he is worthy to wield the powers he can possess through his hammer, Mjolnir. As the movie progresses though, it emerges that Thor is more than muscle; the developing romance with Portman's Jane is strong and real, Hemsworth showing his emotional acting skills to find the soft side of his character. You truly feel that this is a superhero who truly understands what it is to have the power he does and that when he learns to channel his anger he will be someone you could always trust and rely on. In some respects the reason why the character is so strong is that he does deserve to be a hero... unlike Peter Parker who has no choice or Tony Stark who just decides to be one Thor has to be worthy. Mix into that the fact that he has some laugh-out-loud moments as his ancient dialect clashes with the southern American drawl in the small desert town he finds himself and you have a total win-win.
The rest of the acting is fantastic, Branagh really choosing to focus large parts of his movie on who the people are in the story rather than just what they do. Portman's Jane is much more than the typical damsel-in-distress; shes a pro-active woman who wants to understand the world beyond ours and the feelings she develops for Thor are real. It takes a lot of brainpower to remember a more real and beautiful scene in a superhero movie than the one when Thor & Jane discuss the world on the roof of Jane's lab. It's scenes like this that resonate more when you leave the theatre.
Anthony Hopkins is as always fantastic, commanding the scenes he has which neatly bookmark the feature; the father-son dynamic between the king and his exiled son is also very clearly developed and defined and is powerful as a result.
One of the other highlights of the movie is how the setting feels so fresh. There is not one skyscraper to climb, one bank to rob or one fight scene on an unstoppable train. The serenity of the desert wilderness and a small town in New Mexico makes up the entirety of the scenes on earth and feel fresher as a result. Branagh finds some great visuals in the surroundings to make the daring action sequences such as Thor's attempts to reach his hammer, or the final battle against the metallic destroyer stand out spectacularly.
Focusing now at the scenes set in the realm of Asgard, it is (thankfully) done with strong uses of CGI, creating a world which looks and feels real. A prologue gives you a chance to understand it's history but after that chooses to focus more on the characters allowing you to subliminally take in the scope of the world. It works as well as could be hoped and most importantly doesn't feel out of place in the Marvel universe. That was the real big worry, and it was passed with such ease you have to wonder why we even worried to begin with.
In terms of villainy perhaps Thor is let down by the lack of a true 'man-of-mischief' but in Loki they find a character who you can feel sympathy for; the brotherly relationship he has towards Thor leads to a more emotional climax than Batman and The Joker could ever achieve. It is perhaps fitting that Branagh's super-villain is a complex character in himself rather than a pure 'agent of chaos.' However when you think of Ledger's Joker as the pinnacle of an evil performance, 'Thor' struggles to reach the scene-chewing levels of awesomeness that villains of times gone by have reached. Do bear in mind though that perhaps it is not a criticism...
Overall, as the set-up for the inevitable sequel approaches you should have a small lump in the throat in a final couple of moments you don't know quite whether to be saddened about or full of hope. I chose a bit of both as the relationships between the characters matter in 'Thor' and in that case it should leave you dying to know what happens next.
That being said, the main plot neatly ties itself up and this can easily be viewed as a complete storyline in and of itself; it just sprinkles you with anticipation for more.
So now I have a new hero in Kenneth Branagh, for delivering a movie full of great characters and full of great moments of cinema...
But I also have a new superhero... Thor, "The God of Thunder." A man worthy of his powers; a movie worthy of my praise.
9.5/10
Adam
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