"Thor" was directed by Kenneth Branagh. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, et al.
Thor (Hemsworth) is destined to be the new king of Asgard, after his father Odin (Hopkins). Things do not go as planned though because as it turns out Thor is too full of himself. Odin decides this after a skirmish with some Frost Giants. He sends Thor to Earth, without his godly powers, and sends his powerful hammer there as well. Only the one capable of handling the power of the hammer will be able to take it. Jane Foster, a scientist (Portman) finds Thor after he crash lands in the New Mexico desert and is hit by her van. Naturally, she develops a gigantic crush on Thor, because who doesn't love a little romance in a comic book movie? I won't spoil the rest of this, but gradually Thor turns from a god into a superhero, which I assume most of you already assumed.
Phenomenal acting really isn't a requirement for comic book movies such as this. Luckily, "Thor" isn't too shabby in the acting department. Naturally, the most talented man on the screen the entire movie is Sir Anthony Hopkins. He is incredibly talented, English, and wonderful, and within moments of being on screen people should accept him as a Norse god. Then again I am willing to believe him in any male role, up to a point. Then you have Chris Hemsworth who worked out quite a lot for this movie, and it really paid off. He's got the physical presence needed for such a Marvel superhero. Also, on a non-superficial level, he's not a bad actor. I guess that Australian soap opera taught him well. Finally, Natalie Portman. After, "Black Swan," I feel like "Thor" didn't really involve a great deal of intricate acting. I love her anyone though and was happy to see her in this movie. I could comment on every single actor, but that would be obnoxious and my memory isn't that good.
The cinematography (excluding some semi-cheesy looking special effects) was nice looking in this movie. If you ever wanted to know what a movie would look like if it was directed by a man who is known for his adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, then this is they movie for you. There's some vast shots of the New Mexico desert. Also, there are a couple of fight sequences, between semi strange villains, such as the Frost Giants. Overall, the film is action packed and usually entertaining to look at.
Finally, there's some good comic relief in the film. Much of this comes from the ever popular "fish out of water" scenario with Thor trying to function with mortals.
Some of the effects looked a little cheesy to me. This was especially obvious in one of the final scenes, including Thor and his fake brother. It's hard to explain, but you will surely recognize it, unless you are just easy to please. I don't really know why this is, since the budget was quite large. They may have been going for a certain look that I just don't appreciate, but after the "Iron Man" films I have certain standards for visual effects in movies set in the same universe.
Overall, this was everything you could ask for in a summer movie. Big budget, big stars, plenty of action, lots of fun, and Michael Bay is nowhere to be seen.
"The Dark Knight" really spoiled me as far as comic book movies go. However, that is a DC Comics property, not Marvel, so I will talk about "Iron Man." I'm pretty sure I liked "Iron Man" a little better, which isn't to say that "Thor" isn't a worthy inclusion in the Marvel series of films. I am thoroughly looking forward to "The Avengers" next May, with all sorts of superheroes popping in. If you don't enjoy "Thor" a little bit, then you just might not be a fun person. It's not even that long, so the pacing made me happy.
Note: Do not see it in 3-D. It is expensive and doesn't add anything to the movie. Also, according to Wikipedia it wasn't even filmed in 3-D. It was converted.
Note #2: I did not see "Thor" in 3-D. So the previous statements were not based on my personally experience.
Note #3: Stay for the entire credits. Thousands of people put blood sweat and tears, so that you can watch a summer movie featuring various Englishmen. Also, there is a short scene at the end, that I assume many would like to see.
3 out of 4 stars.
-Joseph Sbrilli
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