Viewed in
2011
Formats
Theater (digital)
Premise
Chris Hemsworth stars as the comic book hero.
Liked
The surprising comedy, the cast.
Disliked
My local AMC theater for having the entire film out of focus.
Thoughts
I know bubkis about the comic book character, and never thought a Norwegian god amongst men would be interesting, but I enjoyed this film, regardless of my lack of familiarity.
Not only was it well-cast, the slew of quality actors delivered: Hemsworth was likable with a god-like physique, Natalie Portman was beautiful and charming, voluptuous Kat Dennings (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist) was adorable and hilarious as Portman's sidekick, and Sir Anthony Hopkins and Stellan Skarsgård added gravitas. Unknown Tom Hiddleston was probably the most interesting in his impressive performance as Thor's complicated brother, Loki. Plus he looked like a young Brent Spiner a la Data.
What surprised me was the writing. Not only did it have lively dialog, but it blended themes and story well with the action. I was intrigued by the duality of science versus magic that ran throughout the film. I liked how they make it intelligent without being pretentious or absurd. Another interesting part was Loki's jealousy subplot. The writers did their darnedest to prevent his arc from being predictable and boring. This ended up making the last act confusing, but I'd rather watch imperfect results from effort than lazy writing.
At first, the decision to have Kenneth Branagh direct seemed curious, but turned it out it was the right choice. He managed to find the right balance between epic action and smart comedy, grandiose style and plausibility. One really brave move was to start it off with a really wooden prologue of Thor's world, that was almost on the brink of pretentious boredom. But as part of the whole, it worked great because it truly highlighted two different realms, and the change in style created a massive comedic punch to the experience. Thor's unfamiliarity with Earth was extremely entertaining because of how straight Hemsworth played it.
Overall, this was a very fun, smart action film, even for someone without interest in Thor's comic book legacy. The risks they took didn't pay off all the time, but the strong acting, directing and writing easily won me over.
Now if I could just get my local AMC to figure out how not to ruin the movie experience with focus.
What I would change
Nothing.
