Movie Review: "Thor"

[pole_dancer]

“Thor” (2011) 

 

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Colm Feore, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings

 

Director: Kenneth Branagh

 

The superhero movie “Thor” is the fourth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

 

My 30 Second No Spoilers Intro

 

Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is enormously handsome, enormously mighty, and enormously cocky.  He is also the son of Odin, the king of Asgard, played by Anthony Hopkins, and he assumes Odin will make him the next king and not his brother Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston.  In his quest to protect Asgard from what he perceives as a threat by the Frost Giants, Thor makes it his mission to confront a menacing looking Laufey, played by Colm Feore. Laufey lives in the cold and dark Jotunheim and is the king of the Frost Giants.  Thor is strong, handsome, confident, and arrogant, but is he smart? Along the way, on the planet Earth, we meet astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, a scientist who doesn’t discount the possibility of otherworldly existences.  When the human meets the Asgardian, changes happen, especially for Thor.  Idris Elba plays the all-seeing and all-hearing Heimdall, the guard of Asgard, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, makes another appearance. (We first saw him in both “Iron Man” movies.) And as I’ve said in my previous reviews, be sure to watch for the post-credits scene.

 

Who Was Good and Who Wasn’t?

 

Kat Dennings plays Darcy Lewis, Dr. Jane Foster’s assistant, and unlike the acting of Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Foster’s fellow astrophysicist, Dennings' acting is a bit over-the-top.  But everyone else is excellent in this movie, especially Natalie Portman.

 

What I Liked and What I Didn’t Like

 

Like: Loki is overshadowed by his brother Thor and there are often consequences for a sibling who feels dominated by another.  I like the way the screenplay handles this dynamic.  

 

Like: I love horror movies and monsters, and the dark, cold, eerie looking Jotunheim could be the set of a horror movie with the very scary looking Laufey as its monster complete with those evil red eyes.

 

Like: The look of Jotunheim and Asgard are well-done.  The costumes and the monsters of these mythic worlds are also well-done.

 

Like: The character development in this movie is the best I’ve seen of the Marvel movies I’ve reviewed so far.  Of the major characters, we leave the film truly understanding who they are.

 

Dislike: “Thor,” in my opinion, starts somewhat clunky.  It isn’t until we get to Thor’s encounter with Laufey that things begin to pick up.  That said, it’s still an excellent movie.

 

Who Will Like This Movie?

 

"Thor" is excellent for people who love to look at good-looking, buff superheroes, despite their personality flaws.  It’s also good for lovers of depictions of Norse mythology.

 

Rating?

 

I give "Thor" Five out of Five Stars.

 

Final Words:

 

When a Marvel movie includes a post-credit scene, it’s a cliffhanger.  But “Thor” ends on a cliffhanger before its post-credit scene.  So be prepared to want more.