God of Thunder? Meh...whatever...

Rating: Null/10 (23 August 2011)

I've talked to a lot of people that saw Thor and many of them had the same thing to say. It was just okay...it was meh...it left no solid impression on your like other Marvel superheroes that became larger than life on the screen like Spiderman or X-Men. Thor had some stumbling blocks. I think first of all he's a tough hero to translate to the big screen. For that purpose they did okay. The scenery and special effects are truly outstanding. The scenes that are on Asgard and the frost giants world are stunning and something else to see. Although as always the 3D did nothing for me. It looked just as good in 2D. The issue is not the effects. The issue is the characters don't really go well together, and Thor, the God of Thunder spends nearly the entire film on earth and powerless. It isn't until the last half hour or less of the movie when he finally regains his powers and starts to kick butt. Up until then you're just watching an awkward enormous blonde man live amongst humans. The romance that blossoms in the film is forced and downright silly and the action scenes are done almost without Thor for a lot of the time.
There is no doubt that Chris Hemsworth fits the build and look of Thor. In fact he isn't bad in the role. I felt like it was a little campy (nothing compared to the 1970's role of Thor on The Incredible Hulk TV Series) but he still doesn't come to life in front of you. Natalie Portman who is a huge superstar in Hollywood is almost wasted in this movie. She is supposed to be a brilliant scientist but looks like a deer in the headlights, picks up this over-sized brute of a man and then somehow falls in love with him in a few seconds. Portman looks pretty as always but that's about as far as it goes. The chemistry between them is weak. Tom Hiddleston is Loki, Thor's adopted brother and if you know even a little about the Thor storyline you know where his story is going. Hiddleston is good. He makes an interesting anti-hero/villain and while he's a little campy it will be interesting to see where he takes the character. The legendary Anthony Hopkins joins the cast which automatically brings up the ante of this cast but even Hopkins' character as Thor's father is a little empty to me. He is good but he isn't great and that's what you want from a big budget summer flick and Hopkins. Stellan Skarsgård and Kat Dennings have supporting roles as Portman's co-workers and they are good but they don't get a chance to really stand out. Kat Dennings is the comic relief but her comedy is misplaced at times. Honorable mention to Colm Feore who plays King of the Frost Giants. He has a small but decent role.
Thor was supposed to be of course another lead in to The Avengers film which I still think is a risky prospect but Marvel are trying their best. This was certainly the summer of Marvel but I think Thor was the weakest of their entries considering how amazing X-Men First Class was and Captain America was solid too. Thor almost felt like just a filler film that they had to do. Director Kenneth Branagh is a great director and an even better actor but I think he didn't have a lot to work with. They forced it out and didn't try to reach the quality that they often do with new properties like Iron Man. But for fans of Marvel flicks I suppose it will get watched and it is mildly entertaining but it won't stick with you long after the credits role. 7/10