THOR {3-D} (Kenneth Branagh, 2011) ***

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2011)

This is as solid a Marvel Comics superhero flick as we have come to expect. While I cannot say to have been much enthused when it was first announced (in view of my unfamiliarity with lead Chris Hemsworth), I kept the faith given the involvement of director Branagh – which is not too surprising since he treats the larger-than-life proceedings as if they were a Shakespearean tragedy (which made his reputation to begin with) and, in any case, he had already dabbled in fantasy with the interesting if overblown MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN (1994). In hindsight, this proved almost as refreshing as IRON MAN (2008) where, similarly, the human element had emerged in spite of the predictable barrage of action (notably a battle sequence early on) and special effects (the look of Asgard is impressive alright, yet the 3-D is – as ever – sparingly adopted throughout, thus not justifying the ticket-price increase!).
Though the lead looks nothing like the cartoon character I used to watch as a kid, he manages most of the aspects pertaining to this legendary Scandinavian deity – his pride, his passion, his confidence, his charm and, of course, his strength (augmented by Hemsworth's physically-fit appearance). Thor's family circle includes Anthony Hopkins as Odin, his father (who can always be relied upon for such grandiose types, especially since he plays through much of this one-eyed), Rene Russo as the latter's wife (who, however, has precious little to do) and Tom Hiddleston as Thor's brother Loki who, discovering to be something other than what he had been led to believe, eventually becomes the hero's sworn enemy (even if his horn-fitted head-gear was, in itself, a giveaway to his true nature!). Also on hand are Thor's warrior companions (a mixed bunch of sexes, ethnicities and personalities, with the girl among them obviously having a yen for our hero!) who even follow the protagonist to Earth when Odin banishes him (stripped of his powers!) for disobeying his orders of keeping the peace with a neighboring (and, effectively made-up, vaguely monstrous) tribe.
On Earth, we get the usual initial misunderstanding and clash of cultures, as Thor's fall from the heavens coincides with heroine Natalie Portman and crew's study of an atmospheric phenomena – they even run him over twice with their van (the comedy relief, especially as delivered by Portman's brainy-but-cute pal Kat Dennings, is quite endearing)! Before long, romance blossoms (believably), bureaucracy intervenes (in the form of SHIELD, the Superhero league which has been appearing intermittently throughout the Marvel Comics adaptations, getting its most sizeable part so far here – with not only a cameo by Jeremy Renner but the by-now-trademark appearance from Samuel L. Jackson, meeting up with Portman's elder associate Stellan Skarsgard, in the post-credits teaser: this one is quite intriguing and there is even an announcement that "Thor will return in THE AVENGERS"!), while Loki usurps the throne and visits Thor to tell him their father is dead (which he is not, but this only increases the protagonist's guilt complex!).
Anyway, Thor learns the truth from his friends and also sees Loki for what he really is. The hulking but wise Guardian of the passage between the two worlds also gets in on the action, though he is obviously no match for Loki; later, we also get a robot being sent to Earth to cause havoc (another fine set-piece) but, just then, Odin sees that Thor has learned his lesson and gives him back his powers (incidentally, he could not even dislodge his mighty hammer from where it fell and which had been appropriated by SHIELD along with Portman's personal notes!). In the end, Thor assures Portman he will returnbut the afore-mentioned bridge has to be destroyed during his showdown back home with Loki, in order to eradicate the latter, so Thor cannot keep his promise after all (though the scriptwriters are sure to find a way to resolve this issue and get them together again by the time the inevitable sequel comes along!).