East of Eden in Asgard...

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2012)

Right now, I am looking at my accurate, true-to-scale, panoramic Picto-Map of a typical Asgard street scene, drafted by the late, great Jack Kirby and compliments of the early, here and now Stan Lee! I am mentally comparing this street scene of daily life in Odin's realm and everything appears to be in order. Here, under the MONUMENT TO THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR, I am expecting a party of twelve to help me take in the sights. Unfortunately, we will not be visiting the RAINBOW BRIDGE as we have been informed it is presently undergoing reconstruction...
Cudos to the men and women of the Art Department and the Special Effects Department for taking the designs and plans of Lee and Kirby and using them as blueprints to transform what are essentially colored sketches into a living, breathing reality whose boulevards and avenues can be strolled by true to life people. This alone is worth the price of admission to 'THOR', a film directed by Kenneth Branagh and boasting a cast with the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, and capable newcomers such as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The screenplay, crafted by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne, has ample mood and pace, and 'BABYLON FIVE' J. Michael Straczynski, along with Mark Protosevich also seem to have contributed substantially to the thematic infrastructure of this interface between Science and Technology/Dream and Mythology.
'THOR' is essentially a morality tale for children about the pitfalls of Pride and how it can lead to warmongering and uncalled for destruction and the virtues of humility and how it can lead to spiritual renewal and reconciliation. It takes the concept of the Invincible Warrior of the West which has been the bane of aboriginal peoples and leavens it with the Christian Ethic of rational sacrifice for the greatest good exercising the principle of the greatest love espoused by Jesus from what many would tell you is the highest authority. It does so in such a playful and witty way that should you blink, you just might miss it.
After that, it is back to Warriors and Monsters and the political intrigues fueled by sibling rivalry and infantile good intentions gone awry. The Western deification of patriarchal power bolstered by the triumph of Science and Technology plays out its idea matrix creating new divisions and spiritual unities and setting the stage for the next act of this fairy tale in progress beyond the stars.
Oh, by the way, you can find that Picto-Map of Asgard in the MARVEL TREASURY EDITION of THE MIGHTY THOR Volume One, Number Three, 1974.