A Good Feeling from Asgard to Midgard

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2011)

I never was that much of a Fan of Thor as a Marvel Comics character. I liked him much better in the book "The Roaring Trumpet" by Fletcher Pratt and L Sprague de Camp, a short story which comprises the first part of "The Compleat Enchanter" - A book written before World War II. In that treatment, Thor is a big bellowing guy, on the scale of a Bear more than a a European Adonis-Model-Type - who enjoys leaving the imprint of his huge Hammer (named Mjollnir) in the skulls of so many Frost Giants. Mjollnir is the only thing these two characters of Thor have in common: A Huge Hammer that gives Thor his Power.
In this film the Hammer is an Asgardian Symbol of Honour, Responsibility, and Worthiness: And so it was given to this film's version of Thor, but he misused his Authority, and Odin took it away and banished him to Earth and also sent Mjollnir there, until such a time Thor proves worthy enough to once again wield it.
That is the crux of the story as told in this Film. What we call "Magic" - A More Advanced Culture would call Technology. And so this film expounds on that idea: Thor is a member of a highly advanced race of beings, called "the Æsir", who use the BiFrost "Rainbow Bridge" to traverse the "Nine Worlds": Asgard, Mannheim (Or, Midgard), Vanaheim (Where the Vanir live), Jotenheim, and a few other places. Mannheim is our Earth and Jotenheim is where the Frost Giants dwell, and this "World" has a large bearing on this film. These world are part of Yggdrasil, the "World Tree" and Bifrost is the bridge wherein the Aesir can traverse the worlds.
From WikiPedia:
The three worlds above the earth, in heaven:
1. Vanaheimr (Vanaheim): Realm of the Vanir 2. Álfheimr (Alfheim): Realm of the light elves 3. Ásgarðr (Asgard): Realm of the gods
The four worlds on earth:
4. Niðavellir (Nidavellir): Realm of the Dwarfs 5. Miðgarðr (Midgard): Realm of man 6. Jötunheimr (Jotunheim): Realm of the giants 7. Svartálfaheimr (Svartalfheim): Realm of the Dark Elves
The two worlds below the earth, in underworld:
8. Niflhel (Hel): Realm of the dead 9. Múspellsheimr (Muspelheim or Muspell): Realm of fire
It should be noted that the Norse "Hell" is a world of Cold compared to the Judeo-Xtian cosmological model.
What I really liked about this film, is that Kenneth Brannagh brought all of this Mythos and laid it out straight at our feet.
Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) is an Astrophysicist who discovers the use of Bifrost in our world, and that in our terminology, Bifrost is an "Einstein-Rosen Bridge" - IE, a Wormhole. The Aesir can manipulate this and effect travel between the Nine Worlds.
Chris Hemsworth is Thor, son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and Tom Hiddleston is Loki - Thor and Loki are depicted as "brothers" who grew up together, but Odin had kept a secret from Loki, which eventually became a source of friction. What is remarkable in this story, is the apparent true friendship between Thor and Loki, something which has never been explored in Book or Film regarding these "gods".
There is a section at the beginning of the film showing the history of the Aesir battling the Frost Giants, and the "childhood" of Thor and Loki and other aspects of life in Asgard. This portion of the film has excellent CGI, profound music written by Patrick Doyle (Who wrote the music and was also an Actor in Brannagh's 1989 "Henry V"), and gives an impression of great antiquity. The film's basic story is told in two realms: Asgard and Earth, so we have a split storyline.
One unexpected face was Rene Russo as Frigga, Odin's wife. Idris Elba is Heimdall (Which is one of my favourite Norse gods) and the great Character Actor Colm Feore plays King Laufey of the Frost Giants.
Stellan Skarsgård plays a character named Erik Selvig, another Astrophysist and Mentor to Jane Foster, his character was created for this film and was not previously part of the Marvel Multiverse.
As Norse Myth is one of my favourite subjects, I highly enjoyed seeing how Marvel and Brannagh treated the subject, and this film made a huge impression on me.