Spectacular And Enjoyable Marvel Comics Blockbuster Of Norse God Banished To Earth

Rating: 6/10 (10 May 2011)

Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, is banished to Earth when he defies his father Odin and makes war on the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Abandoned, alone and stripped of his power, he is befriended by Jane Foster, an astrophysicist. Can he redeem himself, get back home and prevent a treacherous plan to usurp Odin's rule ?
Branagh is oddly the correct choice to adapt Marvel Comics' Norse superhero to the screen - his flamboyant visual flair and Shakespearean background turn it into an intergalactic King Lear, and he plays it admirably straight. For all its dazzling backdrops and crazy fights, it's really just a simple story of a young man learning humility and responsibility, and age-old family problems. What makes it very enjoyable for me is the cast, particularly Hemsworth in the lead - he looks the business, has a big time movie star swagger which belies his inexperience, is funny and sweet, and paces the character brilliantly. He starts off as a noisy, bombastic twit, but gradually matures into a real hero, touchingly encapsulated by the scene where he faces the Destroyer alone for his friends' sake despite the fact he knows he cannot win. Hiddleston, Hopkins and Skarsgård (whose Scandinavian origins add a strange authenticity) are all great in support as the sneaky brother, troubled Dad and a nice guy scientist respectively, and Elba is terrific as Heimdall the watchful gatekeeper, who is in equal parts noble, amusing and cunning. The women don't fare as well - Portman doesn't have much to do except giggle at Hemsworth, and Alexander as warrior Sif doesn't really get to strut her stuff. The visual effects, especially the realisation of Asgard, are first-rate throughout; there's an eye-popping ice-caves battle at the start, the faceless Destroyer is a terrific robot monster (although it does remind me of Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still), and the Bifrost Bridge, which the Gods use to literally shoot themselves around the universe, is fantastic. There's also great production design by Bo Welch and a nice overblown score by Patrick Doyle, both of which create a suitably epic feel - I saw this on the largest screen in my local cineplex and the big experience really adds to the movie's sweep. The only downside for me is the story editing, which constantly flips back and forth between Asgard and Earth. I guess this is necessary for the plotting and intrigue, but for me it breaks up the tone too much; as soon as Thor and Jane start developing their friendship we're back in Asgard for more special effects, and it keeps cross-cutting throughout. I would have much preferred an hour on Earth bookended by sequences in Asgard. Minor gripes aside though, this is great head-bashing family comic book entertainment, with plenty of action (the second unit director was talented veteran stuntman/filmmaker Vic Armstrong) and a great Star Turn by Hemsworth, whose infectious grin alone is worth catching it for. Trivia - the uber-secret government agency Shield who bust up the party also appear in Marvel's recent Iron Man series of films (with Gregg here reprising his role as the cynical operative Coulson). Based on the 1962 comic by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber and Jack Kirby; Lee also has a funny walk-on as the unfortunate pick-up driver trying unsuccessfully to pull Thor's mighty hammer Mjolnir out of the ground.