THOR is Better Than I Expected it to Be

Rating: 7/10 (30 October 2011)

Marvel continues its push towards its ultimate goal: THE AVENGERS (also known as the most ambitious comic book film endeavor ever). Before we can bring all of the major superheroes together on the big screen, we're treated to a series of introductory films for each of the main characters and that means we were given a theatrical release for someone I've always considered a B-grade character in the Marvel universe, Thor. For those unfamiliar with Norse mythology, Thor is the god of thunder and wields the powerful war-hammer Mjolnir. In the Marvel canon, he is a being from the mystical realm of Asgard. He is the son of Odin and next in line for the throne, but he's got a few personal issues to work out before Odin hands him the keys to the kingdom. Asgard's longtime enemies, the Frost Giants, sneak into the palace in an attempt to steal a powerful artifact, and Thor reacts with a desire for war. He gathers his comrades for an attack on the Frost Giant realm of Jotunheim. Thor's actions result in war between the two realms and Odin banishes Thor with hopes of teaching him a valuable lesson. Thor is stripped of his power and exiled to Earth (Midgard) while his brother Loki uses the opportunity to rise to power as ruler of Asgard.
If that was hard to understand, I believe it. For anyone who hasn't seen the film and doesn't have an established understanding of the comic's canon, the plot to this film is a bunch of gibberish. I really am surprised it did as well as it did in the box office, but I'm happy to see it. I've never been much of a Thor fan and I wasn't excited to hear he'd be getting his own film. When Kenneth Branagh was brought on as director, my interest was piqued but I still had a hard time caring. The heavy fantasy/mythological angle of the Thor series never appealed to me and, even with Branagh's talent behind the camera, I was still worried that a movie trying to cram so much exposition into a single story was going to collapse under it's own weight. I was wrong to doubt THOR, as it turned out to be an excellent bit of summer popcorn fun. It's not as good as Jon Favreau's IRON MAN, but it's a fun, flashy bit of blockbuster action. Visually, it's amazing. The mystical realms of Asgard and Jotunheim look amazing; I could've watched an entire film in these realms without ever setting foot on Earth and I'd have been satisfied. The costume design somehow pulls off a miracle: making the outrageous costumes of the comic work in a serious(ish) film. Thor's winged helmet or Loki's horned piece don't stand out as comically as I thought they would.
The film really looks fantastic but the story is pretty thin. In an effort to ensure they had enough time to explain what the heck we're looking at to people who've never seen the character and his world, the actual story is pretty thin. Thor is sent to Earth to learn a bit of humility and compassion, his manipulative brother tries to assume the throne, lessons learned and everyone's saved. I'm sure the next film in the franchise (and with almost a half billion in worldwide box office, it IS a franchise) will move a lot smoother now that the general population knows the character and it's new worlds. Origin stories are always the hardest to present but THOR does it pretty well. It's a fun ride with great characters (well, the Asgardians anyway) and great action, and it continues Marvel's winning streak with its line of films leading to THE AVENGERS.