Thor Continues to Build Up the Momentum for The Avengers

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2011)

¨Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.¨ With Thor, summer movies have officially started in Hollywood. It's not one of my favorite seasons of the year for films, but if the rest of the movies can live up to what Kenneth Branagh has accomplished with Thor it will be an exciting and entertaining season at the movies. I wasn't a huge fan of Thor before this movie came out, I wasn't even expecting too much out of it, but I decided to go see it because he's still one of The Avengers and I couldn't miss out on all the propaganda that began with Iron Man. With each one of these films my expectations for The Avengers is rapidly building, and even Thor managed to win me over to his side. The first thing I can say about the movie is that it was entertaining enough for me to want to go see it twice in two days. The story, the visuals, the strong performance from two relatively unknown actors like Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are all factors that contribute to making this movie successful. Include Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins into the mix and you have an even better film. The directing had a lot to do with it as well because Kenneth Branagh is a serious and dedicated director; he has proved it time after time with his adaptations of Shakespearean plays. He was dedicated with this project as well; adapted this Marvel comic superhero and prepared him for the big screen. Like most every Marvel character, they are very well developed and the film is no exception remaining true to the comic.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) the god of Asgard. He is a great warrior and his father has been preparing him to be the future King of Asgard. It is no easy task because Asgardians are the keepers of the peace in all nine realms (Earth being one of those realms). They can travel from one realm to another through the Forest which is guarded by Heimdall (Idris Elba). Odin saved Earth from extinction many centuries ago when the Frost Giants tried to destroy the planet. Odin defeated them and took away their power so they could no longer leave their planet, Jotunheimr. Odin has kept the peace during all these years but now it's time to proclaim Thor as his heir to the throne. On the day of his proclamation something unexpected occurs and three Frost Giants manage to enter Asgard and almost steal the cube which holds their power. However The Destroyer does his job and kills the invaders before they can do any harm. Thor is furious and wants to give the Giants a lesson, but Odin wants to maintain peace and orders Thor to remain in Asgard. Against his father's command Thor travels to Jotunheimr with his younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the 3 warriors: Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral, and Sif (Jaime Alexander). Together they face the Giants who tell them there is a traitor in Asgard. Odin discovers that Thor disobeyed his command, rescues the warriors from the Frost Giants but vanishes Thor to Earth without his supernatural powers. In Earth Thor meets a group of scientists: Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and Darcy (Kat Dennings) who help him rediscover his path.
I can imagine how difficult it was to try to make a serious movie out of all this Norse mythology about the nine realms and so on, but Branagh pulls it off by combining humor with the story. For instance when the three warriors come to Earth to find Thor, the unbelievable situation is toned down with a lot of humor. The same can be said with the Destroyer when he arrives at Earth to try to destroy Thor. When the SHIELD agents first see this metal giant they believe it could be one of Stark's creations. So whenever the plot seems to be getting ridiculous, the tone of the film is cooled down with a lot of humor. The funniest character is Darcy who with clever one-liners manages to steal most laughs. I liked Kat Dennings in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but here once more she proves she is a talented actress. The true stars of the film however are Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Hemsworth plays Thor to perfection, and Hiddleston is excellent as Loki. The scene where he realizes his true identity is perhaps one of the most dramatic and best acted sequences in the movie. I know we are being bombarded with a lot of superhero movies, but as long as they keep on making them this entertaining I have no problem with that. Thor is no Dark Knight, or even Iron Man for that matter, but it still is a very good film. I will end my review by quoting my six year old brother's words after the movie ended: ¨I don't want to have an Iron Man party for my birthday anymore. I want it to be Thor!¨ http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/