Thor

Plot synopsis:
Three scientists, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), are in the New Mexico desert in a four-wheel drive van studying an aurora-borealis-type phenomenon. Suddenly a large tornado/lightning storm develops and they drive towards it. The van hits a man inside the maelstrom and they stop. The man, a well-built & handsome blond, is semi-conscious.A voice-over describes a battle in 900 AD between the Jötuns, the frost giants of Jötunheim, and Asgardians; the Asgardians win, seize the power casket, and return to their realm. The speaker is Odin (Anthony Hopkins) talking to his two sons, one the energetic blond Thor, the other a more thoughtful dark-haired boy named Loki. Odin says both of them are worthy but only one can be king.Years later Asgard is having an elaborate ceremony. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is now being formally recognized as the crown prince of Asgard. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) looks on enviously. Before Odin can make the proclamation, alarms go off; there are intruders in the secure rooms that hold the Jotens' power casket. A large Destroyer robot kills the intruders and saves the power casket. Examining the remains, Odin seems unperturbed, yet Thor is angry and wants to attack. Odin forbids him.Thor gathers Loki and his close friends, Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Josh Dallas), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), and Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and they ride out to the Bifrost Bridge portal. The guardian, Heimdall (Idris Elba), allows them to pass and the six are transported to the frost giant planet, Jötunheim, a frozen, crumbling wasteland. Suddenly they are confronted by King Laufey (Colm Feore), who taunts the Asgardian heroes. More frost giants surround the six and a battle starts. Loki survives with some magic and has an unusual reaction when he is touched by a frost giant. Laufey releases a huge beast and the Asgardians run for their lives. Thor kills the beast but once again the team are surrounded and things look desperate. Odin arrives to save the day; he apologizes to Laufey for the intrusion and attempts to reinstate peace, but Laufey states that they are beyond diplomacy, that the Frost Giants are now at war with Asgard. He attempts to stab Odin, who blasts Laufey back and takes the young group home.Back at the Asgard side of the portal, Odin lets the four friends go and confronts Thor and Loki. Odin is furious that Thor has dragged Asgard back into war, and tells Thor he is not fit to be king. He strips him of his power, banishes him to Earth and sends his hammer, Mjolnir, after him a few seconds later, saying that whosoever wields the hammer, and is worthy of it, shall have the power of Thor.Earth: Thor gets a little aggressive and Darcy tazes him, knocking him out. The three scientists load him into their van and take him to the hospital. Once again he starts fighting as he wakes up and he's eventually tranquilized. Erik tries to get Jane to leave him be, saying he is some kind of nut, but she is curious, and attracted to him. They go back to the hospital but Thor has escaped. As they drive off in the van, they hit the Asgardian man again and knock him out but this time they take him with them. Jane gives him civilian clothes that belonged to her ex-boyfriend. After overhearing locals discussing a satellite crash 50 miles due west, Thor decides to go there and once again Erik tries to get Jane to leave him alone. Thor walks about the town and tries to get a horse in a pet store. Jane appears and gives him a ride; the two head west in the van.At the satellite crash site -- actually the place where Thor's hammer came to earth -- a crowd has gathered; people are partying and trying to lift the hammer from the crater. Stan Lee cameos as one of the locals trying to pull the hammer out with his pickup truck. Government agents from SHIELD take over the site and confiscate Jane's research notes and computers. After dark, Jane and Thor arrive on the scene. Now the crater is surrounded by guards and tenting. Thor attacks and Jane huddles in safety. After beating up several agents, Thor finally reaches the hammer, but is unable to lift it. He howls at his powerlessness and slumps to the ground, putting up no fight as SHIELD agents close in and take him.Asgard: Thor's four friends begin to suspect Loki had something to do with Thor's banishment. Loki realizes he is not a pure Asgardian and Odin admits Loki was taken from Jötunheim as an infant and raised as his own. Loki is confused and angry as Odin falls into a coma ("Odinsleep"). Loki becomes acting king.Earth: Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) questions Thor, and when he leaves him alone briefly, Loki appears in the room. Loki tells Thor that Odin is dead and he cannot come back to Asgard. Thor is distraught. Erik arrives to tell the SHIELD agents Thor is Jane's ex-husband and is under the influence of steroids. Somehow he has faked a driver's license. Coulson lets Erik take Thor, who surreptitiously grabs Jane's notebook on the way out. Back in town Erik takes Thor out for a drink; the two chug boilermakers and bond. Thor brings the drunk Erik to Jane's trailer. Thor and Jane go to a rooftop to gaze at the stars, and Thor explains the nine realms and the Bifrost Bridge to Jane. Jane figures the bridge is the theoretical Einstein-Rosen Bridge wormhole.Asgard: Loki freezes Heimdall, then meets Laufey. It was Loki who let the frost giants into Asgard to try to retrieve the power casket earlier. He makes a deal with Laufey that he will let them into Asgard again to kill Odin and have their casket, and in return they will go home in peace. Loki commands the Destroyer to go to Earth and kill Thor.Earth: The Destroyer arrives in the New Mexico desert and starts blasting everything with a heat ray. Thor and the three scientists attempt to get everyone away safely. Thor confronts the Destroyer and asks Loki to leave the humans alone in return for himself. Loki can see and hear what is going on from Asgard. The Destroyer gives Thor a vicious backhand slap and sends him tumbling, apparently dead. Jane runs to the body in tears. However, Thor's selfless act of protecting his friends proves him worthy to once again wield Mjolnir, which frees itself from the crater and returns to Thor's hand. He is restored to full life and vigor and once again fitted in his red cape and armor. He easily defeats the Destroyer and tries to return to Asgard, promising Jane he will return.Asgard: the frost giants invade through the portal, walking past the frozen Heimdall. Laufey goes to Odin's bed chamber and, as he prepares to kill the Norse god, Loki kills Laufey to appear to be the hero. Although frozen, Heimdall is conscious and manages to break free. He brings Thor back to Asgard. Thor flies quickly to fight the frost giants.Loki goes to the Bifrost Portal and sets it up to destroy the ice planet Jötunheim. Thor tries to stop him and the two engage in combat. Thor immobilizes Loki with Mjolnir and starts to destroy the portal to stop the process, smashing away at the bridge itself. As everything crumbles, the two brothers fall into space but Odin is there to hold Thor, who holds Loki's staff. Loki admits defeat and allows himself to fall off the disappearing Bifrost Bridge, into the abyss of no return.All seems back to normal on Asgard, although Odin is sad about how it turned out. Thor pines for Jane but Heimdall assures him that she is looking for him. Back on Earth Jane is in a new lab with new equipment.Post-credits, Selvig has been taken to a SHIELD facility where he meets Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Fury shows him an object in a briefcase, which he says could be a source of unlimited power. Loki appears then, invisible to Selvig and Fury, and says "Well, I guess that's worth a look," which Selvig repeats.

Tags: comedy, boring, cult, violence, flashback, good versus evil, action, romantic, entertaining

Review:
The idea of a "classic" director like Kenneth Branagh making a superhero film might initially sound strange, but in the case of Thor that ended up being very appropriate, because the comic always used Shakespearean drama and archaic language to tell the story of the God of Thunder, the political/family conflicts in the Asgard kingdom and its interaction with the universe of Marvel Comics.
And Branagh's competent direction, the excellent performances and the solid screenplay make Thor to be a very entertaining movie.I honestly had always preferred the character of Thor in small doses or as part of an ensemble, like he was on the beginnings of the comic The Avengers and in its modern reinterpretation The Ultimates.
So, I did not have big expectations on a movie exclusively focused in that character; however, Chris Hemsworth brings a brilliant performance in that role, because he could perfectly combine the pompous and operatic "classic" Thor with the dynamic and unstable modern Thor.
I do not know how the purist fans of the Kirby/Lee era will take that mash-up, but I think it was a very good decision, specially because Thor does not only work as an origin of that superhero, but also as an efficient preamble of the highly anticipated film The Avengers, which will be an unification point of Marvel's film universe.For example, we also have the character of Agent Coulson conducting scientific investigations from S.H.I.E.L.D. with his accustomed astuteness and efficiency; we also have a cameo of one of my favorite Avengers (even though without his traditional uniform); and a post-credits scene where a few concepts we are surely going to see in that future movie are established.
As for the action scenes, I found them to be well filmed, with the exception of a few excessive close-ups which made them occasionally confusing; I think that is the only thing I can say against Branagh's direction.In conclusion, I took a very pleasant surprise with Thor, and I can recommend it as a very good re-invention of a difficult to handle superhero.
The cinematic entry for this character, titled simply Thor, is among the better of the Marvel adaptations of recent years, mixing a good sense of fun, strong acting, and some Shakespearian level drama that makes for an especially entertaining time at the movies.Liberally adapting portions of Thor comic book lore to fit in a more modern comic book film reality, Thor introduces us to a centuries old war between the Asgardians, beings that live for long periods of time and can travel through space from their home realm of Asgard to various other worlds, such as Earth, via the Bi-Frost bridge, and the conflict centric Frost Giants, whom the Asgardians conquered some time back.
When the encounter with the Frost Giants ends with tensions re-ignited between the two factions, Odin decides that his son is not prepared to lead his people, and exiles Thor, sans his powers, to Earth.When he arrives on Earth, he is discovered by astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her associates Professor Selvig (Stellan Skarsgaard) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who are convinced that he isn't a random homeless vagabond that they found in the middle of the desert.
Meanwhile, Loki, who turns out to have some ulterior motives, seizes control of Asgard following the collapse of Odin from strain, and begins to hatch a grand scheme involving the Frost Giants.Thor, much like Iron Man before it, proves that, in the right hands, a comic tale that appears silly on the surface can have hidden depths when properly plumbed.
Sure, Thor has elements that, on the face of it, may lead a bit to some audience snickers (Thor's ability to pick himself up and fly and defeat attackers with little effort are a bit cheesy at times), but the creatives behind Thor, including director Kenneth Branagh, manage to develop a story for Thor that deals with elements of tragedy, pathos, selflessness and, perhaps even more surprisingly, involving character development.
Thor is more about the lead characters at its core, again akin to Iron Man, than some other comic book films and this draws the audience into its tale.When it was first announced that Kenneth Branagh would be taking the reins of Thor as a director, it seemed something of an unusual fit for someone best known for his cinematic adaptations of the works of Shakespeare, but the final results of Thor bare out that Branagh was just the right man for the job.
Considering the larger-than-life origins of the Thor comic, involving beings with the power and appearance of Gods and the various machinations of their story, the material fits fairly well with Branagh's body of work to a great extent.
Especially strong is the development of Loki, who proves to be less of a traditional mustache twirling villain, and more of a misguided soul, trapped between revelations he makes about himself and his past and his respect in his father, making him more of a tragic figure than a black and white comic book antagonist.Thor benefits from strong acting from its leads, Hemsworth and Hiddleston.
The romance between Thor and Jane Foster is practically and afterthought, rushed into the narrative at light speed and then not given any room to breathe or develop, it plays more as a requirement of adapting the comic story than something that works organically in the film.
Trust me when I say Thor REALLY IS as good as Iron Man and is most worthy to be called one of the greatest adaptations ever.Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god Thor, and Tom Hiddleston as his villainous brother Loki show they have the acting ability and star quality to become mega-marquee names in the future.
The action scenes were also good though I thought could have been executed better with lesser use of the fast cut edit style that is too often the norm in action film these days.There is plenty of humour when Thor is on Earth but not in a put-off way as there is a suitable contrast of a serious tone with everything set in Asgard.
Even though the storyline was somewhat predictable, it was still a riveting one.For those like me, who were concerned about how Thor fits into the established Marvel connected universe set by the Iron Man films need not worry.
And even when it's clear that he's done very grim deeds, you can actually understand and accept his motives...and his last scene in the film brings all three of the family men together in a very poignant moment of utter loss.I was pretty surprised how moving this all was, especially when put in the middle of some otherwise-uninspiring hero pablem.So in summary, this movie both met my negative expectation of disappointment and surprised me with some purely moving content.
There were opportunities to delve into characters and their back stories that were simply ignored.Other problems include: Fight scenes that played out like video game ads, with actors trying to strike the right "badass" pose for the cool action shots.
Put on your 3D glasses, and I can assure you, your in for a roller-coaster ride, that is filled with stunning effects, entertaining moments & intriguing performances.Directed by Kenneth Branagh, 'Thor' tells the story Thor, The god of thunder based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.
Editing is good.Performance-Wise: Chris Hemsworth as Thor, is awesome and carries the film on his shoulders from start to end.
And I loved Thor with the hammer in the action scenes - that is some power to have.This might not be a movie that will haunt your mind, but for the purpose I went to watch it - pure entertainment - it was perfect.
Chris Hemsworth was fine as Thor and Hopkins played a good Odin, but it was the human characters that kill this one.At least Branagh threw in Skarsgard for the Swede inside joke.
As you expected in a Marvel movie, "Thor" is hilarious at times.While some of the action scenes weren't mind-blowing, The visuals were good.
When the Machiavellian Loki sends the Destroyer to Earth to kill Thor, he needs to retrieve his hammer to save not only the humans, but also his Allfather Odin and Asgard from the evil Loki."Thor" is an entertaining adventure based on the character of the comic book published by Marvel Comics.
To me "Thor" stands as the best Marvel comic-book-movie till now, by far...First of all, the characters are really likable and portrayed in a realistic way.
leave "pure" cinema alone.Chris Hemsworth played the perfect Thor (after being bitten by zillions of steroid "bees" to bulk up for the part)Hopkins plays Odin very well, wise, mysterious and powerful like the god of gods should be.Was impressed with Tom Hiddleston has Loki, moving from a friendly innocent role to a mischievous, dark character (just like it was in the norse Myths).Portman did her part, strangely looking very young compared to some other roles, but Chris/Tom lead the play here.Using a color actor for Heimdall (Idris Elba) was a very odd move, considering we're talking about norse gods.
in one word Awesome!I was really curious and excited to see Thor as I love big budget movies and also it's the first time I see Kenneth Branagh directing a movie like this.
Tom Hiddleston however steals the scene as the mischievous brother Loki.Here's another good thing about the movie - the story and acting outweigh the special effects and action sequences.
Branagh deserves kudos for the effort, however some parts do not gel in nicely and there's some action bits that are not too well-filmed.All is forgiven though - "Thor" is an above-average superhero movie, not extremely exciting, but definitely intriguing.
i went in to this film very excited not just about what it setting up (the avengers) but because it is the start of the summer action season that has two other big comic book based movies (captain America and green lantern) and i am very happy to say that it did not disappoint, it felt very close to iron man in tone and pacing but lacked iron mans humour but that is a good thing because if it was trying to make you laugh at every line then you wouldn't believe the beautiful scenery in Asgard could mix in with the plain desert town that the rest of the film is set in, a special mention has to go to Kenneth Branagh and the writers for making the female characters so realistic and strong people not just the normal stereotypical female roles.
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.
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.
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.
Thor was the first Marvel film to succeed in creating dynamic new worlds that felt as real as the action scenes in New Mexico.Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Fiege brought a lot of comedic and memorable moments that are still referenced in other movies and shows.
When his actions heightens a war between Asgard and the giants, Odin strips Thor of his powers and exiles him to Earth where he is forced to enlist the help of scientists Eric Slevig (played by Stellan Skarsgard) and Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) and their intern Darcy Lewis (played by Kat Denning) to help regain his powers.
This movie brought us a great hero that must prove himself to be worthy of his name and a villain that proves to be one of the best in superhero movie history.Chris Hemsworth's Thor is strong, brave, naive and yet still able to change into a better person.
And Darcy was nothing but the annoying "comic relief".Also, hi Hawkeye, nice to see you there for the 2ish minutes you were on screen.+ Hiddleston and Hemsworth + Asgardian aesthetic + Some of the characters (Coulson, Selvig, Sif, Odin, Volstagg) - Others really didn't match up so well - Would have preferred more time off Earth as it is Marvel's first step into the cosmosFinal Score: 8.1/10.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor handles the character well as does his brother in the film played by Tom Hiddleston.
He delivered a film that looks and feels exactly like a live action Thor comic.
It has an abundance of testosterone fueled action, a plethora of mind-blowing special effects, a hint of well-timed humor sprinkled throughout it's 111 minutes running time, and a powerful yet fragile protagonist that you actually care about by the time the credits roll.Hardcore Thor enthusiasts will be fully satisfied with this amazing adaptation of the Asgardian hero, and for the rest of us who have no knowledge or background on the Marvel character, it will still be an enjoyable and unforgettable ride.They cast the role of Thor perfectly, nobody else could have filled his shoes, Chris looks fit and healthy, and exudes the cocky arrogance that is associated with Thor during the first act.
The story is exciting, again a simple tale but as Avatar proved tell a simple tale well and you will entertain, no clever story tricks or sneaky twists, merely an entertaining story, which can, in the right directors hands be elevated above what it is.The graphics whilst not perfect look good, some beautiful Asgardian shots and some amazing 3D moments, I love 3D, it's exciting and Thor is the kind of film it would seem made for, sumptuous, beautiful sets, dripping in colour and scope.Helmsworth and Portman share a good chemistry, I could have used some more of them together but that's all to come, the secondary characters are all fine in they serve the story though there are some moments of over acting that seem excess to the scenes, again though it's a new franchise and a first film so all is forgive.
The Marvel Comic hero Thor of course based on the ancient Norse God of Thunder comes to the big screen in a fine version with very nice computer graphic special effects.
May be because there has been absolutely no importance given to her character development nor much screen time given to her.However, the movie stands out to be a must watch for the story, plot, fights and good performances by most of them..
While standing in the theatre and watching it for 2 hours made me feel like only 10 minutes had past since i've sat down, the story sums up pretty much all the essentials of the Mighty Avengers STORY, Hemsworth does a great job as the thunderer , great acting, a lot of charisma, he was cast perfectly,good accent too, excellent performance by Hopkins and an ever more impressive one by Hiddlestone as Loki.
Wow, I wasn't expecting that, I knew that Kenneth Branagh is a great Director but the way that he translate the story and the comic into life was marvelous.The acting is good, the actors bring the characters to life, Hemsworth brings an excellent Thor (maybe the wrestler fighter Triple H was a better choice because has more the look of Nordic),with an splendid Odin(Hopkins) and a great Loki(Hiddleston).The only failure that I can find is the size of the hammer, if you have seen the trailer you will know what I am saying, I think was too small for the size of Thor but besides that the movie is great.The 3D in this movie was good but sometimes is a bit unnecessary.8/10 for some dialogs and some excessive use of Special Effects..
Hemsworth has some really great lines throughout the entire film, which cause me to laugh out loud no matter how many times I see this film.In addition, the rest of the cast do excellent job as well, the visuals (especially the design of Asgard) are topnotch and the action scenes are creative and fun to follow.Unfortunately the movie falters a bit when it comes to the pacing.
In my opinion it's a comic book movie the way they are supposed to be made.Watch out for a great Stan Lee's cameo and as usual with Marvel movies stay till the end of the credits for a genius post-credits scene.Thor will return in The Avengers..
The trailers did nothing to help my hesitation going into the film, and after watching it, I am even more apprehensive Marvel's future plans.Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a ridiculously powerful god living in the "realm" of Asgard.
I figured these scenes would be the most satisfying parts of the film, but never figured they would make me totally oblivious of everything else that was happening.But I digress, because it seems like the plotting and story existed only because Marvel needed some time to show Thor off to anyone who does read comics on a regular basis.
However I went to see it as I am really looking forward to The Avengers movie and wanted to go in after seeing the films leading up to it.I am glad to say not only did I enjoy Thor, I enjoyed it a lot.
It has some cool special effects, nice action scene's and some good acting from Chris Hemsworth and the legendary, Anthony Hopkins.I also like the relationship between Thor and Odin.
With so many great performances from the Hemsworth, Portman, Hiddleston, and of course, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Thor is thundering with acting and suspense.I can't tell you how much I like this film.