Anthony's Film Review

Marvel Studios introduces a very likable cast of characters with a fascinating new setting...

When you think of superheroes, you usually think of a science-fiction story taking place in our world on Earth. So far, that's what Marvel Studios did with its first three movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2. Now comes Thor, the fourth film of the MCU. This one is noticeably different, because one may be more tempted to classify it as a fantasy tale and note that it takes place in a realm called Asgard. In fact, the legends of Thor the god of thunder along with the king Odin and the mischievous Loki are old tales from Norse mythology that have been retold many times. Although known mainly for superhero stories, Marvel Comics did present its own take on the old Norwegian story.

In this version of the story, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) is the king of Asgard who has two sons, Thor (Chris Helmsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and is protecting his people against the Frost Giants. One day, a band of Frost Giants steals one of Asgard's ancient relics: a bluish cube containing powerful energy. On his own, Thor leads Loki and a band of warriors to confront the Frost Giants. However, this enrages Odin, who sees Thor's actions as provoking a civil war between Asgard and the Frost Giants. Hence, Odin strips Thor of his power and banishes both him and his powerful hammer to Earth.

As you can see, this story does actually take place in our world. When Thor crashes to Earth, specifically New Mexico, astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) immediately comes face to face with him, thinking that her vehicle struck and killed him. It is through this encounter that Jane eventually realizes there is indeed some kind of wormhole to a distant world. It's rather neat that this movie not only presents fantasy and science-fiction side by side, but also blends them such that there is ultimately no distinction. As one notable scene reminds us, science and magic are nothing more than known phenomena and yet-to-be-understood phenomena, respectively.

The interactions among characters from different worlds lend themselves to illustration of culture clashes that are both amusing as well as logical based on the characters' perspectives. In an early scene, Thor is taken to a hospital emergency department, where he panics because it's like he's held captive and the staff are reacting as they normally would with any combative patient. There's also a moment where an ordinary man discovers Thor's hammer in the desert, and that leads to festive gatherings around it, at least until S.H.I.E.L.D. turns it into an official site of investigation. You can expect to find plenty of moments like these sprinkled throughout the movie. It shows how thoughtful the script's writers were and how well it is presented with Kenneth Branagh as director.

As far as character development is concerned, there is a little of that, but at least there's some. For me, it's most noticeable in two places. First, the scenes with Thor and Jane not only present what they do and how they advance the plot, but also hint at a budding romance between them. Second, there is a key moment in the movie that undoubtedly acts as a turning point. It's where Loki receives some startling revelations about his past from Odin, which ultimately upsets Loki and even enrages him. The situation is interesting, because Odin's perspective and Loki's perspective on the matter are equally valid and reasonable, but ultimately, it is Loki who has the overarching influence of subsequent events. Of all the characters in this movie, Loki is the most complex three-dimensional character. He is played very well by Tom Hiddleston.

Ultimately, the plot becomes a race against time as war between Asgard and the Frost Giants becomes imminent. Thor has to get home quickly to set things right. It is rather challenging when he doesn't have the godlike strength he used to have and his hammer is useless in his current state. It also doesn't help when Loki is trying to make things go his way. Along those lines, the sibling rivalry does reach a boiling point, and it's riveting to watch it unfold. If anything, this is a great example of an action movie where the reasons for any fighting on screen make total sense.

Thor is an exciting new entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It surely lends itself to future Thor stories, as well as future romance between Thor and Jane. I certainly look forward to what is in store for them down the line. In the meantime, I like to think of this movie as the one that solidifies Marvel Studios' place in the entertainment industry. If its first three MCU movies are mere popcorn movies, Thor is a well-crafted story that just happens to have action and superheroes. Like Thor's hammer, the film strikes real success.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Thor, visit the Internet Movie Database.