After the iconic flip-book Marvel intro, a voice-over of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of the Norse gods, tells the story of the long war between Asgard (home of the gods, presumably the good guys) and Jotunheim (home of the Frost Giants, the bad guys). Odin explains how during one battle, he defeated the Frost Giants and took the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters. A truce is established between Asgard and Jotunheim, and Odin, now one-eyed, trains his two sons, Thor and Loki, and tells them that one will take his place as king.
In present-day New Mexico, scientists Jane Foster and Erik Selvig (Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård) are tracking a wormhole. They drive straight into it and end up hitting someone. It turns out that it is a grown Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who was banished from Asgard by his father. Obnoxious and trigger-happy (or rather hammer-happy), Thor recklessly attacks Jotunheim and restarts the war between the gods and the giants. His godly powers were stripped and and his magical hammer-weapon Mjolnir is enchanted: only the worthy can wield it, a kind of sword-in-the-stone.
His journey to Earth leaves behind a giant crater that is immediately surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. and investigated (S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional government law-enforcement agency in Marvel Comics). So now here we have the once-mighty non-god Thor, confused and lost, wandering the streets and looking for his hammer and a way back to Asgard with the help of his new friends Foster and Selvig.
Hemsworth (Star Trek) looks like Brad Pitt in Troy, with long blond hair and tiny pinpoint eyes, which fit the character of Thor very well. Even without the hair and make up he looks like Thor, and maybe that’s why he could play him so perfectly. He encompasses all the strength and sense of glory that the Norse god possesses. Hemsworth is still pretty inexperienced in acting, so this could be predicted as his breakout role. Portman (Black Swan) is in a very girlie role here becuase she keeps blushing and stuttering. It’s cute, I guess, but she’s not going on the Oscar nomination list for this. As a scientist, she doesn’t look the part, but there is rarely a role she doesn’t play well and this is no exception. Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) embraces his wise old man side for this role, rather than his eat-your-face-off creepiness. He completes the part of ancient Odin very well, and when he yells here, he shouts and doesn’t growl like he usually does, so that was refreshing. Tom Hiddleston (Conspiracy) as the meddlesome Loki is very convincing, although I got the feeling of vengeful more than mischievous from him, but either fits the character.
You may know him as Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but being known for just that does not do director Branagh justice. He is part of the Royal Shakespeare Academy, meaning that he often portrays characters from William Shakespeare’s plays. He has an impressive list of successful movies that he has both starred in and directed (Henry V, Hamlet, Othello, Frankenstein). Branagh is a phenomenal actor, and as a director he shows exactly how well he knows the art of theater because none of the acting was overdone and the story fitted together very nicely. The costumes, the make up, the special effects, the sound, and the choreography were all realistic. The Frost Giants look scary, the hammer Mjolnir looks real, and the Bifrost gives off an incredible view. In its relationship to the Thor comic books, ther movie does stray in some places, but is spot on in others. For example, Thor’s alter-ego Donald Blake does not appear until very late into the movie.
SIDE NOTE: Stay and wait until the credits are over, there is another scene. For all you die hard fans, what happens here will make your day. Altogether, Thor is full of action and adventure. Sure, some parts are foreseeable, but Thor is an absolute must see for anyone who likes a good story that is so much fun to watch.
Thor is rated PG-13.
