I’ve been stewing over the movie version of Thor for almost a week and I’m still having a hard time catching my breath.
I’m a big Thor fan and I have been for as long as I can remember loving comic books. There’s something about the rich Norse mythology that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (and later Walt Simonson and others) adapted into comics form that made them like drugs to me.
They’re beautiful tales and the characters and adventures are so exciting and Lee and Kirby did such an incredible job letting Thor straddle the world of the Marvel Universe and the world of Asgard. It’s this balance that might be what director Kenneth Branagh spent the most time fine tuning because he pulled it off flawlessly. The balance between the turmoil on Earth and the adventuring spirit of Asgard is stunning. He’s walked a tight rope blindfolded and crossed over the chasm with ease.
This is a pretty basic Thor movie: Thor is cast out of Asgard for his foolishness (that was egged on by his brother Loki) and Odin falls into the Odinsleep. Using this advantage, Loki tries to take over Asgard and keep Thor stuck on Earth. It’s a story we’ve seen before in the Thor universe, but seeing it rendered so carefully on film in such breathtaking beauty is just… wow….
Perhaps my biggest complaint about this film was that it was too short. I wanted an hour more of this adventure. I wanted an hour and a half more of this adventure. We got a mere taste of what this character can do on screen (as well as his entourage) and it’s just not enough. But in a good way. Isn’t that the best thing to do in show business? Leave them wanting more.
The side characters of this film are all incredibly appropriate and never dominate the movie. I was worried about Natalie Portman’s friend from the trailers but she worked beautifully. And I was worried that the Warriors Three would be either a cameo or a distraction, but Branagh balanced them into the film to perfection. They’re vital but not overbearing, hilarious and charming but not annoying. In fact, I’d kill to see a spinoff movie of these characters adventuring through the nine realms.
I’ve heard complaints that there wasn’t enough time on Earth and there wasn’t enough time with the Destroyer, but I think those people aren’t communicating their criticism well. They fit into the story exactly as they should have. They served the story, but it comes back to just wanting more of everything.
And I cannot say enough about how much each of the actors brought their A game to the table. Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Idris Elba are all incredibly superb, but it’s hard to say they stood out because the entire cast was so pitch perfect.
And can I point out how beautiful Asgard was? And the costumes? (Loki’s horns were perfect AND they didn’t look stupid, something I never thought could be pulled off.) But the highlight of the scenery was hands down The Rainbow Bridge. It was just a joy to look at.
Which reminds me. They packed a lot of great Thor mythology into this and didn’t dumb it down at all. I was surprised that they used things like Sleipnir (Odin’s horse) or the Odinsleep and got away with using them so cavalierly. They treated the world as it existed and didn’t bat an eyelash.
Maybe that’s what I loved about it. It wasn’t a Thor origin story. It was Thor’s introduction to the Marvel Universe. And it was perfect.
I loved it. I think it’s the best of the Marvel Studios bunch.
Yes.
That includes Iron Man.
My only worry is that this raises the bar too high for Captain America, coming in just two months. He has a lot to live up to.