It is rare that I have the opportunity to review such an absolute triumph of a comic book film. Truly, a triumph of a film in general. Let me preface this review by saying, however, that it is the film's embrace of the source material and numerous nods to the fandom that push Thor to its very high rating. If you are even a casual fan of the Marvel Comics character like myself, you'll fully understand my point of view.
Thor takes place about half on Earth and half in the realm of Asgard. These two locales are nothing alike, but the pacing and cinematography keep the film's transitions feeling fluid and natural, even when we're going from a planet of frost giants to a desert in the United States. The stark differences in setting reflect the changes in our titular character's attitudes. Thor is, in essence, the story of one man's, er, one god's redemption. Our main character, the god of thunder himself, is portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. Being unfamiliar with most of his work, I was not sure what to expect of his performance, but Hemsworth really lives in the role. He made me believe he was the Norse god he said he was.
In fact, not a single actor in this film came out that way to me. While trying to fill some quite ludicrous roles, even those actors we don't always expect powerhouse performances from, delivered masterworks. I feel we have director Kenneth Branagh to thank for this, as he even got great performances out of smaller roles like love interest Natalie Portman, who absolutely requires a good director and script to fulfill her potential. With a lesser director we could have gotten a repeat of her wooden deliveries in 3 Star Wars films in a row.
Even our side characters, specifically Sif and the warriors 3, are both believable and instantly compelling in their roles. Some disappear so completely, like Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, that I was completely shocked reading the credits. Heimdall, a character cast as Idris Elba, was perhaps the most believable character in all of Asgard, despite the seemingly constant complaints from the online community about a black man playing a Norse god. The only member of the Norse pantheon who outclassed him, was the inimitable Anthony Hopkins as Odin All-Father, in an amazing performance.
Now, let's talk villains. In this movie we have 3. Loki, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Destroyer armor. And to an extent, the frost giants. Yet, the film does not feel cluttered. In fact, we wish for more time with each of the enemies. Loki, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, is of particular note, delivering a human, yet sinister performance as Thor's brother, a role I very much look forward to seeing return in The Avengers.
If you're going to see this movie for the special effects, not only will you be satisfied, but you will not even realize what you're looking at is computer generated. It may be the way the actors treat their sets, rather than the sets themselves, but nothing comes off as fake. Asgard feels like Asgard. Lightning feels like lightning. The rainbow bridge is a rainbow bridge!
If you're going to see this movie as a comic book fan, you will be overjoyed. The mythology is addressed, famous names like Donald Blake Tony Stark, and Clint Barton are tossed around. Everything about Thor's comic book identity is kept spiritually in place. The powers, the attitudes, the language, the world, everything any Marvel Comics fans want, and I went to the midnight showing with Marvel Comics nerds who informed me of such. Oh, and you had better stay after the credits.
My only complaints for this movie were the shortness of the fights, and the unnecessary 3D affects. However, these are my only complaints. All of my other expectations were either met or exceeded throughout. Better even than the first Iron Man film, Thor is the best picture Marvel Studios has ever released, and I hope that the upcoming films such as Captain America and 2012's The Avengers will continue to raise the bar. If things keep going this well for Stan Lee and company, The Dark Knight Rises may have true competition. Thor receives 4 and 1/2 stars, out of 5.
****.5 out of *****
