Occasional Movie Review: Thor

 

In the realm of Asgard, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) is nearing the end of his reign as king. His decision to pass the title to his eldest son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) causes envy in the younger Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who, in the hopes of removing him from the throne, manipulates his brother into recklessly starting a war with an old and powerful enemy. Blind to Loki’s betrayal, Odin banishes Thor to Midgard for his heedless arrogance, casting all of his Asgardian power into the hammer Mjolnir and sending them both to Earth. His apparition takes scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) by surprise and, unbeknownst to her, his proximity puts Earth and everything she knows at risk. Thor struggles to deal with his banishment and dual existence, striving to defend Earth and Asgard from what he has wrought and to reclaim his power as the God of Thunder.

The upcoming Avengers ensemble film is picking up momentum as 2012 moves ever-nearer. As such the teases and winks to the rest of the Marvel universe that we’ve seen in the Hulk and Iron Man movies have evolved into full-tilt integration, making Thor the first of these Avengers precursors to feel less like its own feature and more like a chapter in a story (a deliberate attempt by Marvel, I’m sure). This, I feel, is the fulcrum upon which the audience’s enjoyment rests – by this point you’re expected to be invested in the Marvel universe. If not, you’ll be feeling a little lost or confused by some of the inserts and plot points. It’s a brave move on the studio’s part but a necessary one if pulling together all these blockbusters is going to work. However if you’re able to accept the multi-film support system built around Thor you’ll be able to set aside most of the movie’s nitpicky moments and idiosyncrasies and enjoy a pretty fun, light summer movie.

Thor’s story is an interesting contrast of Shakespearian betrayal (in Asgard) and Hollywoodian action, (on Earth) spun into the conventional Marvel superhero format. It’s a smart move, defining each realm with its own identity and rules, drawing emphasis every time the two collide. This is mostly played for cheap laughs but it’s an important element to stress before Thor joins the Avengers, as his alienation plays a major factor in defining his character. There is also a lot of exposition to plow through in introducing Asgard to the audience and attributing a familiar concept to it relieves some of the burden through subtext and pre-existing conventional knowledge. The constant jumping back and forth between both worlds does start to feel a little ham-fisted and tiresome after a while but there’s a slight consolation to it, in Asgard’s gorgeous design. The fantastical realm is a wonderful sight, saturated with colour and grandeur. It’s a shame that we don’t see much more than a few interior settings and similar-looking establishing shots because there is a wonderful magnetism to Asgard that never quite pays off, and as a result I found myself wishing the shallow romantic tension between Jane and Thor would give way to more time in the Norse kingdom. And shallow seems to be the keyword with the film as a whole - there is just so much to get through before the movie ends that there isn’t much time to slow down and spend time in any given scene. It’s to the point that the film’s set-piece action sequence is rather mild and somewhat anticlimactic. This isn’t as much of a gripe as it sounds; Iron Man, which followed a similar structure, remains one of my favourite superhero movies to date and like Tony Stark’s first venture into the public eye, Thor is a briskly paced, easily digestible movie that succeeds without incessantly trying to one-up itself with more elaborate action sequences. 

Chances are that if you are going to see Thor you’ve dived into the Marvel movie universe before and you’ll have no trouble enjoying yourself here. While it isn’t terribly unique or surprising, it will draw you in to the Asgardian realm with charisma and fun. This, I feel, is the spirit of the summer blockbuster and if it’s what we can expect from the future of Marvel’s Avengers franchise I am looking forward to more. If you hang up your thinking cap before jumping in the bifrost, I think you’ll feel the same way. 

Note: Out of a lack of other options, I ended up seeing Thor in 3D. Don’t see Thor in 3D. Like I said, Asgard is a beautiful setting but it’s tarnished by the blurring, distorted effect of a 3D image. Likewise, action scenes are impossible to follow because projecting a flurry of movement and fast cuts directly in front of your eyes results in a claustrophobic mess. I know it’s easy and a little redundant to be the thousandth person to attack 3D movies these days, but at least in this case specifically, it only takes away from the experience.