Of course a movie adaptation of Thor would also have built-in pop treats so delicious that not even Tommy Wiseau could screw it up. However, the big surprise with Thor’s trip to the silver screen is that prestigious director Kenneth Branagh has taken this essentially preposterous material and aspires quite admirably toward theatrical dignity. Branagh highlights the underlying links between the Norse God’s mythical universe and the world of his Shakespearian epics, giving off classical dramatic jolts that could even have theatre snobs rooting for the film. The effect makes the comic material more compelling than you might first imagine. And since Branagh isn’t a slave to mindless action and pop funkiness, the action scenes even have something kind of special about them.
As the film opens, we are introduced to the magical world of Asgard, which is like Mount Olympus re-imagined by the Apple Company. Asgard is a world where the ancient Norse Gods live in their kingdom under the rule of King Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Odin is getting ready to bequeath his kingdom to his son Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the God of Thunder who appears to be a brash, arrogant warrior hungry for battle. At what is supposed to be Thor’s crowning ceremony, cold-blooded villains from a rival land known as Frost Giants are caught trying to break into Odin’s Kingdom but are quickly vanquished. Odin thinks some kind of misunderstanding has happened, but Thor sees this as an early sign of a turf war. Odin forbids Thor from acting on his impulses, but the blood-thirsty warrior ignores his father’s orders and attacks the Frost Giants on their own land, breaking a truce and igniting a heated war.
Outraged at his son’s actions, Odin strips Thor of his powers and banishes him to Earth, where hopefully he can learn empathy and humility among the Humans. He crash-lands literally in the New Mexico dessert and is discovered by a lovely scientist named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Jane tries to convince her fellow colleagues (Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) that perhaps this strange visitor has strong ties to recent solar disturbances, but before she can pull any information from him, it is discovered that Thor’s jealous half-brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is wreaking havoc in Asgard and is plotting not only to take over the kingdom but to wipe out Thor on his newfound home. Can Thor protect himself and his human friends from other-worldly forces without his powers? Does he have any hope in returning to Asgard and restoring peace?
Kenneth Branagh may not necessarily be the first person you think of to helm a superhero picture, yet the more you reflect on the very nature of Thor, the more you realize what a perfect fit he actually turns out to be. A look over Branagh’s directing endeavors reveals a taste for Shakespearean adaptations (five to be exact) on a grand scale. Not only does he give talented actors room to find real depth and feeling within the Bard’s ancient language, but he creates wonderful visual schemes that prevent the material from becoming a talking heads show. It’s this knack for grand traditional drama that Branagh brings to Thor’s old-prose world, so therefore the material rises above pop silliness. Thor’s universe is one of inter-family turmoil, royal complications, and ancient battle glory, something Branagh’s work certainly makes him an expert in. Therefore, scenes on Asgard have a tragic weight and golden grandiosity that draw us in as if Shakespeare himself had written Flash Gordon.
Since Branagh fundamentally will never stoop to Michael Bay tricks to sell an action picture, he also knows how to build action scenes with a nice economy. Even for all the monstrous villains and booming lights that rock the characters, Branagh still keeps the action rooted in the character’s emotional states and therefore the epic poundings never grow boring. But it isn’t just character drama, for Branagh knows how to use that camera to deliver big, alluring visuals. For my money, Thor pounding his hammer away on the giant, rainbow-tinged Bifrost Bridge is one of the great visuals of modern comic book movies and certainly one of their most original climaxes.
If the movie has a failing, its that Branagh doesn’t bring as much weight and attention to the Earth scenes as he does with Asgard. If Thor does in fact learn big things about humility, then we have to take the movie’s word for it because his scenes of human development feel curiously skimpy. Plus I think a lot more laughs regarding Thor’s god-out-of-water situation could’ve been milked from the plot, not only putting us in stitches but giving Thor the grand dose of humanity he needs. I’m not saying I wanted the Old Norse Encino Man, but Branagh establishes such exquisite drama in Asgard that it would’ve been okay to have a few hoots down on Earth. For example, a scene of Thor knocking down pints at a bar is a dud-on-arrival with zero laughs. A million hilarious scenarios could’ve been presented at the barstool considering Thor is occasionally regarded as one of the great boozers in norse mythology.
Not all of the Earth scenes are a waste though, for Branagh manages to squeeze a surprisingly touching romance out of Hemsworth and Portman. Like Downey and Paltrow in Iron Man, the two leads build a romance on subtle gestures of affection that produces astonishing engagement. It helps that Portman has found a role that, not unlike Black Swan, finds wonderful ways to make her waifish femininity surprisingly sexy while Thor interacting with an Earth girl inspires an old-fashioned gallantry in Hemsworth thats a real treat to behold. The two do such a sweet job that when it’s finally time for their close-up smooch, it produces a classic electricity that makes it hands-down the best big screen kiss I’ve seen in many a moon.
At first glance, Hemsworth appears to have the look of that arrogant jock in high school who used to pick on you all the time, but its a testament to his skill that he quickly blows such an insufferable image right out of the water. Thor is Hemsworth’s first starring role after small parts in Star Trek and A Perfect Getaway, and he proves to be an extremely resourceful leading man. Like Christopher Reeve in Superman, Hemsworth knows how to use a chiseled physique and masculine grace like a classical movie star. And whats surprising is that he pulls this off all while serving the macho id of being a Viking God. His layers inspires many layers in Thor, and the role packs great notes of command, warmth, humility, and heroics. The other big find in the film is Tom Hiddleston as the villainous Loki. Playing on a Peter O’Toole-slyness to convey reptilian calculation, Hiddleston works hard to deliciously display the resentment and wounds that pulsate ferociously through his character’s icy veins. He energizes the tragic schemer into being one of the most fascinating villains of the Marvel Movies.
At the end of the day, Thor can’t really elevate it’s comic nature towards grand significance. Like the old myths, it’s simple morals can be truly relished, but its fantastical nature can’t exactly penetrate the human soul. It doesn’t have the hip peculiarities of Iron Man nor does it have the weighty subtext of The Dark Knight, but what it does have is a glowing innocence and romanticism that wonderfully reminds one of the early days of this particular film genre. It’ll gain a beloved mileage not just from its epic imagination, but also because Hemsworth proves he can be a fantastic movie star and Branagh can prove that the drama of a superhero movie could fit in on any stage in England.
