Thor - The God of thunder

Saw the midnight showing of Thor last night, and I'm not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed.

When you look at the other Marvel movies, especially those leading up to the Avengers movie, Thor just fell a bit flat for me. It seems to me that rather than make a really, really great movie, the entire point of Thor was to introduce the character for the Avengers project.

The story line was predictable, and lacked depth. Sibling rivalry, arrogant young heir that needs the be taught a lesson, learning that lesson in the last place he really wanted to be. I mean, come on Marvel. After awesome movies like The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, I expected a lot more from Thor.

Not to say there weren't some good things about it. I thought Chris Hemsworth's performance as Thor was really great, and no, not just because he's smokin' hot. His range of emotion was really something, and completely believable. Arrogance, pride, disappointment, disbelief, courage, gallantry, love and affection. But in true Thor form, never fear, and every second of it, effortless. I think Chris Hemsworth has a ton of talent that we're just seeing a tiny glimpse of in this movie. He has two more movies coming out this year, and I'm hoping that when I go to do the research on them, I find that they are more meaty, complicated roles. I have no doubt that he can more than handle it.

Natalie Portman is always a superb actress, but I'm not sure she was the right choice for this role. I mean, it was interesting to see her as a kind of, love struck, giggling girl in the face of Thor's charm, but to be honest, there wasn't a ton of depth in the character, and I can't help but wonder if the role might have been a little to easy for an actress of her abilities.

As I suspected, Asgard was beautiful, opulent and rich in detail. From the wide shots of the realm as a whole, to the interiors of the buildings, to the cinematography, Asgard was everything I hoped it would be. Absolutely stunning. What amazing places that can be created with green screen.

Before the Avengers movie comes out, we have Captain America to consider, and my opinion, after seeing Thor, is that its going to have to be a hell of a lot better to keep my interest in the Avengers movie high.

Oh, and again, if you're don't already know from the previous Marvel movies, stay until after the credits!

Thor - Coming May 6

 

Director - Kenneth Branagh
Lead Actors
Thor - Chris Hemsworth
Jane Foster - Natalie Portman
Odin - Anthony Hopkins

This movie looks like its going to be nothing short of epic, no doubt another blockbuster in Marvel's ultimate path to the Avengers movie.

You may remember in the scene after the credits of Iron Man 2 Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) saying four words while overlooking some kind on happening in the desert. "Sir, we found him." Followed by a shot of Thor's iconic hammer.

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division or SHIELD is the agency tying all of the individual movies together.

After Thor is stripped of his powers by Odin (Anthony Hopkins) he is cast down to earth, a development that our blonde, hunky God of Thunder doesn't seem overly thrilled about. He is found by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who obviously becomes his love interest, and my guess is eventually he realizes earth isn't such a bad place, and decides to use his expertise to help save it from some kind of disaster, eventually being recruited by SHIELD of course.

Chris Hemsworth plays Thor, and he does indeed appear to have the body of a God! Hemsworth is another in the parade of Aussie hunks that seem to be taking over the silver screen, and I for one am not complaining. In 2009's Star Trek he played father to the legendary Star Fleet captain James Tiberius Kirk, and although he wasn't in the movie long, he must have made an impression. He seems every bit the obstinate, arrogant, but ultimately right? youth that Thor is supposed to be.

Other names of note in the cast for Thor include Ray Stevenson (King Arthur, Punisher: War Zone) and Kat Dennings, (Charlie Bartlett). Renee Russo, Idris Elba, and Stellen Sarsgård also appear.

Thor will be presented in 3D, which seems to be the way the movie going experience is headed, but I don't know that I would be willing to spend the extra $5.00 per ticket to see Thor in 3D. I mean, when a movie is going to have that much going on, the big screen and big sound is often enough for me. Besides that, of the movies I have seen in 3D, (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Step Up: 3D) only Avatar and Alice in Wonderland had any kind of extra impact from being in 3D, for me anyways. It seems to me, that movies that have a lot of cg content lend themselves more to the 3D movement. I didn't find Clash of the Titans or Step Up: 3D to be any MORE enjoyable than I would have in 2D. I have a feeling that when my boyfriend and I go to see Thor a regular movie going experience will still be pretty awesome.

Something else I'm excited to see in this move is the cinematography when Thor is still in his heavenly realm of Asgard. You don't see tons of it in the trailer, but it looks like its going to be very opulent, and visually stimulating, with tons of attention to detail. Just because its an action movie, and a comic book movie at that, doesn't mean it shouldn't have some focus on other things, and I'm glad that the details don't seem to have gotten lost in all the butt kicking!

I can't wait to see this movie!