While Thor might be one of the lesser known comic book characters (unless you are complete fan-boy), the film Thor will be long remembered as one of the new generation comic-book films that not only look stunning but also have a story that will keep even the most hardened cinema fan happy… and this time around we also get some sensational special effects.
Based on the famous comic-book serious the film tells the story of Thor (Chris Hemsworth – Ca$h, A Perfect Getaway), a heavenly Prince who angers his father, King Odin (Anthony Hopkins – The Rite, Bare Knuckles) by pursuing a war with King Laufey (Colm Feore – TV’S The Borgias & Law And Order: Special Victim’s Unit). Odin banishes Thor to Earth where he runs into a scientific team made up of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman – Your Highness, No Strings Attached), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings – Daydream Nation, TV’S American Dad) and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard – Melancholia, King Of Devil’s Island). However when Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston – Midnight In Paris, Archipelago) teams up with King Laufey, Thor is in a race against time to get his powers back.
The team of writers that worked on Thor have done an amazing job bringing the comic book to the big screen and while some doubted it was possible they have actually managed to make Thor as interesting as Iron Man. Director, Kenneth Branagh (Sleuth, The Magic Flute) really has been handed a gem of a script and he pulls it off amazingly without ever making the film cheesy… despite the fact that that character of Darcy does threaten to drag it into that territory at times. The comedy aspect of the film does work really well, but what is so impressive is the fact that the story manages to keep the attention of the audience and is never overshadowed by the amazing special effects.
Despite some naysayers Chris Hemsworth does an amazing job in the role of Thor and it is hard to imagine who else could have played the part as well as he did. He has the body to pull off the role but also has great acting ability, and luckily the script lets him also show off that side of his ability. Obviously the script impressed Natalie Portman because it is hard to imagine why else she would have picked a role that would normally have been reserved for an actress looking for a role to kick-start her Hollywood career.
Thor follows the proud tradition of excellent comic-book films over the past few years and is certainly worth a look even if you aren’t a fanboy.
Year: 2011
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Colm Feore, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard, Tom Hiddleston
Classification: M
Runtime: 115 mins
Rating: 