Movie Review: Thor (2011)
The MCU began in a tremendous fashion with Iron Man in 2008 but lost its way with back to back failures with The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2. Though, Thor turns it around for Marvel. Marvel’s Thor is good, if not great, adventure-fantasy that nicely balances its dark and light elements to deliver entertainment that’s pretty satisfiable.
Marking the fourth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor told the story of its titular character; the crown prince of Asgard & the god of thunder who wielded a magical hammer. The plot covered his banishment from his realm to Earth where he formed a relationship with Jane Foster; an astrophysicist who found him, and later tried to get back to his homeland in order to stop his adopted brother Loki from ascending the Asgardian throne.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Thor had much of the things right from start to finish whether it was to properly introduce the Asgardian culture, good use of humor blended with cleverly weighed human drama. All of this is added to a good production design plus a pleasing score by Patrick Doyle. As for the performances, Thor features an impressive cast in Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård & Anthony Hopkins. Most of them do well but the movie belongs to Hemsworth & Hiddleston. The former proved that he’s capable of carrying a larger-than-life character responsibly whereas the latter gives a chameleon-like performance that’s equally mischievous. Although, the main plot is rather too predictable and generic. The visual effects for some parts look pleasing and there are parts when it’s the opposite.
Overall, Thor has its share of flaws & shortcomings but thanks to Hemsworth’s magnetic presence, good enough narrative, plenty of spectacles & the way it juggles its dark themes with light-hearted humor, this film is worth a shot. It may not be as memorable as Iron Man but out of the then-four films released by the MCU, this was a definite runner-up.
