A Reel Review: THOR

In the near-crowded room of superhero movies, THOR is the flick that stands out. Not because it is good (although it is), but because it is a superhero movie that doesn’t feel like a superhero move. It’s more of a sci-fi/fantasy flick; packed tight with epic battles, Norse mythology, Shakespearean-family battles, and just enough fish-out-of-water comedy gags.

THOR (Chris Hemsworth), is a warmongering, glory-seeking god and first son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Against the wishes of his father and the better judgment of his younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor commits an act of war against the rival Frost Giants, and is banished to Earth without his powers or his mighty hammer. On the ground, he befriends astro-physicist Jane (Natalie Portman), and her colleagues (Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings), makes trouble with SHIELD, and tries to recover his hammer in order to save his fathers’ kingdom from an enemy within.

THOR is the story of a hero in search of his identity. On the surface, that would seem like the basis of a strong character piece that would fall in line with some of Marvel’s better films (IRON MAN, X2). However, THOR is a bit of an oddball; characterizations are on the light side, and the storytelling is up front and center. Thor becomes just a thin element in his own story. It’s Weird, but effective. Things never get boring or tedious, and the sharp pacing and well-timed gags aims to entertain and hits the mark.

Also keeping things afloat is the Marvel-world that director Kenneth Branagh seemed obligated to have to include. The SHIELD elements, while obviously setting up bigger and better things, actually play a part in the overall story, and one has to wonder how the film would have survived without it. The action scenes, which play a large part, have some major-wow moments, but seem to suffer from CGI overload and a rather generic-sounding score.

Light scripting is evident throughout: The connection between the gods and science of Earth is briefly touched upon, but never developed enough. The Norse mythology gets most of, if not all of the attention, and maybe even a little too much; newcomers to the genre may feel like they are missing something.

Performances are so-so across the realm. Hemsworth sells what there is of his character, even when there is not much for him to go up against. Portman suffers the most from the scripting; not given much to do other than turn to mush in front of the muscular hunk that Hemsworth became for the role. Hopkins is the bona-fide real deal of the film; he gets to convey fatherly and kingly wisdom while barking and kicking Frost Giant arse at the same time.

THOR is very similar to its recent cousin HULK film; just plowing ahead in a business-like manner without stopping to smell anything. The finale is an obvious set-up piece to bigger things, but thanks to the source material, does have its own (light) agenda. It’s a fun and tight film, and certainly different from the standard hero flick; it just could have used a little more meat on the bone.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it