Thor
Published 2011-12-25
Two worlds. One hero.
Film info
- Director
- Year / Run time 2011 ยท 1hr 55m
- Series Marvel Cinematic Universe (4 of 36)
- Genres Adventure, Action, Fantasy
- Cast
Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy superhero adventure based on the Marvel comics character, which in turn is based on the ancient myth of Norse God of Thunder, Thor. Moving between present day Earth and the fantastic realm of Asgard, the film tells the story of the Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior god whose reckless actions rekindle an ancient feud among the deities. As a punishment, Thor is cast out of Asgard and forced to live on Earth among humankind. There, he falls in love with scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and, as the darkest forces of Asgard are sent to invade Earth, eventually learns what it means to be a real hero.
Live Blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:17 | Ooh, stormchasing of a sort. |
| 4:14 | I think I would like to see a film about the Frost Giants. It looks very Day After Tomorrow. |
| 6:35 | It's all a bit dramatic for the start of a movie. |
| 9:33 | Oh the trials and tribulations of being second in line to the throne. |
| 11:32 | I can't really tell what's going on but it doesn't look good. |
| 12:34 | They couldn't have made the brothers look more different, either. |
| 15:41 | It's Idris Elba! Yay! |
| 17:49 | It's like teleporting but different. |
| 22:19 | It's a boomerang hammer! |
| 31:58 | She seems to be quite proud of the whole tasering business. She tasered Thor! |
| 36:04 | They need to get some of the World's Strongest Men in there. |
| 43:36 | Hehe, I love her putting his smiling face on Facebook. |
| 45:54 | I may be slightly in love with Agent Coulson. |
| 51:38 | She may be one of the worst drivers ever. Two collisions with Thor and one near miss so far. |
| 57:39 | Mudwrestling! |
| 1:07:22 | A good heart to heart with a Norse God in a bar. As you do. |
| 1:10:35 | You can't really make a secret visit anywhere, can you? |
| 1:13:54 | Awwww, that makes him a little bit nicer. |
| 1:16:04 | "Do not mistake my appetite for apathy." |
| 1:21:42 | There's a crossover! Love it. |
| 1:29:54 | He made a bit of a mess what with all that fighting and hurricanes and stuff. |
| 1:40:16 | It's fair to say that Thor causes destruction wherever he goes. |
| 1:42:11 | What's the betting he does find a way back to her? |
| 1:46:00 | Uh, maybe not yet though. |
Thoughts
Thus, our Avengers journey continues, this time with Thor - a film that we wouldn't have looked at twice if it wasn't for the revelations post-Iron Man 2. I'm surprised that this is directed by Kenneth Branagh, he's so Shakespeare it seems like a very odd choice for a superhero style movie.
I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to. It was very beautiful and well done - the characters seemed good and interacted well together, although I didn't really find myself connecting with any of them. In fact, I felt most sorry for Loki and he was meant to be the bad guy. It was a good way to spend a couple of hours, and I'm glad that the Avengers business made us watch it, but I wasn't completely sold on Thor in the same vein as other comic book heroes.
Rating: 4 / 5
Revisited - Mar 2021
I think my score of 4 stands for this movie but for different reasons than I originally thought. I really liked this film on this new viewing, with so much more understanding of the universe that we're in. I know that Thor gets a lot better when he's interacting with the other Avengers but he still needs time and space to have his own world. I like that he's a bit hot-headed to start with but then has to understand that he's got to be heroic in a different way to save the world.
And I couldn't have predicted how very much Loki would become the villain you love to hate.
Rating: 4 / 5
