"Thor" (2011)
If you stuck around for the after credits scene of "Iron Man 2," (and why wouldn't you) then you probably knew that Thor was going to be the next future Avenger being introduced into the MCU. This was going to be a trickier proposition than the other three films released up to this point. The other films were grounded in a more science fiction, somewhat realistic setting. "Thor" is full on fantasy. He is the Norse God of Thunder. He lives in a mythical realm called Asgard that has a rainbow bridge. Marvel had only been releasing films for 3 years and they were asking a lot of non-comic reading movie goers.
Relative unknown Chris Hemsworth was cast as the titular Thunder God. Marvel wasn't afraid to round out the cast with some big guns. Anthony Hopkins plays Thor's one-eyed father, Odin. Natalie Portman is astrophysicist and Thor's love interest, Jane Foster. There's also Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Rene Russo(?!) and of course, Tom Hiddleston as Loki's trickster half-brother, Loki. Kenneth Branagh, yes that Kenneth Branagh, was hired to direct and help bring some gravitas to the whole affair.
The film was unleashed on the general public on May 6, 2011.
The interesting thing about "Thor" is that it kind of misleads you a little bit. You are expecting this fantasy/action movie, which you get, but you also get this fish out of water comedy. The first part of the film focuses on Thor's time in Asgard as he preps to take the crown from his father, Odin. That all goes awry when the Frost Giants, who Odin defeated in 965 AD, break into Asgard and attempt to retrieve the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor leads a group of warriors to the Frost Giants' homeland, Jotunheim, to get revenge and things don't go great.
One of the things I like about the film is that they keep Thor's classic origin intact. They could have gone the route of the Ultimate Universe and turned Thor into a possibly mentally imbalanced person who is making all this up, but they don't. They really embrace the otherworldliness of it all and it really works. Thor is brash and full of bravado. He's kind of the world's ultimate douchebag and Hemsworth really pulls that off. You can tell that he's having a blast and he puts his all into the character. After disobeying Odin's orders, almost starting a war and getting his friends killed, Odin places a spell on Mjolnir, so only someone worthy of it's power can pick it up. He casts it and Thor out of Asgard and they both end up on Midgard better known to the peons who populate it as Earth.
This is where the tone of the movie starts to feel a little off. It seems like they want there to be high stakes and there is possible war between the realms and it's all meant to feel very Shakespearean, but at the same time, there's Jane Foster hitting Thor with her car like three times. Hilarious.
Speaking of Jane Foster, poor Natalie Portman doesn't get a lot to do here. Much like Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlet Johansson in "Iron Man 2" she's sort of relegated to stock female character. I love that they upgraded Jane Foster from a nurse in the comic books to an astrophysicist in the film, but it's hard to take her seriously when she spends most of the film reverting to a drooling, giggling teenager whenever she's in close contact to the Thunder God.
The movie also does a less than seamless job of introducing Jeremy Renner's, Hawkeye. It's kind of a superfluous, fan service-y scene that doesn't really do much. There's no reason why they couldn't have had Renner's first appearance be in "The Avengers."
The one thing the movie succeeds at more than anything is in the villain department, which is something the previous films in the MCU had struggled with. Hiddleston's Loki is basically perfect and it's easy to see, even in his first appearance, why he has become a fan favorite. The scenes with Hiddleston, Hemsworth and Hopkins are the strongest of the movie and it's these scenes of family strife and want are what help elevate this movie above "Iron Man 2." Hiddleston can take Loki so many places from suave, smooth manipulator to petulant child, all in the breadth of one scene.
The "Thor" post credits scene hints at the larger role that Loki will play in the MCU. Nick Fury asks Skarsgard's Dr. Erik Selvig to help him analyze a cube that SHIELD has found. Erik agrees but the audience sees that it is Loki prompting the good doctor.
The "Thor" blu-ray also contains the first Marvel One Shot. These are short films that expand on and provide backstory for things that maybe occurred off screen during one of the films. "The Consultant" is basically a conversation between SHIELD agents Jasper Sitwell and Phil Coulson. The World Security Council wants the Abomination released and made part of the Avengers Initiative, basically laying all blame on Bruce Banner for their huge, destructive battle. The Council wants a SHIELD agent sent to convince General Ross to release Blonsky to their custody. Fury wants nothing to do with Blonsky so they send Tony Stark to sabotage everything leading to the post credits scene we see in "The Incredible Hulk." This is a fun little three minute short. It doesn't really add much, but it's not hurting anything.
So, what did you guys think of "Thor?" Is it anyone's favorite MCU film? Does everyone else feel kind of sorry for Natalie Portman? Let me know in the comments.
Relative unknown Chris Hemsworth was cast as the titular Thunder God. Marvel wasn't afraid to round out the cast with some big guns. Anthony Hopkins plays Thor's one-eyed father, Odin. Natalie Portman is astrophysicist and Thor's love interest, Jane Foster. There's also Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Rene Russo(?!) and of course, Tom Hiddleston as Loki's trickster half-brother, Loki. Kenneth Branagh, yes that Kenneth Branagh, was hired to direct and help bring some gravitas to the whole affair.
The film was unleashed on the general public on May 6, 2011.
The interesting thing about "Thor" is that it kind of misleads you a little bit. You are expecting this fantasy/action movie, which you get, but you also get this fish out of water comedy. The first part of the film focuses on Thor's time in Asgard as he preps to take the crown from his father, Odin. That all goes awry when the Frost Giants, who Odin defeated in 965 AD, break into Asgard and attempt to retrieve the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor leads a group of warriors to the Frost Giants' homeland, Jotunheim, to get revenge and things don't go great.
One of the things I like about the film is that they keep Thor's classic origin intact. They could have gone the route of the Ultimate Universe and turned Thor into a possibly mentally imbalanced person who is making all this up, but they don't. They really embrace the otherworldliness of it all and it really works. Thor is brash and full of bravado. He's kind of the world's ultimate douchebag and Hemsworth really pulls that off. You can tell that he's having a blast and he puts his all into the character. After disobeying Odin's orders, almost starting a war and getting his friends killed, Odin places a spell on Mjolnir, so only someone worthy of it's power can pick it up. He casts it and Thor out of Asgard and they both end up on Midgard better known to the peons who populate it as Earth.
This is where the tone of the movie starts to feel a little off. It seems like they want there to be high stakes and there is possible war between the realms and it's all meant to feel very Shakespearean, but at the same time, there's Jane Foster hitting Thor with her car like three times. Hilarious.
Speaking of Jane Foster, poor Natalie Portman doesn't get a lot to do here. Much like Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlet Johansson in "Iron Man 2" she's sort of relegated to stock female character. I love that they upgraded Jane Foster from a nurse in the comic books to an astrophysicist in the film, but it's hard to take her seriously when she spends most of the film reverting to a drooling, giggling teenager whenever she's in close contact to the Thunder God.
The movie also does a less than seamless job of introducing Jeremy Renner's, Hawkeye. It's kind of a superfluous, fan service-y scene that doesn't really do much. There's no reason why they couldn't have had Renner's first appearance be in "The Avengers."
The one thing the movie succeeds at more than anything is in the villain department, which is something the previous films in the MCU had struggled with. Hiddleston's Loki is basically perfect and it's easy to see, even in his first appearance, why he has become a fan favorite. The scenes with Hiddleston, Hemsworth and Hopkins are the strongest of the movie and it's these scenes of family strife and want are what help elevate this movie above "Iron Man 2." Hiddleston can take Loki so many places from suave, smooth manipulator to petulant child, all in the breadth of one scene.
The "Thor" post credits scene hints at the larger role that Loki will play in the MCU. Nick Fury asks Skarsgard's Dr. Erik Selvig to help him analyze a cube that SHIELD has found. Erik agrees but the audience sees that it is Loki prompting the good doctor.
The "Thor" blu-ray also contains the first Marvel One Shot. These are short films that expand on and provide backstory for things that maybe occurred off screen during one of the films. "The Consultant" is basically a conversation between SHIELD agents Jasper Sitwell and Phil Coulson. The World Security Council wants the Abomination released and made part of the Avengers Initiative, basically laying all blame on Bruce Banner for their huge, destructive battle. The Council wants a SHIELD agent sent to convince General Ross to release Blonsky to their custody. Fury wants nothing to do with Blonsky so they send Tony Stark to sabotage everything leading to the post credits scene we see in "The Incredible Hulk." This is a fun little three minute short. It doesn't really add much, but it's not hurting anything.
So, what did you guys think of "Thor?" Is it anyone's favorite MCU film? Does everyone else feel kind of sorry for Natalie Portman? Let me know in the comments.
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