Thor (Review)

Not a great deal happens in Thor, and what does isn’t all that interesting. If you’re able to get past that, you’ll probably enjoy yourself. In fact, I found myself smiling quite a bit. Only when it was over did I begin to question the quality of what I had just seen. The best superhero movies spend their time telling a satisfying, self-contained story while simultaneously building the universe around the central character; preferably devoting more time on the former than the latter. That never felt like the case here. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Thor was little more than an excuse to cross off the next name on the Avengers checklist. It’s passable popcorn entertainment that never quite justifies its own existence.

Chris Hemsworth plays the eponymous Thor, heir to the throne of Asgard. His father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) remains hesitant to coronate his son, as Thor has proven to be something of a hothead when it comes to “affairs of state.” When the evil Frost Giants of Jotunheim attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, Thor becomes angry and decides to seek vengeance against the Frost Giant leader Laufey. This breaks the truce between the realms of Asgard and Jotunheim, and as a result war seems certain. Odin—who has grown tired of his son’s chutzpah—banishes Thor to live the rest of his life on Earth. It is there he runs into scientists Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgård. As he searches for any way back to Asgard, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is busy causing all types of trouble up on high.

I realize how ridiculous that all sounds written out. Luckily, it’s not so horrible in practice. Thor would have been intolerable had it approached its subject in an utterly humorless manner. In fact, we might have had another Clash of the Titans-level disaster on our hands. What saves this movie—and makes it entertaining—is its sense of humor about the entire situation. When Thor finds his way to Earth, he continues to go about his godly business without bothering to conform to Earth’s strange customs. This results in some of the film’s funniest, and best, moments. These flashes of humor do their best to disguise the frivolousness of the entire affair. Sadly, they don’t quite succeed.

Also problematic is the overuse of CGI in environments such as Asgard. There’s an Emerald City vibe to the environment, but it’s so large that it doesn’t seem to exist in any real physical space. When contrasted with Earth, the cartoonish worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim were a little jarring. Maybe this was the intention, what with the whole fish-out-of-water stuff in the middle, but I never felt attached to anything that happened in areas more than 30,000 feet above sea level.

Despite all my complaints, I quite liked all of the performances in Thor. Hemsworth seems more than ready to helm his own franchise, if only he gets a movie that aims a little bit higher than this. Portman is pretty good as well, even if her character never enters a third dimension. One of the main problems with the script is that it never earns the inevitable romantic between Thor and Portman. When they proclaim their love for each other, it’s awfully hard to buy it.

Thor was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who seems like the type of director who wouldn’t touch something like this with a 50-foot pole. I understand his decision to helm this project, however, as a paycheck like this is awful hard to resist. I don’t mean that as a knock on Branagh. Nay, I’d direct Thor in a heartbeat, and then retire to some nice beach house somewhere. The story certainly has a Shakespearian quality, which matches quite well with his previous efforts. What’s disappointing is that he’s being asked to direct a two-hour Avengers commercial rather than his own superhero film. He’s not unsuccessful, but doesn’t he deserve a chance with material that’s a bit more ambitious? When audiences pay inflated prices to see a summer blockbuster movie in 3-D, they should expect a three-course meal. With Thor, all they get is a tasty appetizer. I’m not so sure it’s worth it.

GRADE: C+