Thor is another Marvel Superhero who has much potential for a blockbuster movie especially considering the fact that instead of your traditional superhero stories that are set on earth, This story takes place in a faraway land in the cosmos and stars the almighty powerful gods and the powers they possess that are far beyond a normal human’s control. Then there’s the question of how to get Thor to come to earth and join up with the other Marvel heroes in the MCU. while there may have been some issues in the way of a much more interesting narrative, what we got is still a fun and satisfying tale that is sure to delight many moviegoers.
In the magical realm of Asgard, a young Thor and Loki are told a story by their father Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) as he describes his fight between his people and the Frost Giants. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) grow up into men as Thor is about to be crowned king of Asgard just as the Frost Giants attack some guards and try to escape with a relic from Odin’s first battle. Enraged by the disturbance, Thor gets Loki and a group of his friends to come with him to the frost giants’ lair to avenge Asgard, but in the middle of the fight, Odin steps in and beams Thor and crew back to Asgard. Odin is angry about Thor’s recklessness and with a heavy heart banishes him to earth as he’s stripped of his mighty god powers in the process. Thor bumps into a scientist named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) as she and her crew try to figure out Thor’s whereabouts and how to send him back home. Meanwhile, Loki discovers his true origins and tries to take the throne for himself even if it means betraying others in the process.
There are many pros and cons to the story the filmmakers are trying to tell us and quite possibly the best scenes of the movie are when it doesn’t take place on earth. That’s not to say that every scene that takes place on earth is in any way bad cause that’s far from the truth. It’s just the more interesting stuff is when they do focus on the world of Asgard and its characters as it can deliver some of the film’s best scenes and character relationships. The scenes on earth are not in any way mediocre as I do like the human characters like Jane and Darcy and to be fair, there are still many remarkable moments on earth that are either character development based or humor based that work to the film’s advantage. However, the main idea for the story they are trying to tell is the mysterious being comes to earth and has trouble fitting in which is not bad but there are far better movies that made use of this concept in more impressive ways than this film is giving itself credit for.
One of the best things the movie has to offer is Thor and Loki’s relationship as it feels like the two have an actual brotherly bond and during the course of the story, there are many scenes between them that can feel comforting or even tragically threatening. Odin also has some great character as Anthony Hopkins does his best to play the father who is strong and wise but also strict toward Thor and Loki. The other characters from Asgard are not entirely memorable as we don’t quite get to know them very well but I guess they serve their purpose at the cost of not leaving much of an impact. There are better ways to bring Thor to earth without having half of the movie taking place on the planet, but the filmmakers were definitely trying their very hardest to make this entertaining story work and I fully respect that. I still wish we could have seen more of Asgard, but it’s best to view this movie for what it is rather than what it could have been.
The cinematography on earth for the most part is your typical filmmaking of a small town in New Mexico while the cinematography in Asgard is wondrous and unlike anything we’ve seen in the MCU beforehand. I agree that most of the visuals for Asgard are noticeably CGI’d, but it’s still some of the most creative visuals that the MCU has done at the time and you really feel transported to another world that is magical and mysterious. it’s not just Asgard that gets the spotlight as we also get to see the cold and blue barren wastelands of the frost giants home world and the beautiful sights of the rainbow bridge that connects Asgard to the Gatekeeper. The costuming is great and the color palettes for each of the Asgard characters match the personalities of their respective characters. Production designer Bo Welch (Beetlejuice, Men in Black) went all out with creating the look and feel of Thor when we are focusing on the world of Asgard and its inhabitants. The action in this movie makes great use of Thor and his abilities with his hammer and they may just be some of the most exciting bits of the entire movie. The music starts out as your typical movie score when the story is taking place on earth but when the movie gets going with its action sequences, the music suddenly becomes intense and engaging.
While this movie could have been much better in telling a more engaging superhero story other than your typical guy lands on earth and doesn’t know what he’s doing scenario, Thor is still a lot of fun and still isn’t without its awesome moments. Its engaging brother dynamic between Thor and Loki, incredible visuals when it comes to the world of Asgard as well as the action sequences and a somewhat redundant but also meaningful story that may not be the best compared to the other MCU films, yet still offers enough of an entertaining experience that is fun for fans and moviegoers alike. It’s still worth watching if you’re a fan of marvel or a film you need to witness to complete your MCU movie watching experience.
(Final Grade: B)