The Summer Movie season is in full swing. Actually, it started last week with Fast Five which I haven’t seen yet. But this week’s big opening is Thor, based on the Marvel Comics character. Whatever possessed Stan Lee to turn the legends of Norse gods into comic book action heroes, but it worked. Director Kenneth Branagh (of Wallander fame) opted for a visual feast with Frost Giants, treacherous Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston), and court intrigue in Asgard. Down on Earth, Natalie Portman plays an obsessed physicist who discovers the banished Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth). Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) banishes his spoiled, immature son to Earth. And, stripped of his powers, Thor is just another hunky guy. Loki’s plotting brings disaster for everyone. There are plenty of dramatic moments in this movie. I also found Patrick Doyle’s soundtrack to be very powerful. It’s going to be a long, hot summer of movies. But this early entry may end up being the best of them all. GRADE: A
He certainly looks the part.
THOR has a great cast, Patti. I really liked Anthony Hopkins as Odin.
Good news. I was dreading a turkey. I seems to me that Thor was the first Marvel character I encountered, in a funky-looking copy of Journey into Mystery.
THOR has had a funky history, Evan. Where Stan Lee got the idea of using Norse gods as comic book heroes is beyond me. I always liked the tension between Thor and his tricky brother, Loki.
George, your review of this flick is the first positive one I’ve encountered. Might go to it because I’m a long-time Branagh fan.
Branagh’s THOR has a Shakespearean feel to it, Drongo, and I mean that in a Good Way. Plenty of drama that’s reminiscent of KING LEAR.
Just got back-great film. A superhero film that starts out with a fantastic Tales of Asgard adventure. I didn’t catch a name, but was that Clint Barton at the hammer site?
Yes, Larry, that was Clint Barton with the bow at the hammer site. Glad you enjoyed THOR as much as I did.
Me, I’m looking forward to The Green Lantern.
I can’t wait for GREEN LANTERN, Stan! The trailer looks very cool.
I was surprised to see the reviews were better than I’d expected, but from the trailer it looked like it had a sense of humor which is important to me. I don’t want to see silly summer films that take themselves too seriously (i.e. Ralph Fiennes in CLASH OF THE TITANS).
Yes, there’s humor in THOR, Jeff. And, I found the father-son conflicts more compelling than I expected.