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Saturday 30 April 2011

Thor


Thor, the hammer wielding Thunder God gets his own movie as part of the Marvel Universe of movies. When he is banished from Asgard by his father for an unauthorised attack on the Frost Giants he begins a new life on Earth where he meets a group of scientists who help him in his quest to avenge his name.


Kenneth Branagh has created three separate worlds in this comic book adaptation of Thor that all have elements of the bizarre; the imagination and the difference in each of the worlds and the tonal shifts create superb superhero spectacle. The realm of Asgard, where Thor resides is an opulent, golden vista of metallic beauty and similar to a South Korean fantasy flick in all its lavishness. Entering the realm of Jotunheim where the Frost Giants live we are taken into a dark and ominous place full of threatening landscapes, which took me back to my childhood in its resemblance to the Nome King’s realm in Return to Oz. Earth is a small American town with a diner in the middle of a desert and when fantasy characters swoop into this reality it is reminiscent of General Zod’s appearance in Superman II with all its cheeky awareness.


Chris Hemmings was a great choice for the role of Thor and he delivers arrogance, humour and a dramatic demeanour. Natalie Portman plays the love interest and her character was just as endearing and strong in her role as an intelligent, determined scientist. But I just felt there was no real connection between the two – the relationship wasn’t developed enough to make me believe they were in love. Tom Hiddleston takes on the villainous role of Loki; Thor’s long suffering, overlooked brother and takes malevolence to theatrical proportions.

I have to give props to Branagh and the writers for creating female characters that weren’t just eye-candy and in fact, comedic relief. Kat Dennings, cast as the funny lady added a special something to the film. As small as her role was, she delivered the one-liners with precision timing and I was pleased to see her on the big screen in such a winning way.

A superhero film that delivers some thrills and great family entertainment. Branagh cleverly puts a Shakespearian spin on this film full of betrayal, father issues, comedy and the struggle between good and evil. Stay till the very end for some Samuel L Jackson post-credits Avengers plot development.




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