Thor (2011) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline: Two worlds. One hero.

The world has many heroes... but only one is a god. When the arrogant warrior Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Star Trek) is banished to Earth from his homeworld of Asgard, he must fight to reclaim his lost powers. Pursued by an invasion force sent to destroy him, the fallen God of Thunder must rise to the battle and learn what it takes to become a true hero. Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Anthony Hopkins (Beowulf) also star in the blockbuster adventure critics are calling "thrilling, entertaining and cool" (Harry Knowles, Ain't It Cool News)."

Storyline: The warrior Thor (Hemsworth) is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard by his father Odin (Hopkins) for his arrogance and sent to Earth to live among humans. Falling in love with scientist Jane Foster (Portman) teaches Thor much-needed lessons, and his new-found strength comes into play as a villain from his homeland sends dark forces toward Earth. Written by Anonymous

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on September 7, 2011 -- A wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it. --- Thor flexes some pretty hefty muscles, but it's can't quite work its way into the upper echelon of Marvel Studios filmed properties. Director Kenneth Branagh's foray into the superhero genre is breathtakingly grand in scope, beautifully constructed from top to bottom, and a blast to watch, but it lacks the all-around greatness of Iron Man and the thematic and emotional heft of Christopher Nolan's Batman films, the latter of which is not a Marvel property of course but certainly the standard by which live-action Superhero films are judged. Nevertheless, Thor is the very definition of Summer movie awesomeness. It's big and loud, newcomer-accessible to the characters and the universe they inhabit, and it manages to blend potent action with genuine humor to a level not often achieved in such big-dollar endeavors. The story is admittedly a little bland and sometimes feels as if it becomes lost underneath the sheer weight and polish of the production design, action, and flash that permeates most every frame of the movie, but it's easy to follow and makes for a strong backdrop for what is nothing less than a fast-moving roller coaster ride through a world where fantasy meets reality and comic book filmmaking seems to have reached today's pinnacle for seamless special effects integration. Truly, is there a better universe than that of Thor to show off just how far moviemaking technology has come?

In the year In 965 A.D., the powerful Frost Giants threatened Earth and pushed her towards a devastating ice age. Mankind valiantly fought the threat and, with the help of the Asgardians -- led by their mighty king Odin (Anthony Hopkins) -- defeated the Frost Giants and restored peace to the universe. With the Frost Giants's source of power safely tucked away deep within Asgard, the threat of war no longer loomed over the universe, and only blatant treachery could once again bring the two sides to the brink of disaster. Years later, with Odin set to elevate his son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to king of Asgard, the Frost Giants infiltrate Asgard and slaughter several of her finest. Thor, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and a select group of Asgard's most powerful warriors -- without still-king Odin's blessing -- travel to the Frost Giants's home world of Jotunheim to take them out once and for all. Unable to claim total victory and the Frost Giants unwilling to accept a truce from none other than Odin himself, the Asgardians are whisked away before further blood may be spilled. A furious Odin relinquishes Thor of his powers and sends his now-mortal son into exile on Earth. Fortunately, his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, accompanies him, but has been enchanted so only a man worthy of wielding its strength may carry it. As Thor attempts to accustom himself to his new home and limited powers, he's befriended by an astrophysicist named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who learns and experiences more than she's ever dreamed of when Thor's true whereabouts and potential powers are revealed. Now, with shady government spooks on their trail, Thor must prove himself worthy of wielding the universe's most powerful weapon, all the while his home planet of Asgard hangs in the balance as a power struggle threatens the stability of the entire universe.

Thor's success stems from two positive factors. The first is its incredible special effects integration that, combined with an awe-inspiring vision for Asgard, Jotunheim, and travel between the stars, gives the movie a grand, polished, and even semi-plausible façade, a wonderful setting against which to build the story and showcase some good old-fashioned hammer-hitting audience-friendly violence. The film thrives on its innate beauty -- both digital and practical -- and the various real-life sets and people mesh seamlessly with the heavy dose of digital assistance that makes the movie complete. None of these locales or special effects overwhelm the movie, however, even if they do sometimes compete with the picture's disappointingly linear and partially generic plot. Fortunately, though, Thor aspires to be little more than a popcorn-munching good time at the movies, and there's nothing really lost to what amounts to bland character arcs and the usual barrage of superhero antics. The outcome of the story is never much in doubt, and the various twists prove unimaginative from a structural perspective. Still, the movie is a great success as cinema-as-spectacle. Rarely is a movie this well put-together and given such attention to detail despite a plot that's hardly noteworthy and recycles any number of ideas -- redemption and the absolute corruption of unchecked power chief amongst them -- but does so without any pretenses or allusions to some importance that's just not there. Branagh smartly uses Thor as a vehicle for big movie fun, and in that light the entire production is nothing less than an absolute success.

The second factor working in the film's favor is the performance of Actor Chris Hemsworth. The relatively little-known musclebound blonde actor proves his worth in every scene. He's capable of playing each area of his multifaceted role with stunning clarity and ease, whether the cocky war-hungry would-be king, the mortal who's lost his power and struggling to rediscover himself in an alien world, or the powerful revitalized and, in a way, reborn superhero who fights to save the day on no less than two worlds. Helmsworth demonstrates throughout that he more than looks the part; certainly the long blonde hair, the beard, and the muscular physique are necessary to any interpretation of the character, but Helmsworth proves capable of expanding beyond the look and providing to Thor a soul that evolves and not merely goes through the motions. And that's in spite of the above-referenced thin plot. Nevertheless, the character is given a life beyond the generalities called for in the script, a life that Helmsworth briefly demonstrated capable of achieving in Star Trek and is able to expand upon in a full feature film, not five mostly forgotten minutes in a movie that doesn't exactly focus his efforts. The remainder of the cast is strong, but not up to Helmsworth's level. Anthony Hopkins proves a good but safe choice to play Odin. Hopkins offers little more to the part than a recognizable name and a commanding screen presence. He's overshadowed -- and rightly so -- by Helmsworth, but carries enough gravitas to convincingly play a character of such great stature simply by dressing up in the costume and delivering his lines with the precision and command expected of him. Tom Hiddleston seems to channel Alan Cumming in both look and style throughout and to the point that viewers will be doing double-takes and checking the billing a second and maybe even third time to verify the identity of the actor portraying Loki. The remainder of the cast -- even names like Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård -- feel more like filler than anything else. Certainly their characters are somewhat integral to the plot, but none of them break free from the shadow of Chris Helmsworth or make much of an impression thanks to a script that seems to have put them into the movie more for the sake of having them rather than because the story couldn't work without them.

Lastly, there's the problem of a readily-identifiable unoriginality that runs through the movie. Thor works best in a vacuum, and one that dictates audiences enjoy the ride -- in this case, the special effects and action -- and not worry about the relatively weak story, overwhelmed secondary characters, and similarities to other Fantasy stories. On that note, Thor sometimes feels like a grand re-imagining of the 1987 Dolph Lundgren vehicle Masters of the Universe. The similarities between the two are striking, really, and not just the whole "musclebound blonde alpha male from another world arrives on Earth" angle. No, Thor so often looks like Masters of the Universe -- a much bigger budget Masters of the Universe to be sure -- that one can't help but wonder if Branagh and company didn't actually use the relatively obscure picture as a source of inspiration for the design of Asgard, that locale's color scheme, and various odds and ends props and costumes that pop up from time to time. Certainly Thor is a far more serious picture than the hammy-but-fun Masters, but make no mistake that the two share more in common than the filmmakers behind Thor probably care to admit. Second, and far more readily evident, is Thor's allusions to Arthurian legend, particularly the "sword in the stone" fable about the inability of anyone but the most worthy to pull a powerful and prized mystical weapon from its resting place. It just so happens that Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, is subject to an identical ritual that defines much of Thor's second act. Lastly, the "Destroyer" fire-breathing metallic whateveritis bears an uncanny resemblance to Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still with the whole metallic body and blast from the eyes thing. Of course, how much of this goes back to the original comic series is best left for debate amongst those who more closely follow such things, but for the casual moviegoer there's no mistaking the film's resemblance to and nods towards other properties that don't necessarily lessen Thor, but only reinforce that notion that the movie's plot takes a backseat to its admittedly spectacular action, sets, and special effects.

Thor makes for fine entertainment, but the pinnacle of Superhero moviemaking it is not. Director Kenneth Branagh has chosen spectacle over plot, and in this case that choice isn't without merit. The story of Thor is one of recycled plot standards and thematic indifference, but the picture still works as an extraordinarily fun ride and a showcase of digital movie magic. The film is superficially defined by its breathtaking backdrops -- most of which aren't real -- and the exemplary performance of lead Actor Chris Hemsworth, who manages to give shape to a relatively flat character. Thor is a blast to watch; it moves fast and the action hits hard. It won't win any awards for originality, but it's a comfortable summer movie that does a fine job of setting part of the stage for the coming Avengers picture. Paramount's 2D Blu-ray release of Thor delivers steady 1080p video, a first-class DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack, and a better-than-average assortment of extra content. Easily recommended.

User Comment: sidfargas from Australia, 18 April 2011 • Thor was much much better than I expected. I didn't know if they could pull of the balance between the Norse mythology stuff and the real world Marvel Universe. I should've known better because Marvel knows their characters and knows what we want to see. Spider-Man set a new standard for the superhero film genre back in the day. Iron Man upped the ante. Thor takes the ball and runs with it and places that bar even higher. I look forward to seeing it again and know it will do well enough to be worthy of a sequel because word of mouth is going to be great. Trust me when I say Thor REALLY IS as good as Iron Man and is most worthy to be called one of the greatest adaptations ever.

Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god Thor, and Tom Hiddleston as his villainous brother Loki show they have the acting ability and star quality to become mega-marquee names in the future. Marvel found two absolute diamonds in the rough. Both actors make a HUGE impression and are wonderful on screen. You knew Acedemy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman would bring it but these relative unkowns more than hold their own on screen. I know the script is written mostly for them but they carry it in a big way. From what I've read, Hemsworth and Hiddleston were cast almost a year in advance of filming the story so, they had time to get into shape and do character research. They certain did these long-time Marvel greats proud. Intelligent comic-book popcorn epics are rare and this one is definitely a cut above the usual fare.

Summary: Intelligent and fun comic-book popcorn epic!

[CSW] -3.4- I have slowly come to realize that I am not a huge fan of graphic novel (comic-book) movies; however this one and several other have done such a good job of fitting the graphic novel format that I have to give them credit. I think that I always look for something deeper than just a good popcorn epic but that is what the graphic novel format is. The graphics in this movie were excellent and the plot line held together better than most of these type of movies do. So if you are up for good popcorn epic you probably won't do much better than this one. I might add that I plane to skip adding the 3D version of this movie to my collection primarily because it is a once-is-enough popcorn epic.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box -- but D-Box intelligent vibration added greatly to this movie. No D-Box motion codes were available at the time of this rental although they are available now.

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