Thor Review

        We’re at the halfway point for the first phase of the MCU. It’s been rocky at best, due in part to establishing the world that the heroes inhabit in. A mostly grounded world where a billionaire creates a suit, a scientist becomes a raging hulk and a secret government agency that is keeping tabs of the weird stuff that’s been happening. Thor, I feel is the course correction that steers the hypothetical ship back on course. 

1. Worthy and Humility

        It’s an impossible task to attempt to create a hero from a mythical source. Additionally, just trying to humanize a god that he doesn’t feel all that high and mighty. With the God of Thunder, he’s a different type of hero where he’s all powerful in the annals of Norse mythology.  I feel that with someone that powerful, trying to build a sense of sympathy or care is a tough task but they found a way. 

        We follow Thor Odinson as he’s about to be crowned as the new king of Asgard. After a failed attempt to invade the realm, Thor along with Loki and his friends go to Jotunheim for retribution against the Frost Giants. After the fight goes south, Odin banishes Thor to Earth along with his hammer Mjolnir. From there, we meet Jane Foster and her associates who try to help the banished prince. 

        There’s something different about this film that I think separates the prior entries. What I like about it is that it’s mostly about Thor getting his groove back. Or how he learns to be humble. What I mean is that we see him from the beginning where he’s proud to finally accept being the new King. And upset when the moment is taken away from him, feeling that he must fight back. 

        His whole arc sort of mirrors Tony Stark where they act prideful. More so that he’s immature to be considered the next ruler that he goes against his father’s wish. Anthony Hopkins nails being Odin since he has that distinct voice whenever he narrates and when he commands attention. Just the moment when both him and Thor argue about the latter’s actions is one of the main highlights in the film. 

        Just the whole movie with him interacting with Jane Foster and the others teaches him how to be humble. Chris Hemsworth does a decent job with portraying Odinson since he acts so mighty and then finally accepts his new temporary reality. Like he thinks he can find Mjolnir and wield it to finally go back home. It doesn’t happen and I love how even with his strength, he’s not worthy after what he did. 

        It's very dialogue heavy, not that it’s a bad thing but I think it highlights the director himself. This was the first Kenneth Branagh film that I’ve watched. He’s mostly been famous for adapting Shakespeare plays to film and popping up in some prestigious films here and there. I feel that his background made Asgard so opulent that I wished we would’ve stayed there longer. But I think it was set up as just a tease to when we’ll inevitably have a movie where it just takes place there. 

        If there’s one thing that I will critique about is just how it handles the idea of magic and science. The scene between Thor and Jane as he explains that her science is one of the same where he comes from. I think it gives it a cop out since it tries to rationalize the fantasy elements of Thor. Like everything that we see in Asgard, is of course advanced technology, but it goes about it where there’s magic involved as well. It feels inconsistent, since I would’ve preferred it be like magic to us but science to the Asgardians. 

        One more thing, it perfectly represents how world building is done. It’s the exact opposite of how Iron Man 2 did without the need of repetitive dialogue. We see how Agent Coulson is the representative of S.H.I.E.L.D. whenever he pops in. And this is our first introduction to Clint Barton/Hawkeye as there’s not a scene that makes clear that it’s exactly him. It’s the subtle approach of introducing things quietly without halting the movie that makes the world building more unique and expansive. 

2. Loki

        It’s a thing I’ve noticed that with the first films of Phase 1, there’s always two villains. One who’s already established bad and the other who gradually becomes bad. Just seeing Tom Hiddleston playing Loki and seeing what came after is quaint at best. No one, not even me could even grasp just how well of a performance he does. Shakespearean of course due to the director, but also, he’s such a complex character. 

        What’s kind of interesting before we see who he really is, is the whole set up with the cinematography. We see during Thor’s celebration that whenever the camera cuts to Loki it’s always something that is suspicious. Even how he approaches Thor trying to get revenge on the Frost Giants is almost like a play. What I like about him is that he’s sort of a dishonest person. 

        And it’s completely justified when he learns the truth about himself. Him confronting Odin about his past rocks his world where Hiddleston just nails flipping from one emotion to another. More so, what he does isn’t simply to be bad, but it’s the way he went about it that he wants to be seen as a savior and King. Which came as a surprise when he kills Laufey the Frost Giant King, all as a way to fake being the hero. 

        I have to really wonder if Marvel or even Producer Kevin Feige knew what he had when they cast Hiddleston to this role. In fact, Tom was supposed to be Thor and there exists raw test footage of him wielding the hammer. I can’t fathom just how much popularity this character would gain when the succeeding films came out. Just his arc that is shown in the whole franchise is something short of interesting. 

3. Overall

        Thor is the film that Marvel needed to be good for the universe to succeed. It does it well to humanize a god and make him worthy to be hero.