Thor (www.the-usher.com)

"Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

On the day of his coronation as King of the realm of Asgard, Thor’s (Hemsworth) ascension to the throne is interrupted by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim breaking into Odin’s Vault to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, a weapon so powerful it could bring an endless winter to the Nine Realms. Seeing this as an act of war, Thor challenges his father Odin (Hopkins) to invade Jotunheim and bring the leader of the Frost Giants Laufey (Feore) to task but the aging King denies his arrogant first-born son his battle. When his brother Loki (Hiddleston) suggests that he should defy his father and seek the glory of combat, Thor takes his Sif (Alexander) and the Warriors Three to Jotunheim and their attack starts a new war. Furious at this son’s betrayal, Odin casts him out of Asgard and banishes him to Earth, stripping him of his powers but as Thor has to come to terms with been a mere mortal, Loki sees this as his chance to claim the throne.

Marvel Studios introduces its third Avenger in The Mighty Thor but can the fabled Norse God of Thunder make the transition from the pages of a comic book to the silver screen?

The Avengers initiative has been an ambitious plan by Marvel Studios since its introduction of ‘Iron Man’ in 2008. Bringing together the Hulk, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury and Thor for a motion picture team up, the like that comic book fans had never seen before but before that could happen, the had to introduce the Avengers big hitters. With Iron Man already having two outings and the Incredible Hulk smashing his way back onto the silver screen, 2011 is the time for Marvel to introduce audiences to Captain America and firstly the Mighty Thor.

Of all of the Avengers, Thor is probably the most difficult to adapt. With Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury and even the Hulk all having powers or skills influenced by science or human endeavor but Thor is a God with all the mythical powers that come with it. Coming from the realm of Asgard, Odin’s first-born son is the God of Thunder, an arrogant and powerful omnipotent being who welds Mjolnir, a mighty hammer that makes him an unstoppable warrior, very different from all of the other Avengers. The stories and myths of the Norse Gods have been told for millennia but when creators Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby wove them into the Marvel Universe in 1962, Thor was a very new type of superhero.

The grandeur of Norse Myths made the ‘Thor’ books a mix of traditional superhero fare and the fantasy world of parallel realms filled with magic, bizarre creatures, warriors and Gods. At the heart of the stories were the King of Asgard, Odin and his two sons Thor and Loki. A royal family like no other because while they ruled like any other monarchy, they controlled power that no mortal King or Queen could have dream of. With two sons, each with their own desire for the throne and a King who was getting weaker with age, the story plays out like a Shakespeare play so who better to tell this tale than a true master of the Bard, Sir Kenneth Branagh. Having adapted ‘Henry V’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, ‘As You Like It’ and ‘Hamlet’, the stories of Asgard Royal Family and their impact on the Nine Realms, Kenneth Branagh was a bold but obvious choice by Marvel Studios and it was a gamble that really paid off.

By employing a director that understands story, characters and most importantly the relationships between warring brothers, Marvel have given Kenneth Branagh the freedom to explore a King and his sons, leaving the stunning visual effects and the action sequences to the FX wizards and the second unit. They create a stunning fantasy world for the characters to inhabit and Marvel have really splashed the cast to create their most extravagant film to date. Asgard and Jotunheim look otherworldly, allowing the audience to believe they have left the confines of Earth and journeyed to a very different place. What was not needed however was Marvel’s decision to retro-fit the film into 3D. An already visually stunning spectacle, the 3D is nothing more than a reason to gain the extra price on the ticket sales because the third dimension utilised just as badly as it was by remake of ‘Clash of the Titans’.

While the ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Incredible Hulk’ films both introduced two Avengers with a certain of success, it could be argued that they had to overcome the problem of juggling the Tony Stark/Iron Man and Bruce Banner/Hulk personas, giving them both as much screen time as possible. Thor, however, is just Thor with no alter ego or secret identity balance screen time with. This allows the character to have the full duration of the film to develop from the arrogant character we are introduced to, to the Avenger he is destined to be. It also gives Branagh the time to the realms of Asgard and Jotunheim, as well as the characters that inhabit those worlds.

It is the characters that shine in this film. As with all first films in a comic book franchise, this is an origin story but one that had a lot of introducing to do. This could have easily overwhelmed the audience with all of the Nine Realms and the many characters that inhabit them but instead Branagh and his creative team concentrate on establishing the main characters and introducing the rest for the following films. On Earth or Midgard, we meet Jane Foster, a scientist looking into the strange storms appearing over the New Mexican desert, played by Oscar winner Natalie Portman. She is accompanied by her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig, played by Stellan Skarsgard and her assistant Darcy Lewis, played by Kat Dennings. We also have S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson, investigating the appearance of a Hammer in the middle of the desert. On Jotunheim we have the leader of the Frost Giants, Laufey played with menace by Colm Feore. It is Asgard that is filled with the most colourful of characters however. We have Gatekeeper of the Realm, Heimdall played by British actor Idris Elba, Sif, a beautiful but fierce warrior played by relative newcomer Jaimie Alexander and the Warriors Three, Ray Stevenson’s Volstagg, Joshua Dallas’ Fandral and Tadanobu Asano’s Hogun, who are Thor’s trusted right hand men in battle. All of these characters have sound introduction for what will be much bigger parts in the following films in the franchise.

It is the King and his two Sons that dominate the film and the story however. The leader of Asgard and the peace bringer to the Nine Realms, Odin is played with real presence and power by Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins. This is a role that he revels in, eating up the screen every time he graces it but he brings a humanity to an omnipotent being, as he is a father just wanting the best for his sons. Almost stealing the film and by far the best Marvel villain that the studio has put against a soon to be Avenger. In Tom Hiddleston’s Loki we have a character that is fueled by jealousy and the desire to catch his father’s eye, to prove his worth but his devilish plan has severe consequences for his family and the Nine Realms. This is Chris Hemsworth’s movie however and the former ‘Home and Away’ actor from Australia proves that going with a relatively unknown lead actor was not a mistake by Marvel and Kenneth Branagh. He has a real screen presence and makes Thor the hero he was destined to be.

‘Thor’ is the best Marvel Studios film so far. What Kenneth Branagh and this creative team have achieved has to be applauded. It could have been easily an extremely cheesy and clichéd fantasy romp but instead we have a character driven superhero film that feels more like a epic Shakespearian Royal family tragedy than just another comic book movie. With great characters, superb performances and lead actor who is destined to become a huge star, ‘Thor’ is an excellent comic book adventure and one that you should watch to the very end of the credits to thoroughly enjoy.

'Triple Play Edition' includes the movie on 3 formats: Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Copy
Commentary by director Kenneth Branagh
Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant
Featurettes
Road to the Avengers
Deleted Scenes with optional commentary
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
Avengers Animated Trailer

Iron Man

The Incredible Hulk

Iron Man 2

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2011