Movie Review: Thor (2011)

Thor (2011): The latest in the Avengers series of films by Marvel, Thor introduces the eponymous hero, "the God of Thunder", ahead of his appearance as part of the super-powered team in the forthcoming Avengers film, where he'll be a starring character alongside Tony Stark/Iron Man and Steve Rogers/Captain America. I'll say at the start of this that I'm not a massive fan of the comic book character. I don't have anything against the story but it's not the most interesting tale to me. With that said, I actually really enjoyed Thor. The film deals with Thor's banishment to Earth and subsequent return to thwart the meddling of his twisted brother Loki and handles it well, combining a decent story with the usual special effects we've become accustomed to from these big Marvel films. This film faced some difficulty with the fact that it's supposed to be based around characters who are used to magic and all of those slightly supernatural shenanigans yet the character's supposed to fit into the same universe as the technology-based superheroes as Iron Man and Captain America and fight alongside them, and this is handled well with a decent but not excessive amount of comedy, not to shy away from the absurdity of the situation.

One thing I was pleasantly surprised by in this film was that nobody seemed to lag behind in the acting department. Tom Hiddleston's performance as Loki was probably the best as he excelled as the conniving yet physically weak brother of the titular hero (and his superpowers are deceptive magic, aka the powers that shite weak characters have in video games, unlike Thor who just goes about hitting crap with a big hammer). Chris Hemsworth could easily be dismissed as "the big muscular action hero" but when he's required to be a bit lighter he comes across as genuine and portrays the character as much more than a powerhouse, and his slightly awkward relationship with Natalie Portman's Jane Foster is nicely executed. Not to mention the little cheeky cameo in the middle of the film by - WHOOPS SPOILERS - Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, which raised a little smirk in the cinema. Signs look good for that character too!

Overall this is a really good effort. It's probably not as good as the first Iron Man, I'd have to rewatch that one, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's certainly in the "good" category of superhero films, for sure. Two thumbs up.

2011 in Cinema
1. Thor
2. Paul
3. The Green Hornet