In this adaptation of the Marvel comic, the reckless actions of Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Star Trek) reignite an ancient, intergalactic war. The powerful warrior is cast out of the world of Asgard and sent to live amongst pesky humans on Earth as punishment. Here he becomes protector when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the dark forces of Asgard to attack Earth. Anthony Hopkins is Odin, King of Asgard, and Natalie Portman is earthbound scientist Jane Foster.
The film marks Portman's first foray into comic book movies. Of her decision, she said: "I just thought it sounded like a weird idea because [actor-director] Kenneth Branagh's directing it, so I was just like, 'Kenneth Branagh doing Thor is super-weird, I've gotta do it'."
One of the less plausible comic-book heroes gets a handsome big screen outing in Thor, a cosmic tale of a fractured family that respects its source material while providing enough blocks to bust. As director, Shakespeare mega-fan Kenneth Branagh brings a sense of gravitas and dry wit to Marvel’s take on the Norse legend, assembling a solid cast and sidestepping potential silliness (mostly).
The otherwordly realm of Asgard is constructed by veteran production designer Bo Welch (Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands) and teems with glittering golden chambers and rainbow bridges. This is successfully brought in line with the Earth-bound Marvel reality already established in the Iron Man films.
It’s well cast, well designed and well intentioned, so it’s a shame that Thor isn’t well plotted. The story is never quite clear enough, Natalie Portman is wasted (not to mention poor Stellan Skarsgaard and Rene Russo), and the flow is patchy. The lack of genuine thrills and exhilaration mean the film never soars. It’s a set-up, a part-film, and there’s a nagging feeling that you’ll have to buy tickets to future movies to complete the whole experience.
Still, I enjoyed this much more than Iron Man 2. The promise of a truly stand-alone adventure has been thwarted again, but the fun Thor will tide you over until Captain America rides into town.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
As a die-hard Thor/Superheroes in general fan I can say that this movie was amazing. It was engaging, interesting and had a great soundtrack to go with it; although I can honestly say that I'm really a Loki fan :) 5/5, love this and can't wait for the Avengers!
First off - Idris Elba in a BIT part? He's Idris Elba!!! C'mon! Very disappointing. Great cast. Dubious director (c'mon - have you seen his SLEUTH? Seriously? FRANKENSTEIN? Honestly?) Neither a whizz bang fun epic for kids along the lines of CAP'N AMERICA F**K YEAH! nor an adult fable along the darker line of Chris Nolan's BATMAN and DARK KNIGHT - THOR is sadly in need of a far far better script. Uninvolving but sometimes camp fun; visually pleasing and 2 stars in recognition of the fact that this was easily the hardest AVENGERS main character to make work... Still, nowhere near as awful as Joel Schumacher's BATMAN AND DOBBY. If they release a Directors Cut DVD version with an added 40 minutes this THOR has the potential to be a far better experience... Fingers crossed!
it was ok. The earth sequenses were kinda sloww but funny
I had heard some good things about this movie, but while watching it I was having a hard time staying awake. Don't get me wrong, there were some funny moments but in the end it fell flat with the story. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman had no chemistry at all, and I felt no attachment to any of the characters. They could've done a much better job I feel.
This film is very enjoyable. The best part of it was how the whole thing was visualized. If they had hired me to try an imagine a rainbow bridge, I would have probably just come up with a rainbow you could ride horses across. It would have looked like a rainbow and also looked very silly. The makers of this film put a lot of thought into how things would look, so things like the rainbow bridge look amazing and still kind of look like a rainbow. Check out the scene where the giant Destroyer takes apart a small town. Remember Gort from "The day the earth stood still"? That fight hows what Gort should have looked like. Loki is an interesting character. He may be the villain, but I think he may have more hero in him than he knows. Perhaps the next film will be his chance to shine.
Turn off the snark-o-meter, and this is a return to form for Marvel, introducing a new hero we'll be happy to see again in, oh, about a year or so.
Chris Hemsworth gives a breakout performance as fallen Norse god.
The most problematic hurdle in The Avengers’ path is cleared with ease and some style by a film that makes a virtue of its inherent silliness. You’re up, Captain America.
Thor delivers the goods so long as butt is being kicked and family conflict is playing out in celestial dimensions, but is less thrilling during the Norse warrior god's rather brief banishment on Earth.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 28th Apr 2011.
Release date: April 28th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
