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‘Thor,” the latest superhero-action flick from Marvel Studios, instantly and constantly jolts its audience with a high-speed plot, sparks of mythology and an infusion of action that few films have ever met before.
It’s not the best of its genre; however, it may be the loudest and the most action-packed.
From the opening scene to the film’s conclusion (that hints toward a sequel), director Kenneth Branagh (“Hamlet,” “Frankenstein”) keeps the audience on the edge of its seat not allowing for a momentary break, or pause, in the action.
The film begins in New Mexico, where a science team, spearheaded by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), awaits a rare thunderstorm.
As the sky lights up and the excitement begins to build, the crew drives straight into the phenomena of a blast that hits nearby, running into the title character and knocking him down.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) gets up eventually, but before the audience can see the rest of his journey on Earth, Branagh flashes back to the history of the universe, tracing the ancestry of Thor and building upon the myth of “the God of Thunder” that stems from Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby’s famous comic book.
Anthony Hopkins inhabits Odin, the father and god figure of the film, and tells his two sons Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) about the history of their native realm, Asgard.
Thor grows into a man quickly, in a matter of a minute or two to be more specific, and is ready to take the throne from his father only to be sidetracked by a past conflict.
Thor is the strongest man in the entire realm, and the most powerful, yielding a heavy hammer given to him by the gods called Mjolnir.
Thor may not be the coolest action hero of all time, but his weapon of choice is certainly the most badass piece of artillery to ever enter into a film.
Despite his power, Thor is beset through arrogance and poor decision-making that results in his banishment from Asgard and his exile to Earth, where he is transported along with his hammer, but Odin separates the two intentionally.
That’s when the science team (Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) , and the rest of Earth, enters the picture as Thor begins his long journey home to reconcile with his father and stop his conniving brother, “the God of Mischief” as the movie’s poster hints, from destroying his home and taking full-control of the throne.
The film dazzles with blockbuster flare as it opens the summer movie season, packing a mêlée of action punches while mixing in some wit, humor and human drama.
Hemsworth (“Star Trek”) does a good job in his first lead-actor role, blending Thor’s fury and angst with his graciousness and adaptability.
As for Portman, she doesn’t provide a terrific performance like she did in 2010’s Black Swan, which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, but does provide some good moments with Hemsworth.
However, the studio executives jam a love story in the middle of this action love-fest, and that fails miserably.
While the love story is a setback and the dialogue isn’t exactly sharp, the film does succeed in its fast-paced style, fitting a lot of different scenes into a two-hour frame.
“Thor” opens the summer movie season and sets itself apart from other action-blockbusters through its mythological-heavy back-story and its friendly, yet troubled, hero.
