Thor

Thor (2011)
Directed by Kenneth Branaugh. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Stellan Starsgard, and Anthony Hopkins.

Superhero movies are hard to review because of their sheer quantity nowadays. It's impossible to watch one without comparing it to another because they stack up so quickly in theaters. And yet, despite the fact that they are squished together into one extremely popular genre, I like to try to remember that these are still individual films.

Thor is on a particularly imaginative branch of the superhero film tree. Far more based in the realm of mythology and fantasy than the others, the hero doesn't get his powers from a spider bite or a fancy utility belt... he has them because he is the God of Thunder. Take that, Batman. In a lot of ways, this is a coming-of-age story more than one of good versus evil. Think along the lines of Peter Parker being told "With great power comes great responsibility." Thor must learn what to fight for, because from the film's opening, it's clear that he already knows how to fight -- to the point of recklessness.

Director Kenneth Branaugh, best known for film adaptations of Shakespeare plays (as well as his own acting), brings a clear vision and unusual touch to such a Blockbuster-y summer tentpole picture. The visual effects that bring Thor's to life are stunning -- in fact, I wanted to see more of his magical world than we did. And, in a dizzying display of marketing, the film does a wonderful job starting to set up The Avengers movie coming next year. (Captain America finishes off the set-up).*

So, while I enjoyed Thor, in retrospect, I think it fell a little flat. The romance was largely uninteresting -- though it was good to see Natalie Portman out of the pointe shoes. And the climactic battle, or perhaps the lead-up to it, was disappointing. In fact, I didn't realize it WAS the final battle until the credits rolled. Overall, this was a good popcorn flick. I'm glad to see a desire in the Marvel camp to be more creative, and to recruit interesting directors to make their films better, but in the end, I don't think it went above and beyond its Blockbuster status.


*I recommend that you ALWAYS stay until after the credits at Marvel movies.