Thor

Review by Reardon Jones

Odin (Played by the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins), King  of the realm Asgard decides his son is too arrogant and unprepared to take up his throne after causing conflict with the Asgardians greatest enemies the Ice Giants. Casting him out and stripping him of all powers, Odin sends Thor to Earth in the hope that he learns humility.

In doing so, he provides Earth with a God that will become one of it's greatest warriors - and ultimately one of its Avengers.

As a self confessed comic book nut, I was very wary of Thor. Not having as big of a lead up as previous Marvel films like Spiderman and Iron Man could have potentially helped or harmed this incarnation of the Thunder God in equal part, luckily Thor smashes his way onto the silver screen.

Aussie Chris Hemsworth finds himself a long way from Summer Bay as he takes up the Mighty Mjolner (his awesome hammer) and Norse lingo as Thor. For a guy that was last seen in the opening scene of Star Trek, Hemsworth has landed the dream role for two of Marvels biggest films, Thor and the upcoming all-in-hero-adventure The Avengers. 

Director Kenneth Branagh has stated he wanted a relative unknown to take on the role, as not only would he have a fresh approach to an already enormous comic world, but it would help with keeping the budget of the visual effects on track for the film. 

In doing so Branagh has launched what will be a promising career for Hemsworth as he masters the role and provides some comfort for the forth coming Avengers film.
 
Having said all this, at what point do these Marvels films become stand alone features or just a $150 million advertisement for  something bigger in the form of The Avengers?

So far both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk and now Thor have aspects that are deliberate in creating continuity for the upcoming Hero extravaganza. With Samuel L. Jacksons’ character (Nick Fury) popping up in Iron Man and then Robert Downey Jrs character (Tony Stark) showing up in The Incredible Hulk, does this take way from the feature film itself?

While it's the least solid stand-alone solo Marvel outing so far (not counting Iron Man 2), Thor is none-the-less an impressive look into the Origin of the man and myth. Yet while the film has more references to the upcoming hero union than any film so far, it doesn’t detract from the overall story of the film itself.
 
A killer supporting cast helps Thor chug along too. Natalie Portman plays the leading lady in Jane Foster (nothing like a gorgeous mortal to teach the Norse God about humility), Kat Dennings provides some comic relief, Anthony Hopkins plays Thor’s father Odin, while Tom Hiddleston takes on the important Avenger-linking role of Loki (a known trickster and next in line for the throne behind Thor).

I am not the greatest lover of 3D films and it seems most action films these days are just that. In the world of comics and mythology it may have a better suited place. While I think Thor wasn’t really enhanced by having the 3D technology, it made for some interesting special effects.

I just think that with a film that is already heavily reliant on effects, green screen and CGI, at some stage it becomes more about the visual and not so much the story.

Problems aside, the silly but fun adventure of Thor "brings the Thunder" as the Marvel uninverse marches towards the Avengers.

Fans should be aware that Marvel moves into its final phase of films after the release of Thor, with the upcoming Captain America : the First Avenger due for release in July. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited after watching this latest instalment, let’s hope the rest live up to the anticipation. 

4 out of 5

Thor
Australian release: 28th April, 2011
Official Site: Thor
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard
Director: Kenneth Branagh