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Thor was a real test for Marvel – particularly regarding the cast of superheroes to be assembled for next year’s much anticipated Avengers film. Following the average response – and scrambling reboots of the Incredible Hulk character on the big screen, and the surprise success of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, Thor’s success was by no means a given. The seeds sewn in post credit sequences of the Avenger organization and other superheroes (typically starring Samuel L. Jackson in his Nick Fury role) have helped provide the right amount of connective tissue for the Avengers film, but Thor is perhaps the character with the hardest time fitting into the universe that Marvel has been carefully assembling over the past few years.
Thor 3D
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Year: 2011
US Rating: Rated PG
Film Length: 109 Minutes
Video: AVC MPEG-4 1080P High Definition 16X9
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 6.1, English 5.1 Dolby Digital TrueHD, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Review Date: September 9, 2011
“You are unworthy of your title, and I'll take from you your power! In the name of my father, and his father before him, I cast you out!”
The Film
3.5/ 5
In the grand spectacle that is the gold adorned realm of Asgard – the legendary figure of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), along with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), serve their father Odin – ruler of Asgard (Anthony Hopkins) and protector of the the realms. Thor, wielder of the mighty hammer Mjollnir, is next in line for the throne, but on the day he is to take the mantle of leadership, a small and unsuccessful breach by one of the Warrior gods’ former enemies (the Frost Giants) exposes Thor’s arrogance, ego and proclivity to hammer first, ask questions later. Disappointed and angered by his lack of wisdom and misguided engagement of the enemy – which threatens to reignite a deadly war, Odin banishes Thor to the mortal realm where the gods had once been worshipped protectors – earth.
Crashing to earth, Thor is discovered by three scientists, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Darcy Lewis (Kat Denning) and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). Stripped of his powers, he must prove himself worthy of his weapon and reclaim his place atop the throne of Asgard – but the secretive agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and a treacherous threat from within his realm threaten everything.
Thor is a character with a grand back story. The regal and deity-like realm of Asgard, the warrior son, the wise king, and the complicated father-son relationship and conniving afoot in the governing family are traits that align keenly with the deep well with which William Shakespeare happily dipped his pen. Perhaps this more than passing association helped trigger the somewhat surprise hiring of Kenneth Branagh as director. With several film adaptations of Shakespeare’s work, including Love’s Labor Lost, Much Ado About Nothing, the sumptuous Hamlet and the incredible Henry V, Branagh would seem very well qualified. But Thor takes place as much in the present and modern world as it does in the lofty Asgard, and unlike Henry V or Hamlet’s action, Thor would be a visual effects laden action feast, with complicated visuals and far more kinetic and robust set-piece adorned; elements that don’t naturally spring Branagh to mind. It reminds me of the critics of 1991’s Backdraft, an action film about firefighters that was equal parts family drama, directed by Ron Howard. Critics lamented what that film would have been in the hands of a skilled action director like James Cameron. It was unfair criticism or Ron Howard at that time, but I’m noy sure it’s too far from off the mark in Thor. The visual effects laden Asgard sequences are fine; beautiful in fact, and the battle between Thor and the Frost Giants is very well handled, but the rest of the action and the plot upon which these scenes stand fail to stand out.
Branagh’s true moments of glory in Thor come not in the mythical realm and storyline, but in the very human and modern scenes in the dusty New Mexico town, where Portman and Skarsgård’s scientists – along with Kat Denning’s nicely played droll intern – play proxy for the audience in making sense of the magical and mythical presence of the very out of place Thor. The banter and interplay, though brief, work nicely and show off Branagh’s ease with people and a little humor on screen. This sense of fun continues with the Character of Thor as he, for example, walks into a Pet Store and boldly demands a horse.
Thor is entertaining action and was a worthy start to the 2011 Box Office marathon. It would be the first of an inordinate amount of Superhero films making their way to multiplexes – finishing the race as the top earner (followed closely by fellow avenger, Captain America). But there are snags in the finished product. The opening moments of Thor are well played, but the plot moves far too quickly through the establishment of Asgard and its importance as a realm to the Thor mythology; the relationship between Thor and his slim brother Loki is merely glanced upon, and later in the film, as Thor begins to find his footing in the earthly realm, the charismatic hero pledges allegiance all-too easily and quickly to the ‘good people” of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is clear that Thor had a great deal of ground to cover – both for itself and for Marvels universe, but what we miss are the moments and the time between characters that would have sewn a deeper appreciation and understanding in broader audiences of who Thor is, how he will fit into the earthly superhero group, and why we should care.
Watching Chris Hemsworth bring a larger-than-life energy to the brash and arrogant Thor is one of the film’s genuine bright spots. He certainly has the build and swagger the Norse God character requires and the action intuition to pull off the hammer wielding moves and occasional flights. Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is relatively straightforward. The occasional school-girl giddiness she imbues her character with doesn’t suit the practical scientist role too well, but Portman is a superbly talented actress and one can see greater and deeper exposition in sequels being served well by her talents. Anthony Hopkins bears the weight and responsibility of Odin wonderfully. I am not well-versed in the Thor mythology, but I cannot see anyone else inhabiting the broad and gruff shoulders of Asgard’s ruler as well as him. Tom Hiddleston is perhaps the most Shakespearian of all the characters in Thor. A man who lives in Thor’s shadow, is slight of build but sharp of tongue, and who both revels and reviles at being underestimated. Hiddleston gives the Loki character a modicum of likeability once his intentions are revealed, and he pulls from the audience just enough sympathy to give his character a complicate edge. Very well played!
In Asgard, Thor had a posse, a trio of defenders into which he gladly stormed into battle. Sif, played by the lovely Jaimie Alexander (see HTF Interview here), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) and Fandral (Josh Dallas). These characters are underutilized in the overall scheme of things, but again, the talent is there and the possibility ripe for Thor’s band of merry men (and woman) to grow in the sequel. Finally, mention should be given to Idris Alba, the outstanding actor from BBC’s magnificent TV series Luther, who took on the role of Heimdall. His deep, serious voice and presence was grave enough to succeed in the role, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, one hopes he is given a great deal more to do in the follow up.
I should also note that Agent Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, is given more presence in the story and he’s absolutely the right choice for the role.
The Video
4/5
3D Implementation: 3/5
Paramount’s first foray into 3D blu-ray is sadly a mixed bag. Presented in 1080p High Definition - MPEG-4 AVC video codec with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the image quality is generally tight, but as a film converted to 3D during post production, fans of the 3D feature at home will be somewhat disappointed without tempered expectations. Thor was not filmed with the added dimension in mind and it shows in the staging of most Asgard scenes and in the lighting choices (and even perhaps the night setting) for a number of the film’s moments. 3D tends not to do so well in dark scenes – separation between objects and the separation between for- and background dissolve all too easily – and that is quite apparent here.
The scenes set in the bright New Mexico desert tend to provide the greatest sense of depth and demonstrate the 3D factor extremely well. Scenes between actors, particularly in the hospital or lab setting, aren’t staged for the additional dimension and thus will likely give many pause to wonder if the 2D version would have been the better investment. Fortunately, this release comes with the 2D version on its own disc (unlike other 3D releases where you can select via the menu the version you would like to see) + a 3rd disc containing the digital copy.
Besides the 3D factor disappointing, the image quality is good. Asgard’s shiny, museum like aesthetic are bold and bright in this high definition medium, but the New Mexico scenes offer the most clarity (even if the color palette is less diverse). Skin tones are generally natural, black levels mostly solid, and the level of fine detail is good but not reference quality.
Here’s hoping Paramount’s next entries into the 3D Blu-Ray library – Captain America and the deluxe version of Transformers: Dark of the Moon show off more of what I know Paramount can deliver – after all, there recent blu-ray releases have been of very high quality.
The Sound
4.5/5
With an available English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, the sound is thunderous. As you might expect, this summer action blockbuster is abounding with deep rattling bass, very low frequency effects, and an amazingly active surround sound design. Patrick Doyle’s orchestral score is plenty bombastic (though hardly one of his better efforts), but is well represented in the audio. Dialogue is issue free, directional effects effective and the crash, smash, bang and wallop of the action sequences, particularly with the clangs and death rays produced by the Destroyer (the big silver mono-eyed robot) as he vanquishes targets in a blaze of targeted fire. This is a very crisp audio with dimension of its own, warm where it needs to be and precise and cold when the setting requires.
The Extras
3.5/ 5
Disc One:
2D Version of the film
Audio Commentary: Can there ever be something wrong with listening to a great British director talk about his work. Not at all, and Branagh proves that he is an engaging and intriguing discusser of hi works with this informative and likeable commentary track.
Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (4:00): The short, written by Eric Pearson (Post-production manager on Ratatouille) that seeks to connect the films via a conversation regarding the Hulk.
7 Featurettes:
- From Asgard to Earth (19:40): The grand throne of Asgard appeared at the 2010 Comic-Con – I wish I had taken the time to stand in line and see it closer, but this look at creating the Asgard realm gives me a better look at it all.
- Our Fearless Leader (3:20): Something to make Kenneth Branagh feel good.
- Assembling the Troupe (4:44): A quick look at the casting choices.
- Hammer Time (6:15): A look at Thor’s famous weapon and the desire to be as faithful and accurate as possible.
- Creating Laufey (5:30): Colm Feore is almost unrecognizable as the Ice Giant, but this quick peak into layering on the make-up reminds us that there’s a great actor in there.
- Music of the Gods (2:00): Very brief look at Patrick Doyle, frequent composer collaborate to Kenneth Branagh
- A Conversation (2:20): A disappointingly short conversation between co-producer Craig Kyle, Stan Lee, and co-writer J. Michael Straczynski.
Road to the Avengers (3:00): Footage from Comic-con and the Marvel superhero films that connect to the upcoming Avengers film.
11 Deleted Scenes (24:30): A number of deleted scenes here, with some extensions of remaining scenes, add a little to the relationship dynamic between the characters, available with optional commentary from director Kenneth Branagh.
Theatrical and Teaser Trailers
Disc 2
3-D Version of the film
Disc 3
DVD feature film and digital copy
Final Thoughts
Beyond introducing the superhero Thor to audiences, this film had one quite lofty task, resolving the universe of the real inhabited by Tony Stark and his Iron Man creation, with the magical and mythical elements of Thor’s. I guess we can say it succeeded with this simple line delivered by Thor to Jane:
“Your ancestors called it magic...but you call it science.
I come from a land where they are one and the same”.
Here is hoping that when Thor is fighting side by side with Captain America, the Hulk, Iron Man and the others, that his convergence of science and magic make sense – though I suspect given the enemy the Avengers are reported to do battle with, it may be the grounded Superheroes that will be asked to cede ground to the more magical elements of the Marvel universe.
Overall (Not an average)
3.5/5
Neil Middlemiss
Kernersville, NC
This one’s for you, Ernie – my wonderful “Dog” of Thunder!
