Thor, son of Odin, Norse god of thunder and comic book hero came to screens near you in 2011. The film tells the story of Thor, a god exiled from his homeland of Asgard to Earth by his father Odin, King of Asgard. Whilst on Earth, Thor forms a relationship with Jane Foster. However, he must stop the person who threatens to destroy Earth, Asgard and the home of the Frost Giants, Jotunheim.
From Anthony Hopkins to Natalie Portman, Thor starred some big names. But, lead character Thor was played by a less established, Chris Hemsworth. This lack of star typecasting made his character more relatable for the audience, than other superheroes. The cocky, big headed attitude and being brought down to Earth (literally in Thor's case) has been experienced by most people at some point in their lives. Thor is one of my favourite superheroes and in my opinion this has to be attributed to Hemsworth's performance. his cheeky smile, caring but, serious performance gave Thor's personality depth that doesn't tend to exist in superheroes. Where as Thor's brother, Loki, shows very little emotion which adds to your suspicions of which side he is on. Tom Hiddleston (Loki) creates a 'mask' to hide all of Loki's emotions behind. This can also be seen in Anthony Hopkin's portrayal of Odin, but to a lesser extent. Odin is quiet, responsible and level headed. However, you feel that if you get on the wrong side of him the full force of the gods anger will be released on you. A rarity appears in Thor. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is smart and for lack of a better word 'normal.' This doesn't tend to happen in superhero films. Women who are smart tend to be glamorous. After watching Black Swan it was nice to see Natalie Portman playing a 'normal,' relatable character. The only character that I didn't rally like was Young Thor. He's only in a small scene, but in that time I just wanted to tell him to go to his room for being so full of himself. What else can you expect from a boy born to be a god and a king?
Set across three worlds; Asgard, Earth and Jotunheim, Thor is a prime example of how to create worlds using CGI that are, for the most part, believable. Thor's home, Asgard, and Jotunheim were constructed with amazing detail. Asgard's gold buildings, glass rainbow bridge (The Bifrost) and extravagant decorations, all showed off the wealth and power of the gods. The beautiful setting makes it the ideal place to go on holiday (minus the conflict, of course).Whereas, you wouldn't want to be taking your holiday snaps in the cold depths of Jotunheim. Inhabited by the Frost Giants the once great city is shrouded in darkness and falling apart. You feel cold just looking at it.
The costumes of the humans and Frost Giants aren't spectacular, just plain (the Frost Giants don't wear much). But, the costumes of the gods are just as amazing as the detailed Asgard. Each god has an individual style; rich colours, gold, metals, capes. Another way to show off their wealth and power.
In terms of the actual story, what was there was good. I particularly liked the mixing of myth and reality, science and magic. My favourite quote is "Your ancestors called it magic, but you call it science. I come from a land where they are one and the same." Thor contains action, sci-fi, comedy and romance. One of my friends complained that there wasn't enough action, but personally I liked the fact that there was less action because it was more like storytelling. It's what you expect from a film based on a comic book that is based on a myth.
Being an Avenger, Thor is linked to the other films. It features Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Nick Fury (Samuel L.Jackson). It also references Tony Strak (Iron Man) in the destroyer scene.
Overall, I really like the film because of the mythical content and it was different to your usual superhero film. Plus, Chris Hemsworth walks around topless in one scene and I feel that is a good enough reason to watch the film. :D
Note: I will remind you to do this in each post. Please watch to the end of the credits.
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