Thor 2011

Thor (2011)

The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

Director: Kenneth Branagh.

Writers: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz.

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman

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Kenneth Brannagh had already proven to be a skilled director from his Shakespeare adaptations, but taking one of Marvel's most pompous character and transforming into an epic movie is really remarkable.

Here, Thor (Chris Hemsworth - his hotness needs no comments... *-*), son of the god Odin (Anthony Hopkins) in the Norse mythology, is a very pretentious, reckless and selfish young man. Odin feels that he's getting old and plans on appointing Thor as his heir. As he's about to do so, Frost Giants (from the planet Jotunheim) try to break into the vault where Odin keeps their Casket of Ancient Winters, the source of their power, taken from the Giants in a previous battle. They are killed by The Destroyer (a giant robot controlled by Odin) and even though Odin says he's not gonna do anything about it, Thor convinces his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his friends to go to Jotunheim and defy the Giants. Their little adventure would almost end in tragedy if not for Odin's arrival.

Disappointed and angry at his son, Odin banishes Thor from Asgard and declares that only the person worthy of using the Mjolnir (Thor's hammer - no jokes intended) will be able to retrieve it. Thor lands on Earth where he's rescued by the physicist Jane (poorly played by Natalie Portman), her assistant and her mentor.

Odin gets so heartbroken that he falls into a coma and Loki seizes this opportunity to proclaim himself the new heir. Loki goes to earth and tells Thor that their father died and their mother (Renee Russo) doesn't want him back in Asgard. Thor gets devastated and tries to adjust to life on Earth while Jane falls in love with him. Without his powers, Thor realizes what is like to be vulnerable and ordinary, which helps him improve his character and become more humble and selfless.

As the plot evolves, we find out that Loki is a traitor and sends The Destroyer to devastate the Earth. As Thor sacrifices himself in order to save everyone else he finally becomes worthy of recovering his Mjolnir and manages to finish the Destroyer off. Thor decides to go back to Asgar to stop his brother from destroying Jotunheim. As they fight, Thor hammers the bridge that connects to other worlds so he can save that planet. Loki falls into the outer space, apparently to his death. Thor gets saved by his father hopes to find a way to go back to Earth and be with Jane.

The movie turned out to be a great adaptation of the Marvel comics, with good special effects and soundtrack, and very good performances delivered by Hemsworth, Hopkins and Hiddleston. Still, Portman didn't live up to the lead feminine role and was constantly outshined by Kat Dennings (who plays her assistant Darcy) and her amusing lines.

(Actually, even if you don't like hero movies, action or adventure, the whole thing is worth it just for Chris Hemsworth and his shirtless scenes. :P)

 

Written by:

 Amebugi