Thor
Now we’ve got a universe.
+: setting and characters
-: weak plot structure, less-than-great action and CGI
Thor occupies a strange place in the Marvel universe, even within the comics; the Nine Realms are cosmic, but they don’t fit into the broader universe of Thanos, Galactus, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Infinity Stones. It’s also a magical setting, but the magic has nothing to do with Doctor Strange or Doctor Doom’s sorcery either. And so it is with the Thor films, the first of which isn’t bad, but also doesn’t feel very consequential.
Part of this is that, by necessity, Thor isn’t a true origin story, in the sense of explaining how its protagonist gained superpowers. Another part is that, really, Thor is kind of a hard sell.
Tony Stark may well be unsympathetic — he’s a very public face of the Western military-industrial complex — but the opening of Iron Man gives us some idea of why he might be a worthwhile superhero nonetheless. He’s a charismatic, intelligent guy with a strong urge to do the right thing — but not necessarily the knowledge. Stark needs refinement, but not a fundamental change of character.
Thor, on the other hand, is trying to claim the premiership in an absolute monarchy — not a popular form of government in Midgard (just five nation-states have one), and with good reason. In addition, he has, at the film’s beginning, none of the qualities whatsoever for government. Cartoonishly arrogant, Thor also wants to start a war — as opposed to fighting in one, or equipping one. The film’s cosmic setting and Saturday morning cartoon tone obscure this, but he’s an objectively worse person, at the beginning, than Tony Stark.
Another issue? The film’s structure. Having spent half an hour explaining why Thor is unlikeable, we get another forty-five minutes of largely slow scenes in New Mexico; this gives us half an hour to see Thor as he should be. As Green Lantern (2011) demonstrated in excelsis, you can’t let the middle of the film consist of hanging around for the conclusion, which Thor comes dangerously close to doing.
This, of course, is a writing issue. Direction is a little more solid, thanks to Kenneth Branagh — an odd choice, and one not repeated for any other film. Branagh’s background isn’t in blockbusters — not unusual for the MCU — but it’s not (unlike forthcoming directors Whedon, Gunn and Derrickson) in so-called ‘genre fiction’ either, even if Thor is the closest Marvel gets to being Shakespearean.
This makes dialogue scenes rock-solid, although the humour is never particularly hilarious, and leans towards traditional Hollywood gags (Jane Foster holding up her notebook and insisting, “you can’t just take this”, with predictable results). It also means great settings — being given $150m means Branagh gets to gleefully run riot, having production design place in floating buildings and an inspired piece of architecture in the Bifrost. It also, however, hurts the CGI a little; texturing is sometimes off, making things feel a little bit Phantom Menace.
Still, given the chance to worldbuild, every little detail gets considerable thought (see the end of the film, for example, where Sif is wearing some bizarre metallic dress-thing). Speaking of Sif, and others, Jamie Alexander basically plays her like a Xena audition (something the film highlights), and does pretty well with it. The Warriors Three, on the other hand, feel a little redundant, especially Hogun — Volstagg is an obvious comic relief, although, as already noted, this film’s humour doesn’t quite crack and sparkle like it should. Fandrel feels like the protagonist to a slightly duller film.
Also making less impression than they should are Thor and Loki themselves. Both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are fine in their roles, as subsequent films prove, but here there’s something a little off about them. Loki’s villainy is a little too understated, his arrogance too underplayed. And, of all characters, Thor is not suited to expositional dialogue played straight, which he gets remarkable amounts of.
Which leaves us with the two highlights: Anthony Hopkins as Odin, who commands like a king of nine different planets would (best bit: the “HEEEYYY-UH!” which stops Loki dead), and Idris Elba, who immediately commands his own particular stage and really gets too little to do.
Overall, Thor is probably better than I’ve made it sound — it’s better than its two predecessors, at least, possessing a sense of fun and some solid drama. Even at this stage, there’s still a sense that the MCU hasn’t quite clicked together yet, even though five of the six initial Avengers have already appeared. This would soon change, though. The Whedon Age was coming.
High Points: any time it’s hammer time — Mjollnir is underserved in this film.
Low Points: there’s nothing necessarily bad about any of the New Mexico scenes — but they tend, on the whole, to cost the film energy.
Curios: Mjollnir creates a crater upon landing — but also ends up embedded in some raised rock. Maybe physicists could explain.
Flagrant Product Placement: Asgard has very few of our realm’s brands. Jane Foster eats Go Lean Crunch, and the film would like you to know this, for some reason. The credits tell us Bulgari and Swarovski were responsible for jewellery, but this is less obvious.
Connections to Elsewhere: Dr. Selvig mentions the Hulk, albeit obliquely. SHIELD shows up, with the vaguely authoritarian air they had The Incredible Hulk. Stark gets mentioned, but this is Phase 1’s most Starkless entry.
Stan Lee Cameo: shows up with a truck and chain to claim Mjollnir, makes his attempt, asks “did it work?”. No, Stan. Not even close. (7/10)
End Credits: Nick Fury opens a briefcase in front of Erik Selvig. Much more exciting than it sounds. (9/10)
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Next: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
