Thor is magnificent. Honestly, all of the build up to the premiere frightened me…the costumes looked lousy, the trailers looked lame and let’s be real…were you all excited that Thor would be the next comic book superhero turned into a movie? Well this just proves that you can’t judge a book by its cover because I was blow away by Thor and it is actually now one of my favorite movies of the year! Every single element of the movie, from the story to the acting, is noteworthy and the whole experience was godlike fun. I can’t remember the last time a whole theater laughed, cheered, and applauded in unison. Marvel is on an unstoppable winning streak and this is just another stepping stone to The Avengers movie which just began shooting…I can’t wait!
Chris Hemsworth is the star of the show and he demands his attention. The basic premise of Thor is about his transition from being boy trying to prove himself a man to a worthy King. So in the beginning, Thor is like a fun rebellious teenager: he’s arrogant, reckless and dangerous. As he’s about to take the thrown of Asgard, his father (Anthony Hopkins) realizes he’s not ready and banishes him to Earth. For once, a fish out of water superhero movie was done right! The way Thor acted and everyone around him on Earth acted was perfectly realistic. He continued his customs of being a rambunctious God while the people of Earth tased him, drugged him and restrained him…it was hilarious! The way Thor spoke reminded you of a chivalrous knight from the wrong century. At first, when you see Thor fight against the frost giants, he has the typical cool cheap tricks that you see in other action movies but once he does one huge monster move…the theater gasped and applauded…from here on, you know this movie is badass!
King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) with his sons Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston)
The supporting cast did an amazing job as well. From the beautiful Natalie Portman to the wise Anthony Hopkins, the casting of this film was spot on. My favorite character had to be Darcy (Kat Dennings) who was the only applicant to be Jane Fosters’ science student intern even though her major was political science
. She’s basically your average college slacker only thinking of herself who cracks hilarious jokes at the perfect time. Thor’s friends also came off brilliantly and not foolish like other Gods on Earth movies. A S.H.E.I.L.D. agent rightfully called them Xena, Jackie Chan and Robin Hood. The stand out performance has got to be Loki because with a character like his, most of the time it comes off as laughable and ridiculous but Tom Hiddleston played it just right to be believable.
The beautiful Natalie Portman and witty Kat Dennings in Thor
The movie was just so fun to me, I was laughing, clapping and smiling throughout almost the entire film. The comedy was right on and the action coincided with the plot rather than feeling staged. The storyline wasn’t too over the top but still brought enough from the comic book world to stay true to the fans. The only things I didn’t like were the 3D which was unnecessary and the quick plot tie in to The Avengers. The 3D glasses made the whole movie dark (tint) while most of the scenes were supposed to be vibrant. The only scenes that benefited from the effect were when Thor was banished through the bridge and the end credits. That’s it. Save your money and go 2D for a better experience. Though there was a lot of S.H.I.E.L.D. story going on, the quick allusion to the upcoming Avengers movie between Thor and Agent Coulson felt rushed and unlike the rest of the movie. I felt that they could have left that out or have done a better job setting it up. There is a quick cameo from another Avenger hero, can you guess which one?
Thor talking with S.H.E.I.L.D. Agent Coulson...Thor WILL return in The Avengers
Thor is not my favorite superhero but this movie might be my favorite superhero movie. It goes both with the typical genre and against it to make a movie that can genuinely be enjoyed by comic book fans and plain movie fans alike. The star power was used perfectly allowing the movie characters to shine through rather than the actors themselves. I almost forgot that I was watching Anthony Hopkins and Chris Hemsworth will be our next big action star. Ladies and girlies, be prepared to put up a new ab poster in your bedrooms. Guys, get ready to hit the gym. Natalie Portman described the movie perfectly when she sees Thor in action: Oh. My. God. I actually got chills during that part of the movie as well. The God of Thunder has hit the big screen and he will be respected!
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth, Kat Dennings, Natalie Portman, Thor, Tom Hiddleston
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
