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Release Date: 27th April 2011
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Director: Kenneth Branagh
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Writer: Ashley Miller - Zack Stentz - Don Payne (Screenplay) J. Michael Straczynski - Mark Protosevich (Story) Stan Lee - Larry Lieber - Jack Kirby (Comic Book)
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Cast: Chris Hemsworth - Natalie Portman - Tom Hiddleston - Anthony Hopkins - Stellan Skarsgard - Kat Dennings
Review
Marvel’s latest installment ‘Thor’ produced a high level of anticipation prior to its release. It owes this to an effective advertising campaign in which a trailer, a series of posters and advertisements were created that generated the perfect air of excitement any film desires.
Unfortunately however, after seeing ‘Thor’, I don’t think it lived up to the ‘hype’ that it’s advertising promised - while in some aspects it is good, in others it is greatly lacking.
‘Thor’s’ narrative is relatively unique. It is based on a comic book that is centered on Norse mythology. It follows the character ‘Thor’ who is banished from his home of Asgard and sent to Earth after nearly starting a war. This narrative is split between the fantasy realm of Asgard and Earth, following two different character plots that results in a ‘cross over’ between the two worlds.
Using the Norse mythology as a basis for the narrative is very effective. The main characters; ‘Thor’, ‘Odin’ and ‘Loki’ are names derived from popular myths and legends, and consequently to see them in such a large motion picture format generates a historic element that engages the audience and instantly grips them to the narrative.
Directionally, the film is very adept. It is generally constructed in an imaginative way, and contains some exciting action sequences that immediately engage whilst other scenes maintain a standard conciseness, as a good contrast, that does not try to overwhelm the viewer. The director, Kenneth Branagh, did not try to make the film too ‘artistic’, but instead let its extravagant narrative speak for itself.
Visually, the film is also of a high standard. Asgard is a fantasy realm, and has been given a ‘dreamlike’ quality, and while it does not have the visual effects that match ‘Avatar’s’ standard, the choreography and direction of the action sequences makes up for this – Thus resulting in a film that is incredibly entertaining in terms of action.
However, in my view the films problems stem from its writing and performances – as the narrative is spilt between a world of realism and a world of fantasy, there is always a danger that the film will not gel, and ‘Thor’ unfortunately did not. The dialogue that was used for the characters residing in the fantasy realm seemed ‘cheesy’ and inconsistent. When the two split narratives merge, the film looses the ‘epic’ factor that the initial action and fantasy scenes had created, which leaves the viewer focusing on a story that becomes predictable. It is almost like two separate films have been written, then loosely glued together in an attempt to give the film a third dimension.
In terms of performances, the film is disappointing. Chris Helmsworth, the lead actor playing ‘Thor’ is completely one dimensional, playing the action sequences effectively but offering nothing exceptional in the portrayal of his character. Supporting performances from Nathalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard are adequate, while most others come across as ineffective scapegoat actors, further let down by a script containing dialogue that makes them cliched.
If ‘Thor’ had remained a pure fantasy film, and been completely set in Asgard, then these dialogue and performance problems would not have been as noticeable. It is when you introduce the element of realism; in this case the earth based narrative, that brings about the ‘cheesy’ factor.
Having said this, ‘Thor’ remains entertaining. If you look beyond the problems I have mentioned, and are just looking for something you can enjoy without really having to do much thinking - ‘Thor’ is perfect!
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