Okay, nobody actually said that but they really should have. Which is probably the only criticism I can think of in an otherwise flawless cinematic experience. This week, Kenneth Branagh (the Shakespeare guy?) brings us Thor, the latest Marvel instalment leading up the 2012 Avengers film. Starring Chris Hemsworth (… who?) as everyone’s favourite Viking God of Thunder, Thor thunders onto our screens and bolts into our hearts. Sigh.
The film follows the story of Thor, a young, headstrong deity who is heir to the throne of Asgard, one of the nine realms of the, err… Thoriverse. One day he pisses off his Dad, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) by battling a bunch of Avatars on an ice planet for some reason. The mighty King Odin banishes his son to earth as punishment, forcing him to live as a human until he learns his lesson. There, he falls for puny mortal Jane Foster (Natalie Portman!?) and is faced with challenges that require stunts, explosions and feats of inner and outer strength.
The plot takes an unexpected twist when Thor’s jealous, skinny, evil looking brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), turns out to be evil. This surprised me, because it’s rare in a film involving a monarchy that the antagonist is a jealous, skinny, evil looking younger brother who tries to steal the throne for himself. I can only really think of about twelve examples of the top of my head.
Luckily, plot and character development are not the focus of the film, so you don’t have to worry about a half decent script distracting you from all the pretty colours and explosions.
Thor has pretty much got everything you want in a movie – action, explosions, battles, a God learning what it is to be human, a plot which makes perfect sense, and a setting which has an epic castle, a rainbow road, a fluorescent ocean, and a vortex into nothingness. It’s a 3D visual feast that’ll leave you thinking “by Odin’s beard, I wish life was in 3D too!”
Also Hawkeye makes a cameo. Cool.
