THOR Review:

For over the past ten years "Hollywood" has bombarded the summer movie season with the "Superhero" blockbuster, and this summer is no different.  With Captain America and Green Lantern around the corner thundering into theaters first is Kenneth Branagh's THOR, based on the marvel comic book series of the same name.


When I first heard Branagh was directing Thor, I thought it was an odd choice for a comic book hero movie, but in the first fifteen minutes it became abundantly clear why he was chosen.  Thor's character arc and mythology follow the classic stylings of one William Shakespeare.  Thor has everything a classic shakespearian comedy has: betrayal, love, overconfident lead characters, and daddy issues.  I'm not saying that they are on the same playing field, but  if there is one thing Branagh knows, its Shakespeare.  That being said, you aren't going to find any oscar worthy performances in Thor that you might see in his interpretation of Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, or Hamlet.  


Outside of the few meaningful scenes of dialogue in the film the action pieces are frivolous, over the top, and with out any real drama or weight to them.  It's hard to sympathize or believe that any harm can every come to Thor because he is basically a superman without any weakness.  In other words he is a literal "god" on earth (pun intended) without a kryptonite weakness.  The action pieces are predictable along with the story, but the comedic elements thrown in the mix should be enough to keep your attention. As for the performances that's another thing altogether.


Hensworth does a good job here as the title character, mixing comedic timing with a little heart and a lot of bravado.  His screen presence is just as enormous as he is in the movie.  Anthony Hopkins too shines as Odin, Thor's father and ruler of Asgard.  Hopkins character seems to be the only one who can deliver lines giving them any meaning and purpose.  Like the characters on screen, when Hopkins belted out his commands and orders, I too was all ears.  As for Ms. Portman, not a lot can be said for her character. Yes, she's pretty to look at, but I found her performance to be pretty lack luster.  It's not terrible, but its just uninteresting.  She's one of my favorite actresses and has been in two of my favorite films Heat and The Professional, but after winning Oscar gold in February I have to ask, "Ms. Portman what were you thinking?"  I hope she can redeem herself with her next pick and maybe get back to a performance that suits her better such as Brothers or Black Swan.  


In Closing, if you are looking for a fun, silly, almost comedic action flick, then THOR is the movie to see.  I'm not going to give it the same stamp of approval and jumpstart that Iron Man and Star Trek did just a few years ago, but it could be a lot worse.  I for one had a good time in the theatre with this one and that's why I have to give it 3 out of 5 Hammers!


For the latest THOR trailers you can catch them here: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thor/


Also for some much better cinema chatter please check out my favorite podcast over at: http://www.filmspotting.net/