Thor (M)
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The comic book superhero-to-movie conversions continue in the lead-up to next year’s Avengers saga and, as with his cohorts, this latest release comes off very well on the big screen.
While not quite up to the level of the first Iron Man outing it probably shades the Hulk reboot with a mixture of an entertaining and energetic story, good direction from classically trained Englishman Kenneth Branagh and a solid cast led by stardom-bound Aussie Chris Hemsworth.
Yes, who would have thought Kenneth Branagh when coming up with names to helm this feature but his direction is clear, concise with enough nuance to keep things interesting between the action and special effects.
After years of uneasy peace between the gods of mythical Norse world of Asgard and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim it is time for brash, reckless Thor to assume the throne from his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) ahead of his resentful brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
However after an unforseen intrusion from a small group of Frost Giants, Thor, with Loki and his band of friends in tow, decides to embark on a mission to get to the bottom of things but only succeeds in taking the parties to the brink of war again before Odin’s timely arrival.
For his arrogance, Odin strips Thor of his godly power and exiles him to Earth, accompanied by his hammer - and source of his power - Mjolnir, now protected by a spell to allow only the worthy to wield it.
Thor arrives in New Mexico and is found by scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) while Mjolnir is discovered by agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and confiscated by SHIELD.
Coulson forcibly acquires Jane’s data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth and Thor, having discovered the location of Mjolnir, attacks the SHIELD facility to retrieve it only to find himself unable to lift it, and is captured by SHIELD.
He is eventually freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane.
Meanwhile, Loki puts in to place his plan to become number one and assumes the throne when Odin lapses into Odinsleep. This seems to involve destroying Thor and turn Asgard over to the Frost Giants.
Now if only Thor had his hammer.
One thing certain coming out of this entertaining ride is Chris Hemsworth is bound for big things in Hollywood with his good looks, buff body and charisma.
Hemsworth previously appeared in JJ Abrams Star trek roboot as Jim Kirk’s father and will again take up his hammer again for next year’s Avengers flick. It will be interesting to see how he goes if and when more “serious’ roles beckon.
He has some seriously good support, with Oscar winner Natalie Portman showing she can handle pretty much any role with aplomb.
Then there’s slyly effective Stellan Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins slipping to godly might very easily, Tom Hiddleston slimily effective as Loki and Kat Dennings a treat as Darcy. I got a kick out of seeing Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson again and watch for Jeremy Renner in cameo as Hawkeye, another Avengers set-up.
Also watch out for ‘Stan the Man’.
As good as the cast is the key to successs is Kenneth Branagh’s excellent direction, mixing action, stunning special effects and even a little comedy as he explores many themes, including a little Cain and Abel.
The mix isn’t perfect but good enough to keep an audience entertained and have them overlooking any drawbacks.
In fact it’s a bit of a “who cares” movie, just sit back, enjoy the ride and get ready for the first Avenger Captain America to hit screens in July.
Will fan boy heaven ever be as good as this?
Rating: 7
Now screening at Reading Cinemas