Many critical eyebrows were raised — including my own — when it was announced that Kenneth Branagh would be directing “Thor.” The elegant British director is best known for putting Shakespeare on celluloid in films like “Henry V”; “Thor” is a Marvel property set to become another comic book smash. Even those cast in the film thought it was an odd pairing. “Kenneth Branagh doing ‘Thor’ is super-weird, I’ve got to do it,” is how Natalie Portman described her reaction on being cast. The result is as mixed as you’d expect. “Thor” is a coming-of-age story, a refresher in Norse mythology and an exploration of the qualities needed to be a good ruler, interspersed with by-the-book, jump-cut fight scenes and big special effects that guarantee the film will make many millions.
The first part of the film drags as it gives us the necessary backstory. Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has brought peace to Asgard and neighboring Jotunheim by defeating the Frost Giants, taking away their source of power and brokering a truce. Asgard became “a beacon of hope shining out against the stars.”
| On screen |
| ‘Thor’ |
| 3 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston |
| Director: Kenneth Branagh |
| Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence |
| Running time: 114 minutes |
He’s preparing to hand the kingdom over to his son, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), though it seems clear the young man isn’t ready. He’s cocky, looking for a fight. He finds one when, as he’s about to be crowned, the Frost Giants sneak into Asgard and try to steal back their power. Ignoring his father’s command, he goes to Jotunheim with his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and a group of his best friends to teach the Frost Giants a lesson. It doesn’t turn out as planned. Odin, rightfully angry, banishes him to Earth — and makes his legendary hammer useless except to the man worthy of it.
Here is where the film gets fun. Thor is found by a trio of scientists, who are studying the wormhole that brought Thor to the ground. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) can’t take her eyes off the man. As her friend says, “For a crazy homeless person, he’s pretty cut.” Thor, for his part, has lost none of his confidence. Most movies make the fish out of water confused; “Thor” never lets us forget this is the god of thunder.
Portman seems to be in everything these days. And while she’s always delightful on screen, she’s not that convincing as an astrophysicist. She’s also blind to Thor’s faults, even as she inspires him to become a better man — and take back the kingdom from Loki, who’s had his own designs all along. Hemsworth, though, is pure pleasure. An uncertain near-child to begin with, he matures into a real man — one with a great smile, and an amazing upper half, to boot.
“Iron Man” thought it was a deep comic book film. “Thor” isn’t quite, either — but the talented Branagh gets a lot closer to the prize.
