Movie Review: Thor

During the early 2000s it seemed like superhero movies were all the craze… okay, they were. But over the last few years they’ve suddenly become fewer and farther between. Maybe it’s because by the end of the gluttonous era it seemed to be getting a little long-winded. While I might not completely agree with that, the last few were not as favored by the hardcore geeks as they were by me. Spider-man 3 is nowhere near the monstrosity as others may claim; The Incredible Hulk was not the financial one-upmanship that Marvel was hoping for after Ang Lee’s Hulk; and even X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn’t the total disaster it’s been accused of being.

While X-Men: The Last Stand is far from a great film, it’s still admittedly better than either of the two Fantastic Four films we shall never forget the plague of Ghost Rider, Catwoman, and Elektra, just because Christopher Nolan blessed us with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. And maybe Kenneth Branagh may not have been the first person who springs to mind in the director’s chair of a Marvel Comics Norse God of thunder based summer action flick. But we must remember that before he was tasked with Thor, he also brought us no less than five Shakespearean adaptations and has shown his hand at everything from period dramas to murder mysteries along the way. Final result – mission accomplished.

In bringing Thor to the big screen, I’m sure it was tasked by the credited writers (Ashley Miller, Zach Stentz, and Don Payne) to come up with something believable for modern audiences. Most people who buy a ticket probably won’t even have much background with the Thor character (I know I don’t) aside from knowing it’s the latest chapter in the ever-expanding universe of crossover films leading up to the big one next year – The Avengers. While some may have complained about Iron Man 2 playing like just another piece of that puzzle, it definitely stood on its own and was every bit the sequel to better the original than was given credit. This summer also sees the release of Captain America: The First Avenger; which with the team’s inclusion of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) makes no sense whatsoever, but who’s counting? Obviously not Marvel’s marketing department.

Article Author: Cinenerd

A Utah based writer, born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT for better and worse. Cinenerd has had an obsession with film his entire life, finally able to write about them since 2009, and the only thing he loves more are his wife and their two wiener dogs (Beatrix Kiddo and Pixar Animation). …

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