CHAD’S GRADE: B-
It’s safe to say that there would be no “Avengers Endgame” if “Thor” hadn’t landed with critics and audiences. In 2011 the then-fledgling Marvel Studios had two big hits with the “Iron Man” franchise but had struck out with the disappointing “Incredible Hulk.” Adding more pressure was that Disney had shelved out four billion for the partial rights to the Marvel brand (with X-Men and Spiderman farmed out to Fox & Sony, respectively), and they were anxious for a return on investment. So, Marvel had a lot riding on both the “Thor” & “Captain America” 2011 releases.
Sam Raimi had first developed a “Thor” film in the early ’90s after his underrated 1990 “Darkman” release. But the project was abandoned as it was considered cost-prohibitive, and the fantasy genre was a non-factor at the box office. But thanks to the massive success of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in the early 2000s, Marvel revived the project and flirted with such directors as Mathew Vaughn and Guillermo Del Toro. As Marvel was still in its frugal phase, high production costs were a factor, and the producers settled on acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh who promised a reasonable budget.
Marvel has always been very canny in their selection of directors, and signing Branagh was an inspired choice. The critically celebrated director was best known for his Shakespeare adaptions of “Henry V” & “Much Ado About Nothing” but also dabbled in neo-noir with “Dead Again” and horror with “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.” Branagh brought an air of respectability to the franchise and was a draw for A-list talent. Both Idris Elba and Natalie Portman (still smarting from the Star Wars prequel films) have said in interviews that they boarded the project specifically to work with the respected director.
And Branagh had a daunting task ahead of him. The previous Marvel films had been ground in reality while still staying true to their comic book origins. But this was the first MCU film to embrace the mystical realm, with creatures, spells, and magic in place of big super-heroics. The big question was would audiences accept this fantasy side of the Marvel universe?
“Thor” is essentially an origin story, using the same template that worked so well in “Iron Man.” The arrogant, wealthy male gets humbled, learns what it means to be a hero (while falling for a supportive female love interest), and rises to save the day. It’s a formula that would be repeated with Dr. Strange, Black Panther, and Guardians of the Galaxy with a more comedic variation in Ant-Man.
In the “Thor” version, we are introduced to the magical world of Asgard, where King Odin rules while raising his two sons, Thor and Loki. While the elder Thor is preparing to ascend to the throne, the evil Frost Giants steal the powerful “casket of winters” from the Asgardian vault. Against Odin’s orders, Thor, Loki, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three attack the Frost Giants, destroying the uneasy truce between the two worlds. Furious with his son, Odin banishes Thor and his mighty hammer Mjolnir to Earth as punishment.
These early Asgard scenes are easily the best part of the film. Director Branagh and his production team create a breathtaking stylized world that is a blend of retro-future and medieval Norse imagery. And the opening action sequence with Thor and his compatriots attacking the Frost Giants is easily the film’s best. You can sense Branagh gleefully mixing the grandeur of Lord of the Rings with the Errol Flynn swash & buckle and just a dash of Ray Harryhausen creature effects, all doused in a Shakespearian sheen.
Once Thor is banished to Earth, the movie takes a hard left turn back into the grounded Marvel Universe. The story becomes a fish out of water story, where our hero meets astrophysicist Jane Foster and her team studying quantum physics in a small New Mexico town. Branagh is trying to create a world of contrast here, but the earth-bound scenes are where the film falls flat. Despite a fun diversion with Agent Coulson and Shield trying to figure out if this seemingly crazy (but super-strong) figure is the God of Thunder, we are counting the minutes we can return to the world of Asgard. Once Thor finally lifts his Mojoinir hammer King Arthur style, we are relieved to be leaving the New Mexico location behind.
Holding the film together is the film’s fantastic cast featuring a broad array of actors that would rival any Robert Altman film. Chris Hemsworth is the big find here as he perfectly embodies the title role with just the right mix of arrogance, gravitas, and modern-day super-heroics. Whether he’s wooing Jane Foster with that smooth voice or showing crack comic timing when he smashes a coffee mug as he demands another, Hemsworth shows perfect leading man chops. And matching Hemsworth beat for beat is Tom Hiddleston’s crafty Loki, who nearly runs away with the picture. Hiddleston does an excellent job of showing Loki’s transition from trusted brother to scheming trickster with a Machiavellian plan to take over Odin’s throne. You can see why Joss Whedon selected Loki as the big bad in the 2012 “Avengers” film.
The only weak link is Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, although she’s let down by the script more than her performance. To her credit, she’s the first marvel female character with a sense of agency, equally concerned with her astrophysics experiment as she is with her attraction to the handsome Thor. Yet Portman has little chemistry with Hemsworth, and their romance feels forced into the plot. The supporting cast is strong across the board with Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba, and Renee Russo (making her acting return after a very long hiatus.)
“Thor” is a solid and fun entry in the MCU as the franchise ventures out of its comfort zone. Despite its magical based setting, the film is big but never epic. This may be due to the extensive green screen effects that are now starting to age, giving the film a glossy, video game sheen. Both Chris Hemsworth and Tim Hiddleston gave star-making turns and would return in several MCU films, but this was Kenneth Branagh’s last go around in the MCU. His absence would be felt in the next Thor entry, “The Dark World,” which would easily be Marvel’s worst film, and “Thor” the most uneven sub-franchise in the budding MCU.
MCU WORLD BUILDING:
“Thor” does a great job of keeping the MCU at bay during the film’s first half set in Asgard, that is, until Thor crashes into New Mexico. Agent Coulson makes his presence known, and in a nice twist, Coulson and the Shield agency are portrayed in a villainous light when they confiscate Jane Foster’s science equipment. Both Stark and Bruce Banner are mentioned in conversation. And Hawkeye makes his MCU debut in a short but cool sequence with the archer taking down a weakened Thor. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three are introduced, and it’s a shame they were jettisoned after the second film. There was a fun, playful camaraderie among the actors, and Jaime Alexander was particularly strong as Sif. She had better chemistry with Hemsworth than Natalie Portman and would have been a far more interesting love interest. Let’s hope Marvel brings them back in some fashion, maybe on the upcoming Disney streaming service or in the next Thor entry.
WHERE’S STAN?
Listed in the credits as “Stan the Man,” Lee appears in the scene where several New Mexico townsfolk are trying to pull Thor’s mystical hammer from the desert sand. Stan and other writers use his pickup truck, only to have the pickup bed torn apart with Lee quipping, “Did it work?” It’s genuinely funny and one of Lee’s best cameos.
POST CREDIT TEASER:
The brief post-credit scene features Nick Fury in a secret Shield lab showing Stellan Skarsgard’s Dr. Selvig the glowing Tesseract, which will appear in “Captain America: The First Avenger” just a few months later. Nick Fury states that the doctor’s work has impressed Shield, and they want his help to harness the powerful old relic. As Selvig responds, “that’s worth a look,” we see the evil reflection of Loki, who is controlling the good doctor. Without the “The First Avenger” movie providing the context for the Tesseract, this teaser makes no sense. But the scene sets up Loki as the main villain in the upcoming Avengers, which had just started production.