But I digress. It's been quite a while since I actually went out to watch a movie on the big screen. Well, my wife and I finally managed to squeeze in some quality time. And guess what? We watched Thor! She knew I loved movies based on comics and I knew she'd like watching Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Natalie Portman (Thor's love interest Jane Foster) onscreen.
OK now... From this point on... I'm issuing a SPOILER ALERT for those of you who haven't seen the movie yet! Read at your own risk! :D
I had my fair share misgivings before the movie came out, I didn't know who Kenneth Branagh was (the director Marvel decided to go with) and how well Chris Hemsworth would be able to portray Thor (although he did a good job as a Spartan in 300). But as for the rest of the cast, I loved the idea of Anthony Hopkins as the mighty Odin. I had no doubt he would make a great Odin. I also had high hopes that Natalie Portman would do the character of Jane Foster justice. I was even quite relieved to know they didn't make Jane Foster a nurse and instead turned her into an astrophysicist. It actually made a lot of sense in the movie to have her portray a star-gazing science geek. Thor after all, was not of this world, but from a very far-away place in outer space. I though their version of Loki actually looked cool. Great choice of actor (Tom Hiddleston) and I loved the helmet design of Loki. He actually pulled off a sneaky, scheming and believable Loki in the Movie (from the way he fights and the way he fools and deceives everyone to get his way).
Now, let's get back to Thor. Chris Hemsworth portrayed Thor impressively (minus the traditional "Aye, Thee, Thine, Thou", etc. whenever he spouts a sentence in the comics). He certainly got the attitude down pat. He was quite boisterous, a braggart, foolhardy, always letting his fists (and hammer) do the talking instead of using his brain first. A true warrior type dude who would rather mow down the enemy and let God sort them out later. As far as the costume goes, I think they made a wise choice and went with the updated look of Thor in comics. The fight scenes with the Frost Giants and the Destroyer was quite satisfying. I always wondered how they would show Thor using Mjolnir in a realistic fight scene. Now I know. And I am happy the way it turned out. When it comes to non-human opponents, Thor is one of those fighters that doesn't hold anything back (just like good ol' Wolverine and Punisher). He's a born brawler. They didn't make the film campy. They played fast and loose with the science and mythology (which I liked). In effect, Marvel and Kenneth Branagh successfully created another Marvel character that I wouldn't mind seeing more of in the future.
Loki, on the other hand, was quite a surprise. Tom Hiddleston did himself proud in this one. He actually made Loki believable and thankfully not pathetic on screen. He was the reason for the formation of the Avengers after all. The fighting style he employed showed he was the opposite of Thor. Although a very capable fighter, he would prefer to fool and trick his enemies by using sorcery rather than bashing their skulls in. Showing his past as the son of a Frost Giant adopted by Odin was one of those classic bows to Marvel history that I really appreciated. His discovery of his past and his eventual confrontation with Odin about his childhood was an effective way to introduce a bit of drama into the whole mix. He actually came across as a formidable foe who uses deceit and trickery quite effectively. NEVER turn your back on Loki.
Other items of interest (to me):
- The Rainbow Bridge - in the movie, it's shown as a real bridge that has multi-colored lights streaming through it as if it was studded with fiber optic cables that ends in a chamber where one actually "beamed" to his/her chosen destination by Heimdall (or anyone with enough power to activate the transportation device, like Odin). Good move in a visual sense. The fact that they utilized some sort of wormhole-based technology as their means of transportation from Asgard to any point within Heimdall's reach was a stroke of genius as far as I'm concerned. Besides, literally walking on a rainbow would probably ruin the whole movie (think Rainbow Brite, ugh!)
- Asgard - Cool concept having Asgard located in another part of the Galaxy or Universe (take your pick). Looks great with the floating buildings. A cross between a super advanced civilization and Norse mythos. Not too overwhelming to the eyes (unlike Transformers)
- Mjolnir - good thing they chose the classic hammer instead of the modern axe/hammer hybrid. It was a nice touch to have Odin make the hammer voice-programmable (also looks like only Odin's voice can reprogram Mjolnir too).
- Jotunheim - the home of the Frost Giants was depicted as another planet, not some mystical realm or dimension. Good move again.
Some additional comic geek cross-over trivia:
- Bruce Banner (a.k.a. HULK) is mentioned (not by name, mind you) as being one of SHIELD's previous object of interest after SHIELD agents confiscate Jane Foster's equipment and research data on the arrival of Thor to Earth.
- Tony Stark is also mentioned (by name this time) by the lead SHIELD agent when the Destroyer arrives on Earth (obviously mistaking the Destroyer for one of Stark's armored inventions).
- Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner, who did a good job in the film Hurt Locker) was a good choice for a cameo since he's obviously going to be part of the Avengers movie. I wonder if they give him the scarlet costume in the Avengers comics or give him the black spandex make-over (like they did in X-Men). I'd personally like to see a re-imagined scarlet costume for this hero.
Post-credits sneak peek: Agent of SHIELD Nick Fury apparently got his hands on a Cosmic Cube. While he is discussing how it can be possibly used as a limitless power source with Jane Foster's mentor, Loki is shown (obviously invisible to everyone) manipulating people from the background to create more mischief... Sounds like a good prelude to the AVENGERS if you ask me...
OK. That wraps it up for me. I strongly recommend THOR for the whole family. It's an enjoyable film whether or not you're a comic book fan. Just leave your thinking caps out the door when you watch this since it's basically a fun fantasy film with lots of action.
Next blog: CAPTAIN AMERICA! :D
