Simply THORsome!
Don’t take these thoughts for cynicism. This movie delivers and aside from a couple of ‘why did they do that’ moments, it climbs on every level. Kenneth Branagh has surprised many detractors on this project. Could the man who brought us Frankenstein and The Magic Flute as follow-ups to his 1989 hit Henry V deliver a comic book superhero? He does, and he’s brought the right combination of artistry and superhero action to a script that is also able to bring in the nuances of Norse myth lore. Combine that with some great ‘God meets Humanity’ humour points and we’re loving it. The preview audience was vocal in both their laughter and post-screening praise.
So what were those ‘why did they do that’ moments? Simply put, the extensive CGI backdrops under 3D conditions took the fantasy meets realism aspect to the extreme. Sadly under 3D conditions many of the Asgardian sets looked plastic and blurred in comparison to the CGI shots that took place on our big blue planet. Some shots seemed to overplay ‘expanse’. When done once to develop a sense of the backdrop to a story it’s understood but it was played time and time again with horses riding across Bifröst, the rainbow bridge to Asgard looking like a CGI shot from 20 years ago in what overall was a brilliant special effects movie.
Watch for the cameos we love like Stan the Man Lee and an intro for Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) from the upcoming Avengers movie. Clark Gregg renews his Shield Agent role to be a key thread in these Avenger themed movies.
All in all this THOR gets a FOUR out of five popcorns. From the hammer to the shield to the kick the back out of the monster’s skull moments you’re going to love every minute of this movie. It keeps you cheering for the hero, laughing with some classic lines for both comic and literature buffs and at the end, it leaves you wanting THOR!
