Thor Review

After violating an ancient truce with a deadly enemy, the powerful but arrogant warrior Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is banished from the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to earth, leaving his mischievous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) free to take control of their ailing father's throne. On earth Thor must learn what it really means to be a hero if he is to become our greatest defender.

Originally inspired by Norse myths and legends Thor is one of Marvel's most enduring comic book heroes, but he has had a troubled path to the big screen. Thor is just as familiar and visually iconic as any of the most popular superheroes, but he has always been a little more fantastical. Talk of Gods and magic always set Thor apart from the science based world other heroes Like X-Men or Iron Man inhabit. Finding a way to integrate Thor with the real world and explain him to a sceptical audience was always going to be the film's biggest challenge. With a little gentle tweaking and a few forgivable updates to original comic book tales the film largely succeeds.

The appointment of noted thespian Kenneth Branagh as Thor's director surprised many, but in retrospect it makes perfect sense. At its heart Thor is very much a Shakespearian style tale of feuding princes. It's exactly the sort of material Branagh has built a long and distinguished career around on stage and screen. Of course with Thor it's buried beneath layers of fantasy and special effects, but Branagh proves he's adept enough at handling those elements as well.

The film's cast is an intriguing mix of accomplished familiar faces and exciting new talents. It certainly looks great on paper. Sir Anthony Hopkins is convincingly God like as the Asgard King Odin. His impeccable regal quality gives the film exactly the kind of gravitas it needs and prevents it falling into the territory of camp costume clad drama.

Fresh from her Oscar winning triumph Natalie Portman is able to coast through an undemanding performance as physicist and predictable love interest Jane Foster. She delivers all the necessary scientific spiel competently enough, but has little else to do other than stare admiringly at Chris Hemsworth's impressive physique. There's nothing wrong with her performance, it's just a clear underuse of one of the best talents of her generation.

Having mentioned Chris Hemsworth's appropriately impressive muscles it's only fair to say that he really is the comic book character ripped from the pages. He embodies everything a boisterous blonde Viking warrior should be. His convincing growl and hulking frame even manages to make Thor's red cape and giant flying Hammer look anything but silly.

However, the real breakthrough star of Thor though is not the titular hero but rising British talent Tom Hiddleston in the role of Thor's mischievous younger brother Loki. Gifted with cunning and dark magical powers as opposed to his brother's brawn, Loki is a worthy adversary as he fights for his father's affection and power. In the tradition of many classic villains, he is a charming schemer. It's hard not to empathise with him, at least just a little. With roles in War Horse and a Woody Allen film on the way, Hiddleston is definitely one to watch for the future.

In-keeping with Marvels other superhero franchises Thor drops several hints towards the long awaited Avengers movie. The Avengers is set to unite Thor with heroes such as Iron Man, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk. In particular Thor features a brief introduction to his future Avengers teammate Hawkeye, played by Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner. But it's far too brief a cameo to give any real indication of what the character is going to be and how fans will react to him. Loki has also long been rumoured to be a major part of the Avengers and based on this showing fans should be happy if he does return.

Thankfully Thor doesn't allow itself to be distracted too much by the prospect of future sequels and spin offs. Any sly nods in that direction are neatly folded into a simple but enthusiastically told story. Thor works hard to make itself accessible to as wide an audience as possible. It adds a lot of tongue in cheek comedy to balance its melodramatic moments. For those who lack an appetite for fantasy tales the film also literally reminds us that magic is just a word for science we don't understand. As long as you're not expecting the gritty realism of The Dark Knight and don't mind your superheroes a little larger than life, you should enjoy Thor.

Ultimately it's a fairly solid start for yet another Marvel franchise. It probably won't prove to be a Spiderman sized phenomenon, but it's another comfortable piece in The Avengers puzzle.