Thoughts on Thor

Tweet By no means am I a good critic. I am simply an avid moviegoer who is interested and willing to watch all genres of movies. I saw Thor last night (I know, a little late), and I would like to share some of my thoughts on the movie.

Of the two Marvel superhero movies being released this summer (Thor and Captain America), I have to say that my expectations for the former were not as high. I am not a huge fan of fantasy, which is why I didn't enjoy the Lord of the Rings trilogy as much as most other people. However, I still acknowledge the fact that those three films are excellent. Some may consider Thor to be a sci-fi movie, and I agree, but it does have make-belief elements that are absent in most sci-fi movies, such as Gods, which I personally do not believe in. Regardless, the movie is able to portray these elements and their environments in an artistic and encapturing way. The movie looks beautiful, and even though most critics dislike the 3D effects, I think they made the movie better and more realistic. The style of directing by Kenneth Branagh is very good for a less than experienced director in the superhero genre. The scenes on the worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim are lovely and the CGI is used to near perfection. In terms of the acting, I have to give it up to Chris Hemsworth for the job he did. He isn't very experienced, yet he was able to carry the lead role and deliver a riveting performance. Natalie Portman, in my opinion, was good, but this role was very different from any other role she previously had in her career. As a result, I don't believe her performance was as strong, but she was just as beautiful as ever. I'm kind of a sucker when it comes to Natalie Portman; she has a certain charm about her I can't really explain. The scenes between her and Hemsworth is where I think the movie lacked. It isn't that they did not act out those scenes well, but there was a certain connection missing between the two actors. I'm going to have to mention Spider-man here because it's another superhero movie that had many one on one scenes between Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, yet in those movies (and I'm excluding the third one because it sucked) you can see and feel a connection between those two. I'll admit, Spider-man is a different superhero movie than Thor, but the love scenes do exist in Thor as well. I love romantic intimate scenes by the way (especially when Natalie Portman is in them), but those scenes seemed to have had more meaning and were much stronger in Spider-man than they are in Thor. In comparing Thor to other superhero movies, it is most like Superman: a little bit less realistic and more fantastical. It isn't a bad thing, but I do admit that it makes the more intimate moments a bit harder to film, especially when the two people are from different worlds.

The screenplay was well written, but there were a few cheesy one liners that needn't have been in the movie (On the topic of cheesy one liners, make sure you check out Tron: Legacy if you haven't already; some of them will make you laugh). The supporting actors did their part and delivered solid performances as well. There honestly isn't much I can say negatively about this film; everything was done fairly well.

Thor is the second best film I have seen this year, behind X-Men Origins: First Class. I definitely suggest it for anyone who is a fan of the superhero genre, sci-fi fantasies, or Natalie Portman. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and I think you will too.

8/10