Review of Thor (2011) by Ben L — 13 Jan 2016

I haven't seen Thor since its original release in theaters, and yet seeing it 5 years later my reaction is still the same. I find Thor to be one of the least interesting Marvel characters, and his presence in the Avengers universe does absolutely nothing for me. In this story we have a pompous prince who puts his entire kingdom at risk because he thinks genocide is the best option, and an underdog prince who was saved from dangerous parents as a child and reluctantly supports his big brother with the cunning and tact that he lacks. Sounds like great fodder for an epic hero's tale of overcoming adversity, right? Problem is the one who we're supposed to root for is the conceited and overbearing brother, Thor. In this film he gets banished to Earth. This is where he shows growth as a character, right? Well, not really. After what seems like about a week without his powers, his decision to sacrifice himself in place of this girl he thinks is hot somehow shows him to be so humble that he is once again worthy of his title. Then there is a big confrontation between the brothers (which was entirely Odin's fault for completely raising and treating Loki wrong, I might add) and Thor is forced to destroy his one way of getting back to Earth. I think we're supposed to see this as tragic because Thor is surprisingly attached to Earth despite having been there for so little time. Never fear, the bridge will be entirely repaired without explanation by the next movie.

Needless to say, I have some big plot issues with Thor. Yet I still get some enjoyment out of the movie because it is a Marvel film and it succeeds at some of the key points we expect in MCU movies. First of all the casting is just superb. Chris Hemsworth is perfect as the the God of Thunder and Anthony Hopkins is also amazing as the All-Father. Natalie Portman (when she still cared somewhat,) Stellan Skarsgard, and Kat Dennings are great at delivering scientific dialogue without making it tedious or boring. But the real magic of this cast, and the cast of every other movie that features Loki, is Tom Hiddleston. Part of my biggest dilemma in watching these Thor movies is that Hiddleston makes Loki so charming that I like him more than Thor, so I want to root for him. It just happens to be amplified in this particular movie because he actually has the more sympathetic motivation. This movie also has the Marvel humor we've all come to know and hopefully love. It's always welcome when they make it clear that they're not taking things too seriously so neither should we. Finally, the special effects are pretty good, especially the Destroyer. The CGI makes Asgard a very magical and beautiful place which fits with the mythical background of that world. Despite the good things, as of right now this is easily my least favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it's still better than many films that have been made by other studios with popular Marvel characters, so it's tough to complain.