Review of Thor (2011) by Tiberio S — 04 Nov 2014

From every possible angle - conception, audience response, story, performance... honestly the layers are exhausting - I found Thor to be the most challenging comic book character to bring to the big screen, and it's astounding how Kenneth Branagh and company have pulled off an engaging experience as this film. Meanwhile, Joe Johnson had the far easier task of simultaneously putting the all-too-familiar Captain America on screen, and he failed for the most part; comparing these two, what works and what doesn't, is a great exercise for any film student.

Despite what could easily come across as corny artificial visuals from an over-the-top mythology, Branagh strategically stuck to complementing the mythology while finding a balance to allow the real world to interject, and much of this has to do with the right cast and the right performance style. Chris Hemsworth is his the key component; everything else trickles down from there. Hemsworth has a chemistry fit for both the mythical world and the real world, showing in his interactions with Hopkins (Odin) and Hiddleston (Loki), as well as Portman (Jane), Skarsgard (Erik), and Dennings (Darcy).