Grizzly Review: Thor

I went into Thor with high expectations, but an underlying dread – hoping it didn’t suck mortal ass. Thankfully it didn’t, and I was treated to an excellent example of what a comic book movie should be: fast, fun and captivating. There wasn’t really a dull moment, whether it was Thor in Asgard fighting frost giants alongside Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, or on Midgard (Earth to you mortals) where Thor beats the crap out of hospital staff and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while trying to comprehend and fit into our world.

From the beginning, when I started listening to Anthony Hopkins as Odin explain the history of the nine realms, I was dragged into those worlds and I loved every second of it.

The story seems simple: The Asgardians have a truce with the Frost Giants of the realm called ‘Jotunheim’ after a long war between them. However on Thor’s day, when he is named Odin’s heir, the Frost Giants try to steal back one of their ancient weapons from inside Asgard. They are stopped and Odin let’s it pass, while Thor being a bit of a hot head, thinks they should go to ‘Jotunheim’ and retaliate against the giants. Odin forbids it, but Thor, with some subtle nudging from his brother Loki, decides to go to ‘Jotunheim’ against Odin’s wishes to find out how the giants were able to get into Asgard.

After a fact-finding mission turns into an all out assault and what appears to be the beginning of a war, Odin and Thor have a falling out. Thor is stripped of his powers and banished to Earth. And now the stage is set for the movie to kick into full gear.

If you’re a newcomer to Thor you will really enjoy the story as it unfolds, and even as a casual fan or comic reader, the movie’s story progresses well and doesn’t fail to entertain. I have to admit, I was a little worried about the Asgard scenes feeling too fake and cheesy with the way that Thor and his brethren speak, but truthfully the Asgardian scenes had some of the best acting moments, overshadowing much that occurs on the Earth portion of the story.

Asgard also looked fantastic in every aspect including the city, structures, the wardrobe and the many set pieces. On the scenes that take place on Earth you’ll definitely be itching to see more of Asgard like I was, but the Earth scenes are by no means boring. I mean come on, you have Natalie Portman to look at!

I’m still surprised at how great of a cast that comic book movies now command these days. You’ve got a heavy hitter like Anthony Hopkins portraying the All-Father Odin and Renee Russo as Thor’s mother. Natalie Portman plays astrophysicist and love interest to Thor Jane Foster, with Stellan Skarsgård as one of her mentors and colleagues. That’s not to mention the rest of the supporting cast like Ray Stevenson as Volstagg and Jeremy Renner making an extended cameo as Hawkeye in one scene. Everyone was brilliant all the way around!

Chris Hemsworth definitely held his own in this movie, which is his first starring role. He played the smug and arrogant Thor and the serious take care of business God of Thunder when the time called for it. Some of his most entertaining scenes were the ones on Earth where he still thinks himself a God with powers, being utterly proven wrong. He smashes coffee mugs on the floor and goes to pet stores wanting a horse to travel on. It’s all pretty funny without being over the top silly. Let’s face it, this movie easily could have degenerated into a farce much like Masters of the Universe, but it really did impress me with how well done it was.

Was it Oscar material? No. Was it more than I went in expecting? Absolutely.

Tom Hiddelton as Loki was probably right underneath if not on par with Hemsworth’s portrayal of his brother Thor in the movie. He played the part of good son and brother well and then the part of ultimate villain perfectly, but he wasn’t the generic villain archetype. Loki’s motivations were very human indeed and there was real emotion behind his word’s during the final battle between the two brothers.

I’m giving Thor a 4.5 out of 5 grizzlies. I really can’t think of anything I disliked about the movie and I would have given it full points if I was a hardcore Thor fan.

The acting was all top notch, the visuals stunning and story very well done. I’m actually inspired to pick up a few Thor comics and can’t wait for The Avengers and the eventual Thor 2 that will inevitably follow. I hope everyone else likes it as much as I did, and I recommend going to check it out. I think it would appeal to comic fans and non comic fans alike!

Comment below and let us know what you thought of the movie!

I just had to have a picture of Natalie Portman in this article…