Saturday, May 7, 2011

Thor



Let me make this clear from the onset. There is no other director who I instinctively dislike like Kenneth Branagh. I bristle at his films. I’m allergic to them. There’s the fact that his Frankenstein is perhaps literally the worst movie I’ve ever seen. That he chose to play Hamlet while pushing forty. That I have never seen a director more pathologically in love with unmotivated Dutch angles (Or unmotivated oiled shirtless shots of themselves though thankfully Branagh abstains from that particular vice this time). As an actor he’s gooey ham. As a director he’s clumsy. The point is we all have filmmakers who rub us the wrong way and Branagh is one of mine. Big time.

Which is why I’m as surprised as anyone to have enjoyed Thor as much as I did. It’s an admirably straight faced cosmic swashbuckler. A film that seems almost innocent in its sense of fun. Perhaps its comes simply from drawing on a deeper purer strain of myth than most films but Thor genuinely feels like a film from another era, one of with a pure and operatic sense of grandeur and high adventure to it.

Say what you will about Thor but it is not a film of half measures. Asgard looks like something that Franz Franzetta would draw for the cover a utopian heavy metal band while off his meds. It’s as if the dream of every black lit poster and Van Mural gathered together into a force of inertia and created a dream world best described as “Totally Fucking Metal.” Branagh to his credit never winks; he brings to the film a desire to give pathos even to characters like “King Of The Frost Giants.”

The cast in these types of films is crucial and Thor gets a game one. There is of course Chris Hemsworth in a star making performance (and yeah I know that’s an overused term but we’ll be seeing this guy for a long time) gifted with natural charisma, crack sense of comic timing, and one of the most striking “Oh Holy Shit” bodies since Arnold Schwarzennegger in the original Conan. Anthony Hopkins gives a latter day Anthony Hopkins performance complete with inexplicable pronunciations (“But You’re Niet King!”) and feasting on great chunks of scenery, Hopkins has become one of those rarified beings who can over act while they’re supposed to be asleep. Tom Hiddleston makes a good antagonist. Ray Stevenson kicks ass and Natalie Portman, Kat Denning and Stellan Skaarsgaard all do excellent work as the mortals caught in the middle. With Portman most unexpectedly (and gratifyingly) turning in a fine comic performance.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Thor is that Branagh manages the unlikely task of making Earth and Asgard equally interesting. In a film this divided we should theoretically be more eager to be on one plane then the other. Branagh manages to invest us in the drama and reality of both worlds.

It’s an audaciously strange film. Its confidence could be offputting to some. After all the line between operatic grandeur and Cheeze Whiz can be awful thin for some. And I suspect for many Thor will over shoot the mark. But if you can make yourself play on the film’s terms Thor’s is the guaranteed best shot for angst free fun at the multiplex. It’s an angst free story about larger than life heroism. And it feels suspiciously like just what the doctor ordered. 

7 comments:

le0pard13 said...

I am less critical of Branagh, but I understand where you're coming from. I can swing wildly with his films.

"As an actor he’s gooey ham."

This is exactly why he works so well as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS ;-)

Anyway, I had some trepidation when I went to see THOR. I enjoyed it a lot. I really got a kick out of the casting, too. Hemsworth is going to get tremendous traction out of this role. Great review, Bryce. Thanks.

p.s., what did you think of the stinger after the credits?

Thomas said...

"Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Thor is that Branagh manages the unlikely task of making Earth and Asgard equally interesting."

That was the most impressive thing for me too. Both stories were given equal weight and really worked well together. It wasn't an amazing film, but it was pretty fun and better than I expected.

www.pseudo6man.blogspot.com

Matt Keeley said...

I'll probably see this at some point if I can round up some friends. Good clean superhero fun and all that.

What were your thoughts on the movie's use of 3D? Or did you see it in one of those rare 2D theaters?

Alex said...

Great review! I'm surprised (and pleased) by all the positive feedback I'm seeing for this film. It didn't look too good from the trailer and I'm not really into the Thor comics or Branagh so I wasn't very excited for it, but now I'm looking forward to seeing it later this week!

Unknown said...

Excellent review. I was kinda on the fence on this one but your review has piqued my curiousity to check this one out. I've always knida had a soft spot for the character. Never a huge fan but I liked him in THE AVENGERS.

Bryce Wilson said...

@ Leopard 13: I liked the stinger, but I feel like it would have been more effective if Thor had been released after Captain America. I mean I've read some Marvel Books in my time and even my reaction was "Oh yeah that's a thing isn't it?"

@ Dan: Yeah at the very least it should have been distracting. But it really wasn't.

@ Keele: I saw in 2D. If it's post conversion there's no way I'm paying the premium.

@ Alex: The trailers really didn't do a very good job of getting the feel for the movie. I hope you enjoy it!

@JD: The best thing about the movie is how enjoyable it is to watch the character. If you've got a soft spot for him I bet you'll enjoy it.

David Robson, Proprietor, House of Sparrows said...

Even after declaring that even a well-made superhero film wasn't what I wanted from cinema these days, I kinda loved THOR. Good times.