Plot
After disobeying his father Odin, Thor is banished to Midgard (Earth) until he can prove himself worthy.
Review
This was a brilliant film and easily one of the best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being in my opinion the second best from Phase One. Kenneth Branagh did an amazing job of directing this film, as he managed to give a magical feel to Asgard, whilst giving a more gritty and realistic tone to the Earth scenes. The film would also have a lot of dramatic scenes throughout, with the character interaction being captured brilliantly by Branagh. The film would also manage to add a lot of humour as well, with there being some very funny scenes that complimented the action scenes perfectly. Branagh would also show some emotion in this film, but due to this being a young and immature Thor there wouldn't be much room for emotion until later on in the film, though when it did come it was brilliant.
The cast in this film was simply perfect, and I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job of any of the characters. I'll start of with Thor though who was played brilliantly by Chris Hemsworth who would show his cocky arrogant side perfectly, whilst also showing a strong will and good nature on top. Besides Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor it would be Tom Hiddleston as Loki that would really impress me, as although I didn't really know who he was prior to this, he managed to do a great job of showing a mischievous and maniacal mindset that Loki needs. Besides this Natalie Portman would be brilliant as Jane Foster, as would Idris Elba as Heimdall, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Joshua Dallas as Fandral, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, Rene Russo as Frigga, and especially Anthony Hopkins as the Allfather himself Odin. As well as all that I also enjoyed Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig and Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis.
The key thing that had to be right in this film had to be Thor, as it wouldn't matter how good a film it was otherwise, if Thor was handled poorly it would spoil the film. Gladly however this was far from the case, as Chris Hemsworth was simply perfect as Thor, and the way the character was used in the film was simply amazing. What I loved most was that this film allowed Thor to mature as a character, as due to him starting of as an arrogant, disobeying brat it allows opportunity for him to become a man, and truly become worthy of both wielding Mjolnir and returning to Asgard. The film would also handled the mythological side of Thor brilliantly as well, with his reactions to this world brilliant, with the cross between myth and reality being perfectly balanced.
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| Being Worthy |
The main villain in this film would be none other than Thor's greatest villain, Loki. Now being a huge fan of both the comics as well as the myth itself I was very happy to hear that Loki would be the villain in this film, and even more happy that he was handled properly. Now having a actor as talented as Hiddleston is helps a lot, but the way Loki was written was also brilliant, showing off his conniving and treacherous ways perfectly. Hiddleston would also do a terrific job of showing the emotion in Loki of feeling like second fiddle next to Thor, striving for the attention of his father Odin. The interaction between Loki and Thor in this film was also amazing, both before and after Loki shows his true colours.
We'd also get to see Thor's most well known love interest from the comics Jane Foster, who was played by Natalie Portman. Now I was very happy that Jane was in this film, as having not seen her much lately in the comics it's nice to be reminded that she's a part of Thor's world. I also felt that Portman did a good job as the character, and that for this movie that it was appropriate to change her to a scientist rather than a doctor. I also liked how it added that she used to date a man named Donald Blake (a mortal that Thor was turned into during the comics) as it was nice that they used the reference. I also enjoyed the interaction between Jane and Thor in this film, though the development of their romance was ever so slightly sudden. On top of that I also enjoyed her science partner Dr. Erik Selvig and her intern Darcy.
Asgard would also be feature in this film, with a majority of the first half of the film being set there. The Asgard in this film was simply phenomenal, being a magical looking place that combined the mythological tales with a sci-fi tone. It was also brilliant to see all the Asgardians as well, and especially Odin who was played perfectly by the wonderful Anthony Hopkins. On top of that it was also nice to see the beautiful realm itself, as well as all the artefacts that were on display in Odin's trophy room, as it was a nice reference, as well as a brilliant teaser to possible developments, with the Infinity Gauntlet being the biggest tease of them all.
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| Asgard |
The film would also have a post-credits scene like all the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films prior and since. This one would see Dr. Erik Selvig meet with Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) and shown the Tesseract (better known in comics as the Cosmic Cube), which would go onto feature in both Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers. It would also tease Loki's involvement in The Avengers film. At the time I found all this to be very exciting, as although not quite as exciting as the post-credits scenes that preceded it, it is still one of the best overall.
Final Verdict
This was a brilliant film and is one of the best Marvel films so far, introducing Thor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe perfectly. The story itself would also be interesting, with the cast all being perfect, with the film having plenty of humour and excitement throughout. We'd also get to see the magical Asgard, as well as Thor's reaction to Earth. There'd also be some brilliant character development and interaction throughout as well, with some very emotional scenes. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this film as it's simply amazing and the perfect film to watch before going to see Thor: The Dark World.
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