Synopsis
Heir to the throne of Asgard, the powerful and arrogant Thor is banished by his father for disobeying him. He is sent to Earth, where he must earn his redemption if he is ever to return home.
Cast
Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Release date
2011
Story
From an early age, Odin, rule of Asgard, has sought to develop his sons to replace him upon his throne. Over the years, it is Thor who has demonstrated the capabilites of being ruler, rather than his brother Loki. But Odin is worried, for Thor displays arrogance and lust for war against old rivals, the Ice Giants. On Thor’s coronation, Ice Giants penetrate the defences of Asgard and attempt to steal back a casket that contains their powers. The intruders are destroyed before they can escape back home, but Thor leads a small force to the Ice Giants homeland and begins a fight with them that almost gets them all killed. Odin arrives just in time to rescue them, but for his act of arrogance Thor is banished to Earth, unable to access the powers of his hammer until he has earned his redemption. Once on Earth he is hit by a motorvehicle in which is riding Jane Foster, a scientist who has been tracking activity in the desert. She begins to realise that all is not at it seems with this mysterious person, and she seeks to help him recover the hammer and discover who he really is. Meanwhile, Odin is taken ill and Loki has taken over within Asgard, and if he has his way, Thor will never be able to return.
The Case For
A good cast playing out a good vs evil storyline. Asgard is beautifully conceived, it would have been nice to spend more time there. Thor is excellently played by Chris Hemsworth, and when he arrives on Earth there’s quite a funny time when he has to adjust to his new life (unfortunately this could have been an even better feature).
The Case Against
There’s not much going against this film. The concept of Natalie Portman’s character running around chasing storms looking for an Einstein bridge seems somewhat far-fetched, but presumably necessary to set-up a potential sequel.
Summary
Thor continues in the steps of other recent films – like Spiderman, Superman and Batman – that have made it from comic to silverscreen (although thankfully they didn’t rename him Thorman). Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Kopkins and Tom Hiddleston are excellently cast as Thor, Odin and Loki, around who this story revolves. Natalie Portman for once stands out as not being so fit for this role, there’s something more intellectual about who she can play than this character, even if she is an alleged scientist. But all in all, this is a very worth action adaptation.
Verdict
An enjoyable romp of a film, pitting good against evil, and surely setting itself up for a successful sequel.
Case closed.
