When he disobeys the express wishes of his father and King Odin, Thor, the crown prince of Asgard and God of Thunder, is exiled from his home world and sent to earth stripped of his powers. In order to return to his home and loved ones, he must prove himself worthy enough to lift his enchanted hammer Mjolnir. But there are also dark forces at work here too.
The outline of the plot is nothing spectacular, I will admit. However, it is the execution that makes it stand above being a cliche. Rather than just another run of the mill sword in the stone, it is a well thought out merger of science fiction and norse mythology. The inclusion of the Marvel Universe spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D., not only ties the film into the events in The Avengers, it also finds some realistic grounding to extraordinary circumstances. When you see someone who considers himself a God come to Earth and does nothing to prove it, your first instinct is dismiss him as insane. However, the audience who is well aware of his true nature will see this as an adventure for him to reclaim what is rightfully his, and a masterful blending of genres.
When he was first cast in the title role, Chris Hemsworth was only known to American audiences for his very brief role as George T. Kirk in the 2009 reboot of Star Trek. It was not a lot to go on to judge if he was right for the role, yet it wasn't enough to deem him unfit to don the cape and armor either. When he first comes onto the screen as Thor, you can see his youthful exuberance, mixed with the notion that this character has experience. He is a fresh face, but at the same time, it never feels like an origin story, thanks to Hemsworth. He forges the role into something he can call his own.
Tom Hiddleston is clearly Andrew's Standout. His Loki is humble yet cunning and ruthless. The most dangerous people are the ones you don't think are dangerous to begin with. In the beginning, you have no obvious reason to distrust him, and that's a testament to Hiddleston's ability. He hides his true nature so well, that to an audience unfamiliar with the mythology, they couldn't sense that he is the true driving force.
The rest of the cast all deliver stellar performances that stay true to the original comic book incarnation of their respective characters, but at the same time have a contemporary feel to them.
However, Kat Dennings' character Darcy is a force that is not necessary to the overall feel of the film. She feels much like a pander to the MTV crowd. Her inclusion contributes absolutely nothing organic. However, I blame it on the writing.
The special effects are rather dazzling in comparison to other fantasy films such as the update of Clash of the Titans, and the choreography is marvelous with fight scenes of epic proportions.
See this film. Not only is it a decent movie, it's a step towards The Avengers that never just feels like a puzzle piece, but rather stands out as it's own as excellent filmmaking.
B+
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