REVIEW: Thor

In 2011, "Thor" became the fourth film in the collective Marvel Cinematic Universe. But unlike Iron Man and Iron Man 2 before it, the Asgardian drama was panned by top critics (Roger Epert called it "a failure of a movie," and A.O. Scott of the NY Times called it "[a] programmed triumph of commercial calculation over imagination." Still, I think while there are flaws in this film, there are many redeeming qualities, including excellent casting choices, a sweeping sense of grandeur, and small, amusing moments sprinkled throughout.

Like "Iron Man," "Thor" starts with a scene that's actually a little later chronologically in the movie, with astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her mentor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and intern Darcy Lewis (a scene-stealing Kat Dennings) tracking unusual astrological readings that end with a wormhole opening up and dumping a confused Thor (a perfectly cast Chris Hemsworth) in Nevada. I think it was wise to open the film on Earth, allowing audiences to connect to the actual human characters before going into the sweeping Shakespearean drama and mystical magic Norse mythology of Asgard.

There, we get some plot exposition from Odin (Anthony Hopkins), about how Asgard won a war against the Frost Giants of Jotenheim, stole their source of power (the Casket of Ancient Winter), and established a truce between the two realms. Hopkins, as well as director Kenneth Branagh, add some gravitas to the epic nature of the "Thor" origin story. Hemsworth is spot-on as the cocky, jocky older son, set to assume the throne, when the Frost Giants attack, abruptly halting Thor's coronation. The scene is visually stunning, but Thor's costume is a bit ridiculous. Proportionally, it looks like he is wearing a curtain rod and drapes on his shoulders.

In a huff, he runs off with younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleson) and his friends Lady Sif and the Warriors Three to prove himself. I did like that Sif told off Thor that she was a bad-ass warrior who didn't need any help from him, but I still feel like her character (although minor) wasn't particularly well-rounded. Hiddleson, however, is perfect as Thor's younger, jilted trickster of a brother. His deadpan expressions actually made me LOL.

The film doesn't shy away from the ridiculousness of Thor's hammer Mjölnir, as he swings it, flies with it and throws it around like a clunky boomerang, smashing Frost Giants with little regard for the safety and well being of his friends. I'm still not sure why they hang around him at this point. Odin saves Thor's ass, and for his recklessness, banishes him to Earth as a mortal, where he can only retrieve his hammer if he proves himself worthy.

This is where the movie really sings -- as a classic fish-out-of-water tale. It's also where we get some of our comedic moments and best lines. Thor slamming his coffee mug down in the diner and demanding "another!" was supposedly improvised, showing off Hemsworth's comedic abilities early on. And the reaction he gets from the pet shop owner when he demands a horse, but says he'll settle for a dog 'large enough to ride' is priceless.

We also get some of the best moments from Darcy, who is definitely one of the more underrated characters in the MCU. She uses a taser on Thor as he stumbles around screaming angrily at the sky, posts pics of him on Facebook ("for a homeless guy, he's pretty cut) and struggles to pronounce 'Mjölnir.' She's the embodiment of anyone in the audience who was dragged to the movie and knows nothing about the comic book hero. It's also a way for Marvel to poke fun at the absurdity of elements of the movie without undermining it completely. It's that kind of humor -- one that suggests Marvel is "in" on the joke, that I think is part of what makes the MCU so successful.

Branagh's talents as a Shakespearean director are on full display when Loki learns he is actually the son of Frost Giants, and was adopted kidnapped by Odin after the war. This could have easily been overacted, but Hiddleson and Hopkins approach it with tenderness, so that both father and son's motives and frustrations are clear. It's worth pointing out that we're only four movies into the MCU and already we have two characters who are never going to be father-of-the-year: Howard Stark and Odin. Both have their hearts in the right place, but their parenting skills (or lack thereof) certainly push each of their sons to become flawed adults (at least at first). With Odin conveniently falling into a deep sleep, Loki takes over, offers up his father to the Frost Giants, and Thor's friends go looking for him.

Thor, meantime, has figured out that his hammer is in the middle of the desert, and goes storming through the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility built around it to try and recover it. Only then, does the full weight of his earlier transgressions hit him. This is easily one of my favorite scenes in the movie: the hand-to-hand action sequences with Hemsworth, the side commentary from Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner makes the most of his brief cameo: "Better call

it, Coulson, I'm starting to root for this guy!"), the heart-pumping score and of course, Chris Hemsworth's muddied muscles on full display through a wet t-shirt. And yes, I know I'm objectifying him, but it's kinda nice that Marvel through the female viewers some eye candy moments after years of female superheros getting constantly ogled in their barely-there costumes.

Gregg's character, Agent Phil Coulson, finally gets fleshed out a bit more after a few cameos in Iron Man and Iron Man 2, before Thor is scooped up by Selvig, who is a protective father-figure to Jane. He's right to be in the end, as Thor ends up abandoning her after their brief romance. It's nice to see a smart female character portrayed in the MCU, but Jane doesn't get much character development. She largely exists to be a love interest for our hero, and the chemistry between her and Hemsworth isn't exactly a slam dunk.

And while Thor has resigned himself to Earth, believing on Loki's say-so that Odin is dead and Thor can never return, his friends show up to drag his butt back to Asgard to put an end to Loki's charade on the throne. Loki, meantime, has sent a fire-breathing robot (of course) to Earth to destroy Thor and everything he loves. Thor's sacrifice to save his friends (both Asgardian and Earthling) proves him worthy, he gets his hammer back and returns to his home planet to beat up his little brother. This leads to a couple of misogynistic lines from Loki about his brother's love for Jane that rubbed me the wrong way, but overall, it's not enough to ruin the character.

In the end, Thor is forced to destroy his only path to Earth (or so we're led to believe for now), which wakes his father, who saves him from falling off the now-broken bridge. But for some reason, Odin can't muster even the faintest bit of approval for his adoptive son, and Loki lets go, presumably to his death. That was until the post-credits scene, when he's seen manipulating (?) Selvig as he meets with Nick Fury about a mysterious blue cube called Tessaract, which would become a central MacGuffin in "Captain America," "The Avengers" and "Captain Marvel." This is where Marvel really started to hit its stride in terms of producing post-credit scenes that gave audiences just enough to want more in the next film.

While tonally speaking, Thor has a different feel to it than Iron Man, it still fits within the overall universe tone. Thor is quite a different character than Tony Stark, and the splashy, sweeping feel is appropriate. Leaning into the 'fish-out-of-water' sequence that's the movie's second act is the strongest part. Sadly, Marvel went too far toward the grandeur and away from the silly moments in the second Thor film (I'll get to that one on Friday), and then swung wildly in the other direction with Taika Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok." Thor has had an interesting, if not inconsistent story arc and character development. And while the third of the trio is the most fun, I think the first one probably strikes the best balance between serious and silly.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐