Last night, The LA Times Hero Complex hosted a screening of the first superhero movie of the summer, THOR. Afterwards, Geoff Boucher from Hero Complex hosted a Q& A session with star, Chris Hemsworth, and director, Kenneth Branagh. The film was stunning and will hopefully kick off a big summer movie season (I don’t count Fast Five) of superheroes. Branagh and Hemsworth provided some great insight into the making of the film and even a small tease about a sequel. Read on for a SPOILER FREE review.
The first thing to say about this movie is that it is visually stunning. The amazing world of Asgard (Thor’s home realm) is brought to the big screen after a wild ride through the cosmos that explains its origins and includes large vistas of this land of the gods. Also a visual treat was the “rainbow bridge,” called the Bifrost, which Branagh said was a challenge to adapt from the comic book version. In the comics, the bridge is like a “flat rainbow” but to bring it to the big screen it needed to be more and the film captured the essence of the magic of the bridge while giving it a strong presence in “reality.” In fact, the whole movie did a good job of “grounding” the magic of Thor’s mythos in the “reality” of the modern world; a trait that will bode well for Marvel’s superhero mash-up in the Avengers movie in 2012.
Thor was portrayed well by Chris Hemsworth and according to the star was a big undertaking. He read as many comics as he could, trained with stunt people and boxers to learn how to carry himself, and even practiced a little Henry VIII (at the behest of his director) to prepare to take on the God of Thunder. Hemsworth also talked about using the comics, with his trainer, to come up with the poses needed to wield Thor’s mighty weapon, Mjolnir (pronounced mh-yol-ner); the hammer throwing, smashing, summoning lightning were all practiced carefully to honor the character’s comic book presence on the big screen.
The plot of the film is clearly to give the origins of Thor. Fanboys may see the absence of some of Thor’s comic character traits and storylines, but the film does well to bring this character to audiences deeply rooted in comics AND those that have never heard of the God of Thunder. The story takes place on three different worlds (called realms in the film and there are nine total) and with different groups of people on each one. Branagh did a fantastic job of pacing the film and transitioning between these different realms. There is action, there is drama, and yes, there are even comedic touches in the film. Like the Iron Man movies from Marvel, THOR brings about occasional comedy to lighten the mood in the serious fighting between good and evil happening throughout the story. The movie has a beginning and an end that should leave the audience feeling fulfilled after watching it. After watching the movie, Geoff Boucher gently prodded Hemsworth and Branagh about the continuation of Thor’s story into The Avengers and a possible sequel. Branagh said it would be “a great problem to have” and it will really depend on the box office (which has been doing great in international markets). Boucher also tried to get some “name dropping” on possible villains for a sequel to which Branagh said there are so many options to choose from and he hinted at the idea of Ragnarok (Google it).
 |
| Boucher, Hemsworth, Branagh excuse the graininess, it was a dim theater |
The rest of the cast does great to boost the impressiveness of this movie even further. Tom Hiddleston as Loki embodied the Mischief Maker most fans would appreciate. Anthony Hopkins as the “All Father,” Odin brought the strength and power of his character to the screen and clearly commanded the respect of his sons and kingdom in the film. Natalie Portman appears as the brilliant Jane Foster who is a stubborn Astro-physicist (That later turns into a giggly girl at the site of Thor in his armor. Not a great moment for the character’s level of intelligence but well played by Portman). In addition to Jane Foster, there are a few other strong, smart female roles in the film; Rene Russo as Thor’s mother, Jamie Alexander as Sif, and Kat Dennings as Darcy. All four of these women bring the feminine presence to the superhero genre that is usually “all about the boys.” Although they are not major roles, women clearly have importance in this story. And no Marvel film is complete without the presence of other Marvel characters. Keep your eye out for Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye (a member of the Avengers next summer), Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (Leader of the Avengers next summer) and last but NEVER least, Stan “the Man” Lee makes his usual Marvel movie cameo.
If you liked Marvel’s previous Iron Man movies (for more than just Robert Downey Jr.’s awesome portrayal), then you will like THOR. Marvel has found a formula for bringing their iconic characters to the big screen with respect to their comic book counterparts. There are Easter Eggs all throughout the film and some great links to the rest of the Marvel Universe. If you think you saw all the best parts in the previews on TV, you will be surprised. This weekend may be mother’s day weekend, but even mom will love THOR, get out there and see this film.
P.S. stay through the credits - not a spoiler, just a recommendation
-By Martin Bright, 5/5/2011
No comments:
Post a Comment