The Road to The Avengers: Thor

“I have no plans to die today”

Up till Thor’s release Marvel Studios had eschewed the more fantastical elements of its characters/worlds for a realistic vibe. They were plausible…well Iron Man  sort of was; but they each felt part of a recognisable world. The Incredible Hulk was a monster movie but the character was familiar enough for audiences not to question it. Thor was a different proposition: how do you fit a god and space bridges into the Marvel canon and keep it grounded?

The characters and setting of Asgard are outlandish, absolutely separate from the real world aesthetics that Iron Man and, to a lesser extent, The Incredible Hulk created. Perhaps, like the previous Marvel films, the reason it works because of an emphasis on character rather than action.

That doesn’t mean it skimps on the action but it isn’t the film’s major concern. If the film’s faults lie in scale of the action (smaller than the setting implies); the way the action sequences are directed (functional) and a story that may not feel as grand as it should be, then those concerns are valid. For me it’s the conflict between Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki that’s the film’s most interesting aspect and what draws me back into the film than any preconceived notions of what it should/could have been.

Having written at length about what I liked about the film already (so, so long ago), I won’t bother repeating myself in any great detail. In short Thor’s an very likable film that doesn’t suffer from the Iron Man films’ weak third acts, and, emotionally, has a stronger sense of purpose than any of previous Marvel Studios films. Most of it is down to the trifecta of Hemsworth, Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkin’s Odin, a family thrown into tumult when Thor commits an act of stupidity and threatens to re-ignite the war between the Asgardians’ foe the Frost Giants.

Banished from Asgard (by way of a quite literal dressing down) Thor is sent to learn about humility and sacrifice as a lesson for his brash arrogance. Along the way he meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy (comic relief Kat Dennings) and finds a place along humanity.

It’s another redemption story in the vein of Iron Man but it doesn’t lose its energy in the final third because of the relationships established in the film’s opening half-hour. S.H.I.E.L.D is still a bit of a dick but they don’t come across as annoying or as incongruous as they once did in Iron Man 2 (which wasn’t bad itself, just came across as trying to fit too many pieces into the puzzle). In Loki Marvel had its best villain so far, one that did not offer a physical threat to Thor’s strength but functioned as a trickster who schemes and manoeuvres pieces into place, an aspect of his character that worked well in The Avengers.

For my two cents (pennies?) Thor was the most entertaining of the films leading up to The Avengers. It’s funny, likable and felt like the most rounded of the films to date: it had some scope (though not as much as some wanted), a very good score by Patrick Doyle and visually, despite some glaring imperfections, was vibrant and imaginative. It set the benchmark for future films in the Marvel Studios universe.

8/10

[Despite all the kerfuffle pre-release about the colour of the character, Idris Elba's Heimdall almost steals the film from Hemsworth and Hiddleston. It also puts down a marker for future characters to not be bound by race. Hurrah!]

Top 10 films of the year so far

I won’t bother writing lengthy, verbose paragraphs, i’ll just let the pictures do the work. The top ten films I have seen theatrically this year in no actual order.

Senna

Great racing driver, fantastic documentary

Rango

Thank God Gore Verbinski did this film and not another Pirates of the Caribbean.

Hanna

Its Bourne meets… [add whatever film with a child assassin here]. Peculiar film.

Insidious

A horror film that relies on suspense and doesn’t try to rip someone’s tendons out of the heels…and is much better off doing so.

Attack the Block

A brilliant film? No. A very enjoyable one? Most definitely

Thor

A shade better than X-Men: First Class and heads, shoulders, knees and toes above Green Lantern, it can be clichéd and very conventional but it’s lots of fun.

13 Assassins

Slow build up, thrilling last forty minutes or so, this how you do extended action sequences Mr Bay.

Never Let Me Go

A fine sc-fi/drama hybrid that didn’t make a big splash in cinemas

Little White Lies

Too long? Yup. Overly Sentimental ending? Absolutely yes. Still better and funnier than most dramas Hollywood pushes out.

127 Hours

Stunning experience, you could call it gimmicky filmmaking, I wouldn’t

Cinema Review: Thor

 “This drink… I like it! Another!”

Cast your mind back, if you can, to when the trailer for Thor was released. Like countless other films with a pre-built audience many were sceptical, certain that the trailer confirmed what they already suspected. Thoughts, some legitimate others negative, were aired; how would this fit in to the Marvel continuity? Could Branagh handle any aspect of the production other than the dialogue? Would this Avengers venture work or would it be crippled before it started? After all Iron Man 2 underwhelmed when faced with building a larger mythology and this film featured Norse Gods, odd looking costumes and cosmic landscapes.

The outcome is better than most expected.

Let’s not jump the gun and say that Thor is great but for a first attempt in a superhero franchise it is a damn good one. While origin films like Spider-Man, Batman Begins and Iron Man were good, there have been slightly weaker attempts (X-Men) and some disappointments (Fantastic Four, Elektra & Daredevil). Comic book films have often struggled in establishing themselves, finding the right audience while retaining its appeal. What’s surprising about Thor is the confidence it has straight out the gate.

There’s no origin story that takes forty minutes to set up, no need to show how Thor got his cape or his Asterix-like helmet. He’s presented fully formed with a brief prologue on the conflict between the Asgardians and Frost Giants and the briefest of glances at Thor and Loki’s childhood before we’re straight in to Thor’s succession ceremony.

What Thor (Chris Hemsworth) lacks is not physical but mental and emotional. He’s brash, arrogant, enjoys the thrills of war and wants to prove himself in the same way as his father Odin (Antony Hopkins) did. When Asgard comes under attack from a small group of Frost giants it sends Thor into war mode and Asgard renews hostilities with the Frost giants against the wishes of Odin. As punishment Thor is stripped of his powers and banished so he can learn some humility among humanity.

It’s on earth where he meets love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, who in comedic fashion runs him over, twice). Foster is an astrophysicist studying electrical storms in the hope of uncovering inter-dimensional portals (yes, really). Along with her cohorts Erik (Stellan Skarsgård) and Darcy (Kat Dennings) they’re sceptical of Thor and their arc of overcoming their disbelief and believing in Thor is one that mirrors the response of the audience towards the film. Thor overcomes its improbable beginnings and becomes something much more tangible and believable despite its wholly fantastical reality.

The acting is generally good with special mention to Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as siblings Thor and Loki. Hemsworth imbues Thor with a righteous swagger, an arrogance that’s charming but also reckless. It helps that he’s mountain of muscle (I’m pretty sure you could grate cheese on his abs) and his presence makes for an interesting contrast to his brother. Loki is sinewy, less pumped and certainly more cerebral than Thor. Hiddleston’s talent lies in unearthing Loki’s intelligence and poise, relying on tricks as opposed to Thor’s brawn.

What elevates Thor above other Marvel produced films is the sense of family and kinship. In some ways Spider-Man had it and so did the Fantastic Four but here, thanks in part to the performances from the principle actors, there’s a heft to the family dynamic that along with the spectacle makes for a richer, more rewarding experience.

Nearly everyone in the cast fares well, whether it’s the comedic assistance provided by Thor’s fellow Asgardians (Sif, Hogan, Fandrall and Holstagg played by Jamie Alexander, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Dallas and Ray Stevenson respectively). Heimdall is lent a great presence and voice by Idris Elba. Portman displays charm and manages to imbue Jane Foster with steely determination and drive. Dennings mangles the word “Mljonir” several times in a rather cute way and Skarsgård also brings a touch of comedy to his performance. Perhaps the only member wasted is Rene Russo who has less than a handful of scenes to convey a doting mother and wife.

What surprises most about Thor is the comedy aspect. At times its laugh out loud, Hemsworth steals his scenes with his delivery and general ambivalence about peoples’ attitudes towards him. It doesn’t play the laughs in the manner of Thor being a ‘fish out of water’; he accepts he’s seen as a stranger and goes about his business making people’s reactions all the more humorous.

Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos and visual effects company BUF give Asgard a colourful, vivid look that’s rich in rainbow colours. Despite the few occasions where the CGI looks rushed (whether it’s the backgrounds or The Destroyer looking a little unreal) for the most part Thor is presented in a beautiful manner (Branagh likes using his Dutch angles a lot). In the theatre I saw it in (Leicester Square Odeon with 7.1 surround sound), the sound mix was absolutely thunderous (pun intended) and Patrick Doyle’s orchestration scores the film with a wonderful melody that heightens the heroic nature of the story.

Disappointingly, and not for the first time, the 3D presentation is lacking. I have a feeling that the film was edited with 2D in mind and not 3D as much of the depth is lost in quick cutting of action making the 3^rd dimension redundant. We still haven’t seen a mainstream film that’s adopted 3D and done something truly unique other than use it for depth.

Thor is a success and bodes well for Marvel’s future projects if they can take this confidence into their productions. If I had to rank it in terms of Marvel’s (independent) productions (The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man & Iron Man 2) I would say it’s at the top with a better resolution than either of the Iron Man films (I enjoyed those films but they’re lacking in the 3^rd act department). The best compliment I could pay to Thor is that I’m very, very interested in seeing this character again.

Poster Roundup: Tree of Life, The Hangover: Part II and Thor

Not much to be said here, three new posters, one for Terence Malick’s Tree of Life (which in other news will be debuting in the UK on the 4th May), Todd Philip’s comedy sequel to the uber-hit The Hangover and another poster for Thor, this advertising the IMAX aspect (the film was not shot in IMAX as far as I know and like many films will be upconverted to take advantage of the bigger screen).

 

Thoughts on the Super Bowl Trailers

I’m not much of American football fan myself, living in the UK we don’t get a lot of coverage on the NFL so the American Football (or Hand-egg) is usually out of sight, out of mind. That is until the Super Bowl rolls around and we’re inundated with reports on THE GREATEST SPORTING EVENT IN THE WORLD (/sarcasm). It gets even worse as since I live in the UK all those trailers that studios pay through the nose to get on air aren’t even available for me to see til the next day. All the glamour and glitz of the Super Bowl is lost in me as I struggle to figure whose who and why play consistently stops every thirty seconds, disappears for a minute, comes back for ten seconds and so on…

Anyhoo, the trailers, most of which run for thirty seconds, a few one minute spots and they usually represent films coming out in the Summer; setting down a marker for possible definite blockbusters that will occupy our screens for the duration of the summer. For my thoughts, read on…

Marvel release Thor poster…

…and he looks rather regal in that red cape. Starring a bevy of talent – Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek, A Perfect Getaway) as title character Thor along with Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Colm Feore, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Rene Russo, Adriana Barraza, Joshua Dallas and Clark Gregg. Thor is released in the UK on the 29th April.

 

I for one am very interested in this take on the character especially after reading J Michael Strasczynski’s appraoch on Thor which was really, really good. Perhaps we’ll have a trailer coming soon to go with the poster. Your thoughts on the poster, anyone…..?