Thor Review: If He Be Worthy
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Thor
Director: Kenneth Branagh
9
Where to Watch Thor?
In 2011 a film came out that truly made the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel like a universe for the first time. Up to this point, we had two Iron Man films and one Hulk film and it was pretty easy to make the connection between these two characters as besides the superpowers they were both relatively grounded stories. That would all change with the release of Thor.
I mean if you think about modern-day MCU or even just modern-day comic book movies in general this doesn’t seem that odd. Gods, aliens, and monsters are all pretty commonplace in superhero stories after all. However, from the 1980s to the 2000s superhero movies tended to not lean into the whole alien or gods thing.
Besides maybe Superman, they tended to pick the more grounded heroes that fought battles on Earth and dealt with earthly beings. Going back to what I mentioned in my Iron Man review the early days of the MCU were seeing how far they could go or how weird things could get but still be accepted by the mass audiences.
If you think about it in that context Thor is a massive swing for the studio. A story about Norse gods who travel on a rainbow bridge where our hero is a man who swings a magic hammer to fly. It’s weird yet Marvel was able to do it and make it feel connective to the other films we had so far.
In my opinion, one of the MCU’s greatest strengths has been casting. They seem to have consistently found great talent that are now household names due to how well they embodied these characters. I mean first I will say having Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin was an excellent choice as he just emits this sense of wisdom and power with every word he speaks.
He really makes the most of the role and is great to watch. Even with his greatness, it is our two young brothers that really make this movie. Tom Hiddleston is just as good as Loki. I mean is that even a question at this point? He’s been playing the character for 12 years with his most recent appearance being in 2023. He knows this character so well and he expresses the pain he feels in such a visceral way.
You can tell in this first film that he is still finding his footing with the character. A lot of the charm that Loki is loved for comes more in The Avengers, but he is still a master manipulator and I love seeing how his plan nearly comes true. He truly just wanted to not be in Thor’s shadow.
To speak of the title character this really is his movie. If you don’t like Thor and you don’t feel his redemption this movie doesn’t work, but Chris Hemsworth just oozes charisma. Even when he is the hotheaded warrior who is actually an egotistical jerk you still smirk as he fights the frost giants. His growth in this film is really well done and it’s believable if a tad rushed. By rushed I mean he probably only is on Earth for a couple of weeks but I still feel it’s well done.
I like seeing him form connections with Jane, Eric, and Darcy as he sees the value of life. For a nearly immortal being life must pass Thor by in a blink. I think for Thor to realize how life is fragile, he needed to slow down and experience the life of someone who wasn’t born to be king. I know that’s kind of obvious but I still like seeing it.
One of my favourite scenes in the film is when Thor tries to lift the hammer and he can’t. The anguish on his face when he bellows in the rain just shows how tied his identity is to power. Being able to lift that hammer was something that made him strong and gave him bravery. Now due to Odin’s magic, Thor has to be worthy to lift it as well. He has to earn his power for the first time in his life and that is a scary thought for him.
By the time we get to the Destroyer fight, the glory of battle is no longer his desire. He wants to protect the innocent and not get his friends hurt. Thor only steps in to try and stop the violence before he proves his worthiness. The final battle in this movie is good but not great. Loki isn’t a physical match for Thor and the Destroyer was just more intimidating. I do like the dialogue in the scene as Loki does what he can to goad Thor into fighting. You do feel Thor’s sacrifice and Loki’s desperation to prove himself to his father even in his last moments.
The inclusion of S.H.I.E.L.D. was great in the film as well as it keeps the interconnectivity of everything in the forefront. So if you have watched the previous three movies up to this point you’ll know who Coulson is, you’ll have heard of Tony Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. The universe is starting to expand but one of the ways they chose to connect it was through S.H.I.E.L.D. as they are an organisation that investigates this exact type of thing. So it is easy to have them pop up everywhere because that is their job. It’s a good way to have consistent characters be integrated throughout without it feeling forced. They are used quite a bit in Phase 1.
The directing in the film is quite good as well. Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespearean background gives the scenes in Asgard a gravitas and weight to them. These characters are very grand in nature as they were worshipped as gods and I just like how you can feel that in the sweeping shots of Asgard, the sets, the score it all does a great job of making you feel the importance of this place.
Overall, I think Thor was a really important movie for Marvel Studios. It was their first test of seeing if people would show up to some of the more out-there concepts from the concepts. It also helps that this is a fun film with well-defined characters, fun action, and a grand atmosphere that makes the universe feel more expansive. Don’t skip this one on a rewatch!