Review of film: "THOR" = Time to get “HAMMERed”!...

2011, 04-30:

Review of film “THOR”  = Time to get “HAMMERed”!...

We now have another “MARVEL-lous” film being released, based on some COMICS done since 1962 by Stan Lee (who’s one of the Executive Producers on this) and Jack Kirby...

...  The characters are loosely based on old NORSE legends & characters.  We are taken to the “fantastic” realm of God ODIN (played by ANTHONY HOPKINS), a place called Asgard which (in this) is seen as a sort of “Alien” planetary-type world in “another dimension”, & it has a bunch of golden spire-shaped buildings...

...  There, we are introduced to Odin and his 2 sons, blonde Thor (eventually played by CHRIS HEMSWORTH)...

...  & his dark-haired younger brother Loki (in time called “The Mischevious”, eventually played as an adult by TOM HIDDLESTON)...

...  Thor is acted with appropriate cheerful “arrogance” by Chris, who makes clear he wants to attack the “Jotunheim” world of the evil “Frost Giants” who recently broke into Asgard & tried to steal a device captured by Anthony that could give them new strong powers...    

...  Anthony counsels AGAINST any retribution efforts being made, saying that, “A wise king never seeks out a war.  But, he’s ready for it [if it comes]...” 

...  But, that’s not good enough for Chris, who likes being a “big shot” & teaching people a “lesson”.  He thus gathers together some of his FRIENDS to go to the land of the Frost Giants:  Volstagg (RAY STEVENSON), Hogun (TADANOBU ASANO), Fandral (JOSH DALLAS), and female Sif (JAIMIE ALEXANDER)...

...  To get there, he needs the cooperation of Heimdall (IDRIS ELBA, as shown on the right-hand side of the top poster), the powerful sentry who guards the approach to Asgard in the form of the Bifröst bridge...

...  Thor has superhuman strength and speed and toughness, partly from powers in a great HAMMER named Mjolnir which was given to him by Odin.  It allows him to have the power of flight, absorbing & projecting energy, manipulating weather and electricity, plus the ability for transporting thru different dimensions...

...  His friends plus his brother Tom go to Jotunheim to confront the king of the Frost Giants, Laufey (played by COLM FEORE)...  The Frost Giants are very big and formidable, what with the way Colm uses a massive war club and axe and sword...  But  Thor is even MORE mighty, with his Hammer and his associates... 

...  Altho they start to beat the F-G’s, Colm points out that great future problems will befall them if they continue their attack, & makes a vague reference to there being some “INSIDER” that had allowed his forces to get into Asgard recently (to try to recover the power device Odin controls)... 

...  Chris’ friends caution that it’d be wisest to STOP the attack & not risk a wider war, & Chris reluctantly agrees to that & they depart & RETURN to Asgard (with Tom having learned something very unexpected & important from the venture)...

...  Chris’ dad Anthony is most displeased at how his wishes had been disobeyed.  Altho his wife Frigga (played by RENE RUSSO) wants kindness shown to Chris, Anthony takes his Hammer AWAY from him & flings it towards Earth, thus diminishing Chris’ inherent powers...

...  Chris may well be plagued by “Hammer envy”, because he wants to go FIND his precious hammer...  That leads him to travel to EARTH in search of it... 

...  The scene shifts to there, & we see a woman scientist named Jane Foster (NATALIE PORTMAN) who’s investigating “phenomenon” (unexplained things) in the desert, using a specially outfitted van. She’s helped by a friend Darcy Lewis (KAT DENNINGS) & a guy named Erik Selvig (STELLAN  SKARSGÅRD)...

...  But when Chris arrives, he’s sort of “HIT” by Natalie’s truck...  She wants to take him into town, but he resists the idea.  She (& others in the van) find him kind of “strange”, with the way he acts super-“confident” (cocky) & keeps wanting to find “mjolnir” (which they naturally don’t “understand”)...

...  For some reason, government agents including Coulson (CLARK GREGG) are watching Natalie, and eventually they come and forcibly TAKE her data records and other property...  Chris wants to help her get them back...

...  Before Chris can find & get to the HAMMER, the government people find & block it off from others.  They’re very frustrated when no one is able to lift it out of the rock in which it’s embedded, and even more upset when strange electrical discharges seem to “surround” it...

...  Chris wants to go get his Hammer, but Natalie and the others keep trying to discourage him...  However, with his “I do what I want attitude”, he soon tries RETRIEVE it (causing fights around the area)...

...  Eventually, TIM works to take over control of Asgard from Anthony, who’s fallen ill...  Seemingly “jealous” & possibly fearful of Chris, he uses some of his own special powers & makes efforts to send robot-like creatures to CAPTURE and control him on Earth...

...  Will Chris be able to regain power over the HAMMER?...  Will the government or TIM be able to STOP Chris and his plans?...  Who will be shown to be the “inside agent” that COLM talked about?...

...  What will happen to Chris and his plans to return to ASGARD?...  Will he able to “accomplish” anything with Natalie (whom he’s promised to “help” with her government and other troubles)?...

...  There are a number of BATTLE scenes between the various contending groups, and they’re well handled.  Using a bunch of special effects outfits, the film-makers have succeeded in putting together a bunch of FINELY-done sets, costumes and ACTION sequences, all the time infusing them with high-quality acting (especially by Chris, who’s both “funny” and a “TOOL” around his hammer)..          

...  Accordingly, for the well-done PLEASURE it provides, I’m giving the film a rating of 8.25 of 10 stars...

...  A “post-script” commentary:  following something we’re seeing more & more in recent films, a scene at the very end of the film credits shows that one of the “Earth” characters is NOT what he “seemed” to be, & he in-effect is a “double-agent”...

...  Additionally, that sets-up a planned SEQUEL, along with the words, “Well, I guess that’s worth a LOOK...”

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