Sidewinder Review! Thor!

Released in 2011, Thor has met with probably the greatest divide among fans of both the Marvel Comics character and films.  First, we should probably look into a little bit of background for the character himself.  Created by comic book legend Stan Lee, Thor is based on the Norse deity of the same name and served to bring “culture” to the Marvel Universe.  What caused Thor to stand apart from the Marvel U proper is the epic nature of his tales, the fact that they were portrayed on a much more “mythic” scale with an almost Shakespearian quality to the storyline.  These were not so much about super heroes fighting super villains as they were about the intricate and complex relationships between these massively powerful beings.  Stan Lee and writers after that very much took the Norse mythology and implanted it as a whole into the Marvel Universe.  Asgard was very much a real place in the comics, and the mythos was treated as if it were actual history.  Further, Thor was treated more as a plot device in his early stories, as he was banished from Asgard to Earth, but even then he was denied a physical form.  Rather, when Dr. Daniel Blake discovered an ancient walking stick and struck it on the ground, the stick would transform into Mjolnir and Thor would appear to deal with whatever the threat of the day was.  The storyline focused more on Thor’s redemptive journey in understanding the true weight of responsibility and heroism, as well as Blake taking much more agency in his own life.

 

The film does not follow that story.  In fact, there is a lot that has changed from the comics to the film, probably more so than most other comic book franchises.  Here, Asgard is treated as another world, not so much another dimension but more of another planet.  The set design for this world is fantastic, and you can feel very much immersed in this universe.  Thor, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, is almost delightfully arrogant when we first meet him, proudly parading through the great hall after some significant victory.  But it’s this pompous nature that his father Odin, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, finds greatly disappointing, especially since Thor is next in line for the throne of Asgard.  Odin dressed down Thor for not understanding responsibility, and this is followed by the best trickster scene I’ve seen so far in film.  Loki, Thor’s “brother” saddles up beside him and sympathizes with Thor about his plight, and uses very calculated prodding to get Thor fired up to lead an attack on Jotunheim, the home of Laufey and the ice giants who are the sworn enemies of Asgard, under an uneasy truce, and propagators of an attempt to steal a spoil of war, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

 

What follows is a brilliantly choreographed battle sequence that showcases the special abilities of all involved, from the ice giants’ frost manipulation, to Thor’s hammer swinging, to Loki’s magical misdirection, to the Warriors Three and Sif laying the smack down.  Eventually, however, they get in over their head and Odin has to come in for a save, which greatly damages the truce.  As punishment for his arrogance and belligerence, Odin banishes both Thor and Mjolnir to Earth, casting a spell on the hammer stating that only one who is worthy may wield the power of Thor.

 

            The film alternates in settings between Asgard and New Mexico, where we meet Dr. Jane Foster, her assistant Darcy Lewis, and their mentor Dr. Erik Selvig, and admittedly conveniently placed person of Norwegian heritage.  They run into Thor, literally, when trying to uncover the mystery of a spatial disturbance, the wormhole that dumped Thor there in the first place.  When SHEILD agent Paul Coulson takes control of Mjolnier’s resting place and all of Foster’s data, Thor leads a charge into the SHEILD facility with the expressed purpose of retrieving his hammer and with it his powers.  When that fails, an emotionally distraught and crippled Thor is taken into custody.  This is a scene that Hemsworth, I think, portrays beautifully.  His Thor is clearly damaged and shut down by these events, and he doesn’t have to explain that in dialog, he does it entirely with facial cues and body posture.  Selvig frees Thor and our hero resigns himself to exile on earth and begins a romance with Foster, built upon his understanding of “the nine realms” and how they interconnect.

 

            Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Loki has discovered Odin adopted him after the war with the ice giants ended, shortly before the strain of using up a lot of power causes Odin to fall into the “odinsleep”, a regenerative cycle.  Unfortunately, this particular odinsleep seems far more serious that those of the past, causing confusion and panic amongst the Asgardians, and giving Loki leave to take control of the kingdom.  The Warriors Three plus Sif come to Earth intent to bring Thor back, but Loki heads them off at the past by sending a Destroyer after them.  Loki’s plan is simple on paper.  By cutting off Thor, and initiating the destruction of Jotunheim, he plans to please his father, proving himself to be the son and leader that Thor never could be.

 

            He doesn’t count on Thor sacrificing himself to save those he cares for, thus earning the power of Thor.  Powered up, Thor beats the Destroyer and returns to Asgard with his friends, leaving Jane and the Earth company behind.  Thor confronts Loki and ends up destroying the Bifrost Bridge in order to safe Jotunheim and stop Loki’s plan as Odin wakes up.  Loki, now despondent that he went from king to utter failure and only served to elevate Thor, falls into the void.  Thor and Odin make amends while Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal back to Asgard.

 

I won’t say this is the best movie ever, or even the best comic book movie, but I think it’s better than most. The violence is mostly fantasy based, the language isn’t bad, and the acting is pretty solid.  Essentially, it’s a film I can watch with my kids without feeling the need to leap across the couch to cover tender eyes and ears.  Thor is a good, clean, family film that manages to tell an engaging story without having to result to “raciness”.  That’s not to say that it’s perfect.  The character of Darcy Lewis was, for the most part, unnecessary, and Selvig wasn’t much better.  They shoehorn the character Hawkeye, who later plays a more significant role in the Avengers, but in Thor, he’s relegated to “Hey!  It’s Hawkeye!” and then quickly forgotten. 

 

Again, its important to note that A LOT has changed from the comics to the films, and I can understand how that would upset a lot of the long time fans.  However, I don’t feel this was done to the detriment of the character.  Thor still feels like Thor, and they hit all the right notes for an introduction movie.  Yes, Asgard went from a mythical plane for gods to roam to another planet, but it makes sense in a way within the context of the Marvel movie-verse.  One thing I had to come to terms with way back when X-Men came out was that the movies are not the comics, and vice versa.  If you are going to enjoy them, you have to accept them on their terms and not try to shoehorn your own preconceived notions about how you think the story should flow.  I believe they did do the comic justice and that you had very strong performances from all the cast.  Thor felt like a Shakespearian play featuring super powered beings, which is what the comic was, and since it was directed by Shakespearian thespian Kenneth Branagh, I think it sits nicely as a very enjoyable movie.

 

Now, about Darcy Lewis.  Why do I keep coming back to her?  Because I think she’s a very misunderstood trope in films.  You have the character of Thor, an alien (essentially) and he meets BOTH Darcy and Jane at the same time.  Neither gives him a particularly warm reception at first but he ends up developing a relationship with Jane.  I think Darcy’s presence, and the presence of most female sidekicks to female leads in films, is to show that there is chemistry between the male lead and a female lead, not that they end up together simply because they’re the only two in the film.  It very well could have turned into a Darcy/Thor romance, but it didn’t because he connects with Jane more.  I think these sidekick characters are often discredited as useless kibble, but there is an overall purpose for them.

 

Film reviewer “The Blockbuster Buster” from thatguywiththeglasses.com, mentions in his “honest review” of the film that he felt that Thor’s attitude change came too easy, that someone (like Darcy) should have died in order to facilitate the change, show the need for personal responsibility in Thor, having his reckless actions cause her untimely demise at the hands of…probably the destroyer.  But why?

 

Why do we want sideline character to die just to prove the situation is serious?  The Destroyer was there with the expressed purpose to kill Thor.  Thor has already developed a bond with the humans around him, and it’s not like he doesn’t understand the concept of personal responsibility…it’s been drilled into him by Odin since he was born, he just never exercised it prior to coming to Earth.  He’s already learned that the man he was isn’t going to get him back his power.  He’s already felt the devastating results of Odin’s disfavor.  He doesn’t need guilt to push him forward.  Even when he lashed out at the ice giants at the beginning of the film, it was a response to the threat they presented by burglarizing their vault.  For that matter, prior to getting struck by the Destroyer, he was already helping get people to safety, putting himself in the line of fire to do so…the change was already made!  Not every hero needs personal tragedy to push them forward.  Sure it makes for a compelling read, but when everyone has that skeleton in the closet, it actually looses it’s effectiveness in a narrative setting.  Some people actually do the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do, not just because “if I fail, people die.”

 

I suppose it all boils down to the fact that Thor is a film, based on a comic book, with a toy line, that the whole family can enjoy.  This isn’t Transformers 1, 2, and 3, where the violence and sexual connotations can be a little overwhelming for a parent trying to keep their young children away from that.  You can just sit back and enjoy the fun of the movie.  Yes, it was a set up film for the Avengers, more so than Captain America and Iron Man 2, but it was still a good film and I personally highly recommend it.