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Poster Description: Caped in red, Thor (Hemsworth) has landed dramatically on the ground with his hammer, Mjolnir, spraying shrapnel everywhere. Thin rays of vertical light separate close-up pictures of the other characters. There’s Jane Foster (Portman); a smirking Loki (Hiddleston) wears his horned helmet; Odin (Hopkins) is white-bearded with a gold patch on one eye; Heimdall (Elba) has gold eyes and a matching helmet. |
The Director: Kenneth Branagh
The Cast:
Chris Hemsworth – Thor
Anthony Hopkins – Odin
Tom Hiddleston – Loki
Natalie Portman – Jane Foster
Stellan Skarsgård – Erik Selvig
Kat Dennings – Darcy
Idris Elba – Heimdall
Clark Gregg – Agent Phil Coulson
Jaimie Alexander – Sif
Ray Stevenson – Volstagg
Tanabodu Asano – Hogun
Josh Dallas – Fandral
Certificate: 12A
Released: 12th April 2011
The Plot:
Thor (Hemsworth, Men in Black International) is a prince of Asgard and God of Thunder. He is, however, too arrogant, too bloodthirsty, and eagerly wages war on the Frost Giants. As punishment, Odin (Hopkins, Hitchcock) exiles his son to Midgard – Earth, to those who live there. Thor is accidentally run over by scientist Jane Foster (Portman, V for Vendetta).
The Review:
2011: Thor… is based partly on Norse mythology. Now, I’m all for people using their imaginations (the word “reboot” makes me want to slam my head against a brick wall, most of the time), but making a Norse God a superhero is really quite inspired.
2020: Thor is indeed responsible for introducing me to Norse mythology. I read the tales this summer, as told by Neil Gaiman, and from Loki’s perspective (The Gospel of Loki by Joanna M. Harris, which I totally recommend). Things get weird very quickly, but don’t expect anything like it in Thor. The story is linear but a great way to start if you’re unfamiliar with the characters.
2011: I remember gasping in awe, as the city of Asgard rose up out of the water…There is a gorgeous, golden hue about everything, which is the complete opposite to the Frost Giants’ realm, Jotunheim, where everything is dark, blue and well…frosty; like a video game.
2020: As pretty as they might be, both Asgard and Jotunheim look unrealistic and devoid of life, just like a video game. The hall of Asgardians at the start of the film may as well be in a different place entirely, and the creatures of Jotunheim look laughable now.
2011: Chris Hemsworth is endearing as Thor. Okay, he is arrogant to begin with, but...is suddenly terribly solemn and almost vulnerable.
2020: I had never seen Hemsworth before Thor, and he looks the part, but the script takes itself too seriously to enjoy his performance fully. Branagh (who is a Shakespearean actor) visualised the film as a comic book-style twist on Henry V but doesn’t translate as well as he thought.
2011: When Thor was released at the cinema, it was during a time where Natalie Portman seemed to be in everything, including Black Swan and Your Highness. Here, she is thankfully not a schizophrenic ballerina; just a scientist who happens to be very pretty (isn’t weird how the smart ones are mostly brunette and never blonde?).
2020: Portman gives as good as she gets as Jane Foster, but she is there as Thor’s love interest and not much else. Though their chemistry has potential, the whole thing is rushed and redundant. In contrast, Thor and Dr. Selvig’s night out was one of the best comedy scenes. I wanted more of Foster’s backstory, and her translating Dr. Selvig’s scientific waffling for her assistant, Darcy (the indomitable Kat Dennings). Skarsgård’s Dr. Selvig is such a little character here; his fate in Avengers Assemble came as a shock.
2011: Yet it is Tom Hiddleston’s performance I enjoyed the most.
2020: Oh, yes. Like Hemsworth, I watched Hiddleston for the first time in this role, as the God of Mischief. Yet he is seriously underused here, despite his obvious talent, looking ever-so-impressive in his golden horned helmet, but not doing an awful lot until the end of the film.
2011: [Loki] is eaten up with jealousy and angst over his brother, and is determined to impress Odin, maybe even to the point of insanity. Hiddleston is unsettling in that sense, spitting through his teeth, then grinning manically, as he admits to trying to destroy Jotunheim.
“You can’t kill an entire race!” Thor cries, appalled.
Loki’s answer?
“Why not?”
Yikes.
2020: Despite this questionable behaviour, Hiddleston makes Loki sympathetic in a way we wouldn’t see until Killmonger in Black Panther, so torn between his loyalty to Asgard and his true heritage. My favourite trivia from the film is that Hiddleston originally auditioned for Thor, but Branagh decided he was better suited for his brother. And I quite agree (picture below)!
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Picture Description: Loki (left) stands in front of a gold door. He looks majestically unimpressed. He’s also wearing a gold helmet with curled horns, silver armour with a high collar, and a green cape. |
2011: The film’s finale is utterly breath-taking, I mean, seriously, I love [Odin’s autonomous weapon], the Destroyer so much, here’s a picture of it (below)!
Image Description: The Destroyer is a metal machine disguised
as a muscular man with spikes lining his shoulders and arms. His eyes are slits
in a built-in helmet. He has no mouth or nose; it’s just strips of metal.
2020: Yup, it’s still awesome. You know who else is awesome? Idris Elba as Heimdall. He makes the role of Asgard’s omniscient gatekeeper his own, rendering him softly spoken and a little bit sassy. I can safely say he is nothing like what I found in the Norse myths at all. Similarly, Alexander's Sif is a badass warrior, as far from Thor's vain and meek wife as you can get.
2011: [Thor is] a cheeky, tongue-in-cheek addition to the Marvel franchise, which is none the less incredibly entertaining in all aspects of it. Kenneth Branagh needs to do more films like this.
2020: While I’m not sure if Thor is either cheeky or tongue-in-cheek, it is undoubtedly entertaining. With plenty of action, and an impressive cast (some of which would have very successful careers both in and outside of the MCU), it’s pretty good. Sadly, the script takes itself too seriously, and the CGI is rather poor. Thor might have been one of my favourite Marvel films in 2011, but now it is merely okay.
The Verdict:
2011: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
2020: 3 STARS OUT OF 5
The Sources:
Thor poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3
“Sir Kenneth Branagh conceptualized this movie as a Norse and comic book twist on William Shakespeare's Henry V (1989), which was about a young King who underwent trials and tribulations: fighting a war, courting a girl from another land, trying to live up to the example set by his father (a beloved King), and basic character development.”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
Tom Hiddleston’s audition as Thor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtLLls2nbyI
The Destroyer: https://marvel-movies.fandom.com/wiki/Destroyer
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