Thor

In the times of the Roman empire, there was a Germanic legend of a God who could wield the thunder with a powerful hammer for the protection of mankind. Fast-forward to 1962 when Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee was looking for a new comic book hero to feature to his menagerie. The new guy had to be more powerful than any human, and a noble warrior too. The result came directly from the old legends, and quickly became part of the Avengers team. Now that Paramount Pictures has done well with the “Iron Man” franchise they are releasing a film for the next Avenger: “Thor”.

We begin this story on a group of astrophysicists led by Jane Foster, a headstrong Natalie Portman (Star Wars, Black Swan). They are in the middle of the New Mexico desert at night when a random but powerful storm whips up, throwing down a brief tornado into which they drive. However, they bump into something they didn’t expect: a man. In the middle of what looks like a crop-circle in the sand, a 6-foot-3 tall Aryan man gets up shouting at the sky and asking where his hammer is.

Shooting off to another dimension in the universe, the mythical world of Asgard is having troubles with neighboring nation in a Cold War, pun intended. The Frost Giants of Jotunheim are large ice people with a big grudge against the Asgardians, and only one man has secured the peace for now. Legendary actor Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, The Wolfman) plays King Odin, an old ruler with enough on his mind but also has to appoint one of his two sons as an heir to the throne. On one hand there is Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who is quiet but obedient and very persuasive in diplomatic manners. Then there is the other child, the proud and rebellious young man Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Just before Odin is about to officially name his heir, trouble arrives when some Frost Giants attempt to steal the Casket, a device which could destroy Asgard. Thor, Loki, and their most trusted companion warriors go to Jotunheim for answers and end up fighting the Frost Giants, but not until Odin gets them out safely. However, for Thor’s insolence, he is banished to Earth, where unbeknown to him the battle will be fought on our human world.

This tale of epic battles and gods has been given the care of director Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein), and he makes it work. The legendary back story of all these characters makes “The Lord of the Rings” look like a dime-novel. Hemsworth has been perfectly cast in the titular role, making Thor not only fight like a manly man but he’s also charming and fun (he kisses Portman’s hand like a gentleman). Whether he fights humans or monsters, with his bare hands or one humongous hammer, this guy gets the job done. Add dazzling eye-candy with fantasy worlds and a rainbow bridge (no jokes, it’s actually kinda cool), and this is a great popcorn movie.

Yet entertainment is really all this has. With the royal family drama resembling “Richard III”, we get very little real depth or emotion from this movie. Odin nearly dies when he tells Loki that he’s a bastard son, and Thor is ready to die as a human so that the Destroyer won’t hurt any humans. This is touching, but serves little purpose except credibility to all the action scenes. Oh well.

“Thor” is not a great movie, but it’s good enough to have fun this summer. The Marvel standards are here, like a cameo from Stan Lee and one scene after the credits to tease us for the next comic movie (Hint: it’s an obscure reference to “Captain America”). If you’re looking for a masterpiece try a Shakespeare play, but for major ass kicking excitement look no further ye mortals than “Thor”.