GrnMarvl14
Lying
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2003
- Messages
- 13,846
- Reaction score
- 4
Yet another spring, and yet another movie from Marvel. This year's was Thor, the latest in the build-up to next year's Avengers.
All told...I thought this was really a good movie. Not great. Not perfect. But above average. The casting was superb, with everyone playing the part they had quite well (Anthony Hopkins as Odin was great. Tom Hiddleston as Loki was nearly perfect, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor was just spectacular, covering the distance from cocky and brash to humble and stoic without losing the core nobility of the character. And Idris Elba was absolutely perfect). The plot was adequate. It told the story it had to tell, but lacking in the switching between Asgard and Earth. I think this could have been a lot better as a Lord of the Rings-style epic, or being more Earth-centric. The constant back-and-forth really hampered the development of the scenes. While not jarring or confusing, it often felt a little odd going from the grandeur of Asgard to the tiny New Mexico locales. Both worked great by themselves, but felt a little odd back-to-back. The worst aspects of the film, though, were the cheesy jokes (Thor being hit by a car, Thor being hit with a taser, and a drunken Eric Solveig were more distractions than humorous) and the occasional stereotypical shots (oh, look, Thor's back. Let's all pause and stare at his glory and ignore the looming danger). It also would have been better served by dealing more with the Warriors Three and Sif, and explaining why they were around. Too often, they seemed like plot devices, or background decoration. And I don't remember Frigga (Odin's wife) being named at all, which was a shame.
But it wasn't just the acting that was good. The action scenes were amazing, with Thor really coming alive as a unique being. They, easily, could have made him a Superman rip-off, but managed to retain the fact that he flies by flinging his hammer, not through his own power. Whirling the hammer around looked great, and conjuring storms was awesome. The frost giants were a little too creepy, but they were a great threat. And the Destroyer was impressive in action. The plot took some nice turns along the way, going a little farther in the Destroyer scene than I was expecting, but doing so with purpose. And Loki's turn in Odin's throne room was nice, though somewhat expected (though going a tad farther than expected). And I absolutely loved the Iron Man ("Stark never tells me anything") and Hulk ("I have a friend who used to do gamma research") references were great, easy ways to tie it into the existing movies without trying too hard to do so.
And there were surprises along the way that only served to improve things: Hawkeye making his first appearance in a VERY short scene (but still seeming so much like Hawkeye. Beyond the use of the bow, he had the right personality and demeanor, which is very nice to see). The post-credits scene with Fury, a certain cube-shaped device, and our first look at what to expect, plot-wise, in the Avengers film. Jane's ex-boyfriend, though not appearing, surely holds promise for future Thor films. And Odin in action, even just briefly, was great (and we even got a Sleipnir appearance).
Again, it was a good movie. Not my favorite, but it did its job: I still want to see Avengers, and I want to see more Thor films. Now the waiting beings for Captain America.
All told...I thought this was really a good movie. Not great. Not perfect. But above average. The casting was superb, with everyone playing the part they had quite well (Anthony Hopkins as Odin was great. Tom Hiddleston as Loki was nearly perfect, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor was just spectacular, covering the distance from cocky and brash to humble and stoic without losing the core nobility of the character. And Idris Elba was absolutely perfect). The plot was adequate. It told the story it had to tell, but lacking in the switching between Asgard and Earth. I think this could have been a lot better as a Lord of the Rings-style epic, or being more Earth-centric. The constant back-and-forth really hampered the development of the scenes. While not jarring or confusing, it often felt a little odd going from the grandeur of Asgard to the tiny New Mexico locales. Both worked great by themselves, but felt a little odd back-to-back. The worst aspects of the film, though, were the cheesy jokes (Thor being hit by a car, Thor being hit with a taser, and a drunken Eric Solveig were more distractions than humorous) and the occasional stereotypical shots (oh, look, Thor's back. Let's all pause and stare at his glory and ignore the looming danger). It also would have been better served by dealing more with the Warriors Three and Sif, and explaining why they were around. Too often, they seemed like plot devices, or background decoration. And I don't remember Frigga (Odin's wife) being named at all, which was a shame.
But it wasn't just the acting that was good. The action scenes were amazing, with Thor really coming alive as a unique being. They, easily, could have made him a Superman rip-off, but managed to retain the fact that he flies by flinging his hammer, not through his own power. Whirling the hammer around looked great, and conjuring storms was awesome. The frost giants were a little too creepy, but they were a great threat. And the Destroyer was impressive in action. The plot took some nice turns along the way, going a little farther in the Destroyer scene than I was expecting, but doing so with purpose. And Loki's turn in Odin's throne room was nice, though somewhat expected (though going a tad farther than expected). And I absolutely loved the Iron Man ("Stark never tells me anything") and Hulk ("I have a friend who used to do gamma research") references were great, easy ways to tie it into the existing movies without trying too hard to do so.
And there were surprises along the way that only served to improve things: Hawkeye making his first appearance in a VERY short scene (but still seeming so much like Hawkeye. Beyond the use of the bow, he had the right personality and demeanor, which is very nice to see). The post-credits scene with Fury, a certain cube-shaped device, and our first look at what to expect, plot-wise, in the Avengers film. Jane's ex-boyfriend, though not appearing, surely holds promise for future Thor films. And Odin in action, even just briefly, was great (and we even got a Sleipnir appearance).
Again, it was a good movie. Not my favorite, but it did its job: I still want to see Avengers, and I want to see more Thor films. Now the waiting beings for Captain America.
