@@@AICN COMICS BEYOND!@@@
With the popularity of comic book properties spilling over into movies, TV, and other forms of entertainment, the @$$Holes of AICN COMICS thought it might be interesting to offer our own take on these things. So while some of the other reviews on AICN come from aficionados of film, the @$$Holes are reviewing from the perspective of the rabid comic book reader. With the number of comics being adapted into film ever rising, look for more AICN COMICS BEYOND! in the future.
Ambush Bug on THOR!
Hey folks, Ambush Bug here. I get a particular feeling in my gut upon watching the first seconds of any super hero flick. Since I've invested a good portion of my life reading comic books, it's tough to see stories about my heroes handed over to Hollywood for interpretation. If I close my eyes, it's not hard to see my THOR comic exiting a bus from Broxton, Oklahoma, all starry eyed and dressed in a pretty little farmer's daughter gown with her whole world packed in her suitcase and dreams of stardom filling her heart. As Poison's FALLEN ANGEL plays in the background, some lecherous Hollywood type slinks past an empty vending machine at the bus station, scoops her up, and pretty soon she's whored out, wearing neon and Bat-nipples, doing tricks for a spot in the 5 dollar bin at Best Buy. In those first seconds of a super hero flick, I feel like I'm at the top of a roller coaster, anticipating the fall, but not knowing if it will jump the tracks and go careening into the elephant ear booth or if it will stay on track and take me for a ride that will make me boomerang back to the starting gate as soon as its over. The fact that Marvel has had a pretty good track record (PUNISHER WAR ZONE excluded) over the last few years only gave me more fears that they surely couldn't keep the hits coming. And with THOR positioned up as the lead in for CAPTAIN AMERICA, much like IRON MAN and INCREDIBLE HULK a few years prior, a lot was riding on THOR to be good. But unlike INCREDIBLE HULK, which, let's face it, was OK, but only successful because it rode the coattails of IRON MAN, THOR (the wild card) was dealt first. It was a ballsy move on Marvel’s part. Turns out, it pays off.
THOR starts out on Earth introducing our Midgard (Asgardian for Earth) players; Natalie Portman (yum), Kat Dennings (yummy), and Stellan Skarsgard (burp) as they investigate strange occurrences in the New Mexico sky. Soon they literally run into our hero Thor, but before jumping into the action, we are whisked away to the magical realm of Asgard. By far, the strongest parts of the film take place in the Golden Kingdom. Director Kenneth Branagh does a great job of explaining what the Asgardians are and how their world works through narration provided by Odin the All-Father (Anthony Hopkins). This is key. The crucial factor here is that the crowd that was attracted to all of these Marvel movies could be lead from the more technological and down to earth heroics of IRON MAN to believe the more fantastical world of THOR. Branagh does so by casting the Asgardians as an advanced culture--aliens whose power might be called magic to primitives like Earthlings, but rely on power sources beyond our imagination. While this fact doesn't do well to increase the confidence us humans as a species, it does make all of the godly crap somewhat believable. Branagh's Asgard is majestic and yes, Shakespearean (which is most definitely why he was chosen to helm this film in the first place). Betrayal, jealousy, deceit, and royals acting rashly abound in Asgard; most of which Thor is guilty of himself.
Credit where credit is due; this is the performance that will make Chris Hemsworth a star. I know talking about an actor's range in a super hero film is not common, but on all levels, Hemsworth is Thor. He's brash and headstrong. He's selfish and brave. This is a story of a boy who learns to become a man and while that might be ironic considering a lot of the adults longing to see the film are nothing but grown man-boys, it might be a story some folks could actually learn from. As believable as Thor is as a bull in a China shop with a hammer and broad shoulders in the first scenes in Asgard, he's just as believable in the more quiet scenes with Jane on Earth. There's a particular scene that occurs when Thor is in captivity and talking to Loki that really brought the point home that Hemsworth is not just a pretty face but a star to watch. With the simple words, "Can I go home?" he shows vulnerability, humility, and sadness all at once. Sure the guy is going to be eye candy for all the ladies and some of the men who check out this film, but Hemsworth is much more than that.
The rest of the cast is pretty fantastic as well. Anthony Hopkins uses restraint here. He's not chewing the scenery as he did in every film he's been in since SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Here, he looks the part of the wizened and weary Odin, longing to pass his throne down to a son who is not ready. Natalie Portman's Jane works as well and her super star power doesn't outshine the rest of the cast here. With all of the awkward hurky-jerky-ness of a shy schoolgirl who gets to kiss the high school football star, Portman really sells her role. Most of the other characters are there for comic relief. Kat Dennings' Darcy offers some lines that teeter on the side of clunk, mostly because her lines have been played out in most of the commercials for the film. Stellan Skarsgard does a great job as Jane's boss, serving mostly as an exposition spout, but gets to shine a little in a great scene with Thor midway through the film.
On the Asgardian side, the Warriors Three are used mainly as comic relief. Sure in the comics, they are often comedic characters, but though their moments in battle are few and far between, found myself wishing for more scenes carrying a bit more heft with them. Maybe in a sequel. Some of the funnier lines on Earth are at the Warriors expense which work really well. Sif gets next to no part in this one. Her relationship with Thor (though prominent in the comics) is only hinted at here. I’m sure some target audience poll indicated that if Thor had a hottie on both realms it would have been less acceptable, so I guess I can see why it was neglected to be addressed here. Again, maybe some kind of conflict between Sif and Jane could be dealt with in a sequel. No character gets more of the shaft than Renee Russo's Frigga, Thor's mom, whose role can be barely categorized as a cameo.
Without a good villain, a hero film ain’t shit. Here we've got a horde of Frost Giants which look a bit too much like Andrew Divoff's THE WISHMASTER, but still offer quite a bit of menace. And then there's Loki, my favorite part of the film. Making Loki more of a trickster than a moustache twirling devil was a good choice. As highlighted recently in the comics, Thor is nothing without his brother, and despite his trickery, Thor will always have a place in his heart for him. That’s Thor’s greatest strength and weakness all in one. Tom Hiddleston does a fantastic job of being conniving and squirrely whether he's fighting Frost Giants or attempting to appear noble in front of his brother. I wasn't sure if Hiddleston would be able to carry the role given his relatively unknown status, but after seeing his Loki, I can't see anyone else playing the role. The arc his character follows is a complex and his vengeful passion is somewhat understandable from the viewer’s perspective. Hiddleston does a great job of making his villain iconic and true to the comic.
The film I saw was a crowd pleaser; full of special effects, action straight from the comic book, quiet moments of romance, snappy humor that rarely failed and sometimes caused uproarious laughter. The 3D was not distracting, though I don't think it was as noticeable or necessary shy of a hammer being thrown in yo’ face or a mind-bending trip down the Rainbow Bridge. There were a few stumbles along the way. The wrap up was pretty tidy and the showdown on Earth was definitely weaker compared to the one on Asgard. By the end of the film, when the battle returns to Asgard, the film struggles to make Portman and her crew's role matter. During the final showdown, the screen is way too crowded with stars with next to nothing to do as they wait with the audience for Thor to make his final heroic stand. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise pleasing film.
One thing that isn’t a minor flaw and worth ranting about is the god awful Foo Fighters song over the closing credits. You all know that we have to sit through the credits to get to the super secret teaser at the end of the reel, but do we have to listen to a once great band fart out Learnin’ to Walk Againnnnnn! over and over? Ooooo Gods, this song sucks so bad. Just look at that picture over there and see how it infuriates even Thor! You’ll swear it’s a parody by the SOUTH PARK guys, but it’s not. It’s real! Sitting through “Walk” tis a torture fit for the damndest souls in the deepest bowels of Hel’s Niflheim, my friend! Rant over.
As a reader of THOR's comic book adventures for more than fifteen years, I know there are awesome Thor stories to be told on Asgard and on Earth. This film did a great job of introducing Thor to the masses. Hopefully it does well enough to warrant a sequel because Walt Simonson’s fantasy-filled run and Dan Jurgens’ “King of Asgard” stories would make for some fantastic films. One thing’s for sure, they got Thor’s powers right. Seeing Thor drop the hammer and call down the sound and fury is a thing to behold. While geeks like me will thrill at the teaser after the credits and the well publicized cameo by a certain Avenger midway through (which is pretty damn cool, yet obviously added in late in the game), the girls whose boyfriends dragged them into the theater can oogle at Hemsworth's chiseled bod and thrill at the romance between him and Portman and the guys can marvel at the action and the ‘splosions. THOR is a big summer crowd pleaser for all that ranks right up there with both IRON MAN films and sets the bar even higher for CAPTAIN AMERICA to beat. The film lets everyone know what we comic book readers have been saying for years, THOR is damn cool.Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole / wordslinger / reviewer / co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the covers to purchase)!
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