Working on a long-term contract in Australia has some benefits. Besides the temperate climate, fantastic people, and copious amounts of top-notch sushi and beer, we also sometimes get some movies before the rest of the world does. This was the case this week with Marvel Studios’ newest release Thor, which had it’s world premiere last Sunday at a downtown Sydney theatre that is just two blocks away from my office. I didn’t go (found out about it as it was happening) but I made certain to see the movie as soon as I could… which was today.
Before I tell you what I think about it, two things you should keep in mind. The first, and this should be obvious to anyone who knows me and reads my ramblings here, is that I’m an unabashed and unapologetic geek. I make the guys on Big Band Theory look normal in comparison. The fact that I appear somewhat normal in public (and also speak to attractive women without being drunk) I credit to good genetics. Add my inherent geekness to a second fact – that I am a big fan of the Thor comic book, especially the work of Jack Kirby and later Walt Simonson on the title – and, well, you may sense some perceived bias in my take on the film. End of disclaimer.
Thor as a movie is far far better that I expected, though my expectations were dramatically lowered by a subpar marketing effort. The movie is being marketed as… well, I don’t know what it’s being marketed as. Is it a fantasy-adventure? Is it a super-hero movie? I don’t blame the marketing department, because they really have a tough job because Thor is kinda… well, it’s Thor. He’s an Asgardian God who is banished to the land of mortals and has to learn lessons in humility and responsibility before he regains his power. Try and package THAT idea to the world.
The thing is, as a movie, it works far more than it should. For that I credit the fairly simple linear storyline, the exceptional directing of Kenneth Branagh and a great cast, especially (Captain Kirk’s dad) Chris Hemsworth. He’s an Australian actor who is very well known for his TV work here (that, and the fact that it opened just before a big five-day holiday weekend, is the reason the premiere was here). He’s very very good in the title role, and it would have fallen apart if he wasn’t so strong. Anthony Hopkins is also fantastic as Odin but the real standout for me is Idris Alba as Heimdall. He was fantastic in the miniseries Luther and steals every scene he is in. If Hemsworth had his start-making turn in his small part in Star Trek, then Alba has his here. He’s an actor I will watch in whatever he does.
Visually, the film is a real treat, and the scenes in Asgard and the world of the Frost Giants are just beautiful. To see the Asgard of Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson come to life… well, for a fanboy like me it’s just fantastic. I felt the same feeling of awe and wonder as I did seeing The Lord of the Rings movies years ago – the world I imagined as a child vividly brought to life. And that’s the thing – this movie is really Lord of the Rings meets Marvel comics… as it should be. There was always a touch of Tolkien in the best Thor stories, and some of the worst Thor stories are where he’s stuck on Earth… Much like Superman, when you have a character of such power that he can do, well, ANTHING… it’s far better to pit him against a cosmic threat than an earthly super-villian.
And George Lucas, please take note: THIS is how you create amazing worlds – incredible CGI with real, practical (and gorgeous) sets.
Is it absolutely perfect? Nope. I think the middle dragged and the work of Natalie Portman just left me cold. She’s basically playing… well, Natalie Portman, and comparing the work here to her Black Swan performance and you wonder if they are even the same actress. And can someone PLEASE tell these guys how to shoot a fight sequence? The big fight on Earth near the end could have been SOOO much better (and it was building to be EPIC), but instead it was a quick melange of CGI and visual effects. Oh, well.
Three other highlights (and I’m trying to avoid SPOILERS but this may be percieved as such, so look away now if you want to be surprised): The cameo of the star of a recent Academy-Award Winning Best Picture as the “eye in the sky”, which sets up his performance in the upcoming Avengers? It made me squeal with joy. Yes, it was total slavish fan service, but I still loved it. Secondly, the tease after the credits is not as ‘OMG 11!’ cool as the Thor teaser at the end of Iron Man 2, but it is a nice hat tip to the upcoming Captain America movie AND Avengers film. Finally, the cameos from Walt and Louise Simonson as well as Stan Lee (all of whom I’ve been lucky to meet in real life) was a nice touch, especially Stan’s line. Yes, Stan, it worked.
All in all it’s not as good as the original Iron Man, a film that I think is the best Marvel adaptation ever (save for the final underwhelming battle sequence, which Thor also suffers from). But it’s quite good, and definitely worth the ticket price.
Of course, I’d love to see a sequel, purely set on Asgard, where Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three have to go on a quest to save… or find… well, something. Maybe to destroy the Ring of Power in the fires of Mount Doom…