![]() ![]() Sure, Thor has elements that, on the face of it, may lead a bit to some audience snickers (Thor's ability to pick himself up and fly and defeat attackers with little effort are a bit cheesy at times), but the creatives behind Thor, including director Kenneth Branagh, manage to develop a story for Thor that deals with elements of tragedy, pathos, selflessness and, perhaps even more surprisingly, involving character development. Thor, much like Iron Man before it, proves that, in the right hands, a comic tale that appears silly on the surface can have hidden depths when properly plumbed. Meanwhile, Loki, who turns out to have some ulterior motives, seizes control of Asgard following the collapse of Odin from strain, and begins to hatch a grand scheme involving the Frost Giants. However, he finds that, without his super-human abilities, and surrounded by humans, perhaps some of his previous attitudes were incorrect, especially when he connects romantically with Jane. Thor must attempt to locate his power hammer, Mjolnir, from the government agents that have captured it, and attempt to reclaim his place in Asgard. When he arrives on Earth, he is discovered by astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her associates Professor Selvig (Stellan Skarsgaard) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who are convinced that he isn't a random homeless vagabond that they found in the middle of the desert. When the encounter with the Frost Giants ends with tensions re-ignited between the two factions, Odin decides that his son is not prepared to lead his people, and exiles Thor, sans his powers, to Earth. When Thor disagrees with his father's desire to not to retaliate in order to not disturb the peace that currently exists between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants, he takes matters into his own hands, traveling to the Frost Giant's realm with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and compatriots Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) and Fandral (Josh Dallas) in tow. Odin (Anthony Hopkins), ruler of the Asgardians, is preparing to abdicate his throne to his son, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), but on the eve of Thor's inauguration, agents of the Frost Giants infiltrate Asgard and attempt to steal back a device that is the key to their power, which had been taken by Odin at the end of their long struggle. Liberally adapting portions of Thor comic book lore to fit in a more modern comic book film reality, Thor introduces us to a centuries old war between the Asgardians, beings that live for long periods of time and can travel through space from their home realm of Asgard to various other worlds, such as Earth, via the Bi-Frost bridge, and the conflict centric Frost Giants, whom the Asgardians conquered some time back. The cinematic entry for this character, titled simply Thor, is among the better of the Marvel adaptations of recent years, mixing a good sense of fun, strong acting, and some Shakespearian level drama that makes for an especially entertaining time at the movies. However, that doesn't mean that Marvel Studios, the filmmaking wing of the company, feel inclined to give the filmic adaptation of Thor short shrift. Even amongst non-obsessive comic aficionados, such as myself, Thor doesn't quite have the readership draw or the common familiarity in the public that heroes such as Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, etc., have. In the pantheon of Marvel Superheroes, from my vantage point, Thor is a second-tier player. Loki: You know, it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard! I am the monster parents tell their children about at night? I wanted only to protect you from the truth. Loki: You could have told me what I was from the beginning! Why didn't you? Loki: So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me? Bring about an alliance, bring about permanent peace. Odin: I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Loki: Why? You were knee-deep in Jotun blood. Small for a Giant's offspring, abandoned, suffering, left to die. In the aftermath of the battle I went into the temple and I found a baby. Loki: The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it? ![]()
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