Kenneth Branagh’s labour of love

Thor (2011)
Certified: PG
Duration: 114 minutes
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard
KRS release

Thor is evidently a labour of love for Kenneth Branagh who is better known for his William Shakespeare adaptations rather than superhero films. This is evident in the way he directs this pseudo-science fantasy superhero epic.

As a child, Thor was one of my favourite comics ever. I still remember sadly how my mother threw away a whole batch of Thor comics just because I was not studying hard enough and was always re-reading his adventures instead. The blond-haired giant was noble, wielded a hammer, summoned lightning and was the son of Odin. What more could a boy dream of?

From the resulting film it’s obvious that the comic book had also left an effect on Mr. Branagh. All fans, me included, were wary of seeing such a great character get the wrong end of the Hollywood stick and end up an exercise in camp. Thankfully this does not happen. The film is just the right mix of drama, tongue-in-cheek, action, fantasy and great characters. It really makes this one of Marvel’s best efforts so far in their quest to bring the Marvel Universe to the big screen.

Like the recent Hulk and Iron Man, Thor is both an origin story and also a build-up to next year’s much anticipated The Avengers. At the centre of the film is the great performance and physical presence of Chris Hemsworth who is already being touted as being the best Aussie export since Heath Ledger. The decision to cast a relative unknown is a wise one and Mr Hemsworth is believable as the fabled Norse god of thunder. He is the film’s true spirit and passion.

The film’s plot follows many threads. It is about a god who is exiled to earth as we see Thor being cast out of heavenly Asgard.

This is also the tale of two brothers, Thor and the evil-scheming Loki (Tom Hiddlestone) who will fight for the throne but with different objectives. Then there is also the relationship between Thor and human scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).

Mr Branagh has made the right casting choices for this epic. Tom Hiddlestone may not be so physically threatening and assuring a figure as Mr Hemsworth. Yet he brings a sense of evil mixed with egotism, of real villainy that may be cartoonish yet still coldly calculating and manipulative. Natalie Portman is sweet while Anthony Hopkins as Odin is just right as the godly father figure. Kat Dennings as Darcy is the perfect sidekick and her bouts of dry humour really steal the show.

The fantasy sequences depict a dreamy yet polished Asgard, a home fit for larger-than-life gods. The action sequences are well directed. The film is more in vein with the classic comic books of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby time and never really opts to be too self-aware for its own good.

Thor will certainly whet our appetite, gearing us up for next year’s The Avengers, for this end of summer’s Captain America and, more importantly, for another Thor feature.

Watch out for cameos from the likes of Nick Fury and other story elements that will make every fan boy speculate. Comic book fans will lap it up while cinema-goers will enjoy this fantasy action adventure in its unabashed earnestness.