Issue #4: Alex's Reflections on Thor (2011)

This is a film of two worlds: Earth and Asgard. Completely different from the previous Iron Man movies and The Incredible Hulk, Thor tries to balance those two worlds by presenting an extended “fish-out-of-water” scenario with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as he struggles with his banishment at the hands of Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Thor is banished due to his hubris and carelessly embroiling Asgard in a senseless war with the Frost Giants. When writing all of this, it feels a bit silly, but after watching this film for the first time in many years, it became apparent that the strength of the film is in Asgard, not Earth.

 

Kenneth Branagh, acclaimed stage actor and extensive Shakespearean veteran, directed Thor, and the extensive amount of dialogue makes that apparent. Nothing is wrong with dialogue, but Thor is characterized early on in the film (in Asgard) as a presumptuous and dangerous antagonist who fool-heartedly rushes into fights and dangerous situations. In short, he is quick to action, not words. When Thor is banished to Earth, the entire film changes. Gone is the majesty of Asgard and its glimmering city. Gone are the overly theatrical garbs that accentuate personalities. Gone is any magic that the film has. Instead, the majority of this film takes place in a desert in New Mexico. 

 

After seeing this again, I was unfortunately reminded of a movie that, upon further reflection, is eerily similar. Masters of the Universe was released in 1987 starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. In that film, a group of freedom fighters from a distant and magical land (Eternia) are teleported to Earth and must find their way back. Along the way, they run into a Pre-Friends Courtney Cox who helps them find their way back to Eternia. The villain, Skeletor, also briefly visits Earth and causes havoc looking for He-Man. Eventually, all of the heroes return to Eternia and defeat Skeletor. The parallels to Thor are astounding. While there are inherent problems with Thor, it is undoubtedly a better film than Masters of the Universe. Regardless, the parallels echo one characteristic that I recognized as a child when originally seeing Masters of the Universe and when seeing Thor today as an adult. When these mythical characters leave their natural setting, they lose a bit of their effect. 

 

One major problem with Thor is that the main character is powerless for the majority of the film. People want to see Thor because the main character is powerful and can do amazing things with his hammer, Mjolnir. Those abilities are teased in an action sequence at the beginning of the film but are ultimately dismissed for nearly an hour and a half in a two-hour film. Essentially, it is a Thor movie without Thor.

I understand the need to present an origin story of sorts for Thor as not many filmgoers were aware of the character prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe gaining popularity. However, the film truly suffers from focusing on Thor navigating a week or so on planet Earth in humorous situations and trying to establish a clumsy romance with Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Thor is a Norse God who summons thunder to vanquish enemies and smashes evildoers with a magical hammer that only he is worthy of using. Instead, audiences are presented with a Thor who is stuck in a New Mexico desert drinking coffee, making jokes, and not using his magical hammer.