Thor (2011) Review

Thor (2011)

Thor follows Thor Odinson, who, after being banished from Asgard and deemed unworthy to wield Mjolnir, meets a young scientist named Jane, who’s driven to help him get back him home and stop Loki from destroying Jotunheim. 

Ah yes, the original Thor, or as I like to call it, Thor: The Curse of the Dyed Eyebrows. Jokes aside, particularly after seeing where Thor has wound up in Love and Thunder, it’s interesting to finally come back and see his heroic beginnings, back in the infancy of the Marvel universe. While in no way a masterpiece (more aptly feeling like a Shakespearean Joe Johnson film), there’s this unshakable quality of a studio hungry to make something great, from a comic book perspective, that has always made this so fascinating to watch. It’s a classic hero’s journey, stripping our hero of his power and sending him to rock bottom, forcing him to climb his way back and mature along the way. 

With his first outing, Thor is cast in a much different light; headstrong, full of himself, destined to be king. And so while the plot was all one big con by Loki to dispose of his brother and take the throne, it was also Loki who helps Thor reach his full potential. Where he finds love, humility, and is willing to sacrifice himself for those around him and become worthy of wielding his hammer once more.

We get a very solid cast too, starring Colm Feore, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Dallas, Kat Dennings, Jaimie Alexander, Clark Gregg, Ray Stevenson, Stellen Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Chris Hemsworth. Particularly in retrospect, it’s amazing how well this film was cast, with Hemsworth bringing this cocky, headstrong, regality that contrasts so sharp with Hopkins powerful nature and Hiddleston’s antics, which come off as sympathetic when the dust settles, just wanting to belong and be accepted by his father. 

Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, really feels like what it is, an ambitious Shakespearean drama, dropping Thor off at his lowest to learn what it means to be have power and the responsibility it brings, especially in the face of adversity. 

7.7/10