Avengers Spotlight: Thor - Mobile Edition

Comics Movie Reviews
Avengers Spotlight: Thor
By Troy-Jeffrey Allen
May 3, 2012 - 19:48

Studios: Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios
Writer(s): Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne, J. Michael Straczynski, Mark Protosevich
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skargard, Idris Elba
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Running Time: 1 hour and 54 minutes
Release Date: May 6, 2011
Rating: PG13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Distributors: Paramount Pictures

In anticipation of The Avengers, I’m revisiting the Marvel films that lead up to the May 5th release. I’ll be reviewing each film while attending what my local Regal multiplex has dubbed “The Marvel Movie Marathon.” Ill be examining why certain films captivated the zeitgeist, why certain films failed to impress critics, what each film meant for Marvel Studios’ end game, why The Avengers film could be a bigger sales boost for comic books than the New 52, and how Marvel has augmented Hollywood’s game plan.

Okay. Time for Thor…

After the critically dismissed (albeit financially succesful) Iron Man 2, it was in the best interest of the growing "Marvel Cinematic Universe" to score another critical darling and financial fist-pump in line with the first Iron Man. In 2011, they reached that goal with Thor.

Critics were quick to credit director Kenneth Branagh with the Shakespearian dramatics found within the film, but even Branagh is points out that a sizeable chunk of the familial struggles and grandiose dialogue (the movie is rife with quotables) comes from the comic book source material.

If anything, better than any other superhero film director outside of Tim Burton, Branagh knows how to direct people in ridiculous costume. During this current wave of superhero movies, many extremely talented filmmakers have shown technical competency but few have managed to consistently master the impracticality of a costumed avenger in the "real world" without occasionally bringing to light how glaringly awkward it looks. Branagh brings a visual know-how that is very necessary to the film as a whole. He cleverly pulls back or extremely close during flying sequences and constantly angles shots at an other-worldly tilt. This provides a visual connectivity between the Asgardian armored warriors and the denim jeans of New Mexico. It's a small trick that makes the overall movie fit better than most films in its genre.

Without slaving over clunky bits of continuity bridging, Thor put the Marvel Cinematic Universe back on track. It provided Marvel Studios with a new bankable film franchise to, arguably, replace Iron Man (another Hulk film seemed questionable at this point).Also, with the fantasy-meets-romantic comedy angle, the film cemented that ever-elusive female demographic (y'know, the one that Hollywood seems to understand better than comics). Remarkably, with four films now officially under Marvel’s belt it seemed that The Avengers could become a reality. It all now rested on the unenviable shoulders of one of Marvel's oldest and most conservative heroes. If Captain America bombed it could throw the validity of this Avengers project into question. Fortunately, we would only have to wait a few more months to find out...