Reviews: The Avengers

     

       The Avengers is everything you wanted and more. It hits almost all the beats that we wanted to see, joins itself effortlessly and convincingly to all five preceding films, and actually manages to take the familiar characters we’ve come to know to something like the next level. It's a thrilling, funny, and utterly satisfying crossover. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun in a movie theater.

            We open with the arrival of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) on Earth in the middle of a S.H.I.E.L.D. base where Dr. Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) is studying the Tesseract, under the watchful eyes of Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Agents Maria Hill (Coby Smoulders) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Loki quickly declares his intent to conquer the Earth, steals the Tesseract, and destroys the base with one fell swoop.

            In light of the attack, and the threat posed by Loki, Fury decides to enact the Avengers initiative by assembling a response team made up of the world’s superheroes. Coulson and Natasha Romanov AKA Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) are thus dispatched to recruit Tony Stark AKA Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Bruce Banner, sometimes the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, ably replacing Edward Norton) respectively, while Fury approaches the recently thawed-out Steve Rogers AKA Captain America (Chris Evans). 

            Hmm…don’t really want to say much more, except that they’re soon joined by Loki’s brother, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who has returned to Earth to try to talk some sense into his brother or, failing that, bring him back to Asgard to face justice. Oh, and Loki is backed by the Chitauri: a race of reptilian creatures who have agreed to give Loki dominion over Earth in exchange for the Tesseract, which will allow them to conquer the galaxy.

            You might be able to tell that this is a fairly simple plot: Loki wants to conquer the world, Fury assembles the Avengers to stop him. That’s really all we need: we’re not here for big plot twists (though there are a few), we’re here to see the Avengers get together and kick ass…and we do. Oh, do we ever!

            The film is neatly divided into three acts: the first is the gathering of the team, the second their meeting each other and having personality clashes onboard the SHIELD Helicarrier (flying aircraft-carrier, which is every bit as cool as it sounds), the third a massive, extended battle royal against Loki and his army in New York City.

            Crossovers are a relatively rare genre of film, and even rarer is one that actually works as well as The Avengers does (I can only think of two: Freddy vs. Jason and the animated World’s Finest Superman/Batman crossover). More often, you’ll get things like, say, Alien vs. Predator, which, despite a few flashes of inspiration, failed to capture the spirit of either character and ended up being an uncreative, thudding mess (and the less said about the sequel, the better), or the other Universal monster-match-ups like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf-Man or House of Dracula that sidelined one or more of the characters in favor of a particular ‘star.’

            What really stands out about The Avengers, and what might be its signature strength, is how well it juggles all six of its heroes. It actually manages to give each character a surprising amount of screen-time, and no one feels like they could have simply been cut without taking away from the story (well, Maria Hill is a borderline case, but she’s a supporting character so it’s not as noticeable) The filmmakers thankfully didn’t forget that they were making a sequel as well as a crossover, and all the characters we’ve been getting to know over the past five films are allowed to grow, continue, and move on from where they were the last time we saw them. In other words, the film doesn’t just bring all these characters together; it continues their stories from where they left off. We see Captain America trying to adjust to the modern world, we see Tony Stark continuing his transformation from selfish dick to honest-to-goodness hero, we learn more about Bruce Banner’s relationship with his other half, and we get to see Thor and Loki finally have the conversation they were too busy to have last time: the one where Loki tells Thor exactly why he’s doing all this.

            Most importantly, none of the six heroes overwhelms the others: Cap and Iron Man are, fittingly, probably the closest thing the film has to ‘stars’ in terms of impact and screen-time, but no one is forgotten and each gets their chance not only to shine, but to grow and develop.

            Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is as much fun as ever; tossing off ad libs and smart-alecky quips with his usual aplomb. He seems more stable this time around though, less socially dysfunctional and more at peace with himself. This may have something to do with the fact that he and his long-suffering assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, welcome as ever) are now officially a couple, and we get a very charming moment with the two of them near the start of the film to emphasize this (and to finally let us see the romance that the two Iron Man films were leading up to).  Their banter is as witty and lovable as ever, and helps us to realize that Tony is growing and maturing; he’s not the neurotic wreck we once knew, though he’s not completely different either and evinces some notable insecurity in his interactions with Captain America. Downey also excels at saying one thing while letting us see that Stark really thinks something different: one scene with Cap has Stark toss off a rather nasty and patently untrue insult, but a brief aside glance shows us that he knows he’s firing blanks.

            Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America is the same good-guy he was, though now his decency and heroism is tempered by an edge of sadness and disillusion: he’s a man out of time, whose lost pretty much everything he’s ever known and is unsure how he fits in to this new world. I particularly like the way they acknowledge the fact that an idealistic hero from the Greatest Generation would probably be disappointed with the twenty-first century without getting too specific (which would certainly have alienated viewers). Evans is still great at portraying Cap’s essential virtuousness and decency, and he gets a number of good moments that emphasize this (particularly his meeting with Dr. Banner). Cap’s the leader of the team, and the film makes sure to show it.

            Chris Hemsworth as Thor is recognizably still the more humble and selfless figure he became at the end of the last film, though like Stark he’s not a completely different person and still has moments of hotheadedness (particularly his meeting with Iron Man). He’s in somewhat of the opposite position to Cap, in that while both are outsiders, Thor knows and loves this world and has friends here (his friendship with Dr. Selvig is acknowledged, and while Natalie Portman was unable to appear in person, Jane Foster is briefly present in a very sweet moment that is among the many things the film gets exactly right). Hemsworth gets some particularly good scenes with Hiddleston, as he tries to come to terms with what his (still beloved) brother has become.  

            Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner just might be the stand out performance of the film. Banner is a very different person than he was when we saw him last (and not just because he’s played by a different actor); he’s become more-or-less resigned to his curse, and while he still travels the globe in secret, trying to do good for people (we meet him tending plague victims in Cambodia), he’s developed a rather alarming confidence about himself, as well as a somewhat self-deprecating sense of humor about his condition. Basically, he knows that in any situation he finds himself in he holds the trump card. At the same time, he lets us see that Banner is still hurting, still resentful, and still keenly aware of how his condition sets him apart from his fellow men. There are a number of little details in his performance that I loved, such as the way he instinctively hides his face from passing SHIELD agents even after he’s joined the Avengers, or the way he keeps casting glances over his shoulders as though expecting attacks from any corner. Ruffalo gives a complex, multi-layered performance that I’d rank as the best portrayal of the character since Bill Bixby defined the role. The Hulk itself, meanwhile, very nearly steals the whole show with a series of brilliantly conceived maneuvers that puts it to better use than any previous film and makes one eager to see what it might do in another solo adventure.

            (On the subject of the Hulk, the movie deserves credit for a very rare achievement: it actually removed one of my complaints from The Incredible Hulk. In my review, I noted both that the ending shot made no sense and that Bruce Banner didn’t really have any kind of character arc. Well, with the conception of the character in The Avengers we have not only a satisfying explanation of the final scene in Hulk but also, retroactively, are able to read some real development of Banner’s character into the events of the previous film. I don’t want to say anymore, as it would give away some of The Avengers’ most delightful surprises.)            

            Scarlet Johansson as Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow was something of a surprise for me. She really comes into her own in this film, making us realize just how little we knew her in Iron Man 2. Here she’s a curious mixture of coldness, deceitfulness, bravery, and emotional turmoil that let us know that this is a woman who, for all her skills, really hasn’t come to terms with herself. On the one hand, she casually lies to Banner’s face when she comes to collect him and alludes to horrible deeds in her past, on the other she’s a brave and selfless team member, one who does her best to try to keep the team together as the varying personalities start taking their toll and who puts herself on the line numerous times for the sake of her companions (including, at one point, engaging in a battle of wits with Loki himself). I particularly like how her particular skills of infiltration, interrogation, and so on are actually put to good use, making her seem like a valued and important member of the team (no mean feat, considering she’s basically a normal woman fighting alongside super-powered men).

 There’s also an ambiguous relationship between her and Hawkeye that the film sets up just enough of to make us interested while simultaneously understanding that this really isn’t the time or place to explore in depth. It isn’t quite a romantic relationship, but it certainly is close friendship and trust that might hint at something more, however much Black Widow herself denies it (though frankly I’m still hoping for a Captain America-Black Widow romance).

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye doesn’t really have as much to do as the others (partially due to a first-act twist that effectively isolates him from the team for much of the film), but he does at least get off some good moments. He’s the hero that is least developed either in previous films (he only had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in Thor prior to this) or in this one, being little more than a rather snarky sidekick and motivating force for Black Widow. He doesn’t really come into his own until the end fight, during which he pulls off a number of excellent maneuvers, but he at least holds his own and feels like he contributes something to the film, despite his limited character.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki, meanwhile, isn’t quite the same complex character he was in Thor. He still has shades of it, particularly whenever he and Thor have a scene together, but he’s basically a straight-up bad guy this time, with little sign of the contradictory emotions and neediness he had in the previous film. Still, he’s certainly an effective villain, blasting his way through S.H.I.E.L.D. guards and heroes with terrifying ease, showing himself to be a threat truly worthy of the Avengers. He’s also a delight to watch as he confidently manipulates and blasts his way towards victory, usually with a good dose of sarcasm or boastful speeches thrown in. Loki this time around is a villain you truly love to hate, and Hiddleston again shows his mastery in the role.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury finally gets a chance to be front and center, and does a typically good job in the role, though with so many other characters flying around he sometimes gets a little overwhelmed for all of Jackson’s charisma. Clark Gregg is back as Agent Coulson, here showing more of a personal side as he chats with Pepper or has a gushing fan-boy moment with Cap. Coby Smoulders doesn’t really have much to contribute as Agent Maria Hill, serving mostly as someone for Fury to talk to, but she handles herself well enough, particularly in the opening action sequence. Paul Bettany is back as JARVIS, and as snarky as ever. Stellan Skarsgard as Dr. Eric Selvig has a rather compromised role this time around, but is a welcome presence nonetheless. Meanwhile, Harry Dean Stanton (of Alien fame) has a brief but amusing cameo as a janitor who gives Banner a hand after one of his Hulk episodes (“You have a condition, son”). 

One of the key ingredients to making a good crossover is the question of how these characters will react to each other. In almost every case, The Avengers absolutely nails the interactions that, say, Thor and Captain America, or Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, might be expected to have. Stark and Banner in particular have surprisingly good chemistry, bonding over their shared love of science (“Finally! Someone who speaks English!” “Was that what just happened?”). Most of the inner-team rivalry centers around Cap and Stark, and it must be said that while their verbal battles are entertaining, it sometimes feels like Cap isn’t being allowed to push back as hard as he should against Tony. Stark is allowed to have the last word a few times too many for my taste, including a couple times when he really shouldn’t. It’s not a major problem, just something that might have been improved.

Something that almost completely makes up for it, however, is the way that they drop their bickering immediately when the chips are down. Once the time has come for action, Cap and Iron Man work surprisingly well together, better than anyone would have expected given their vastly differing personalities (I’m reminded of a similar dynamic among the three men in Jaws). The way they actually grow to respect and trust each other is engaging, and the two of them serve as the heart of the team (and the film).

There is also real heart and sweetness in the team’s treatment of Banner, who is clearly rather nervous at meeting so many other people, and unused to the simple respect and friendship they show him. As noted, his scenes with Stark are particularly good as Stark essentially tries to cheer him up and give him a new perspective on his condition (one funny moment has him playfully jabbing Banner in the side to ‘test’ his control…while at the same time letting Banner know that Stark isn’t afraid of him).

As you might have gathered, The Avengers is a furiously action-packed film, though it’s never confusing and never feels overstuffed (surprisingly enough). The action always seems to serve the story, rather than vice-versa. Even an exhibition match between Thor and Iron Man feels like it fits in both with what’s going on in the story and with the personalities of the two characters (kudos also for the choreographers for making the fight believably even). There’s a great creativity to these scenes, giving the moments we wanted to see, while also giving us a number of surprises along the way. The action sequences are face-paced, outsized, and utterly thrilling, from the opening assault on the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, to the battle on the Helicarrier, to the epic final confrontation in New York City. Sprinkled throughout are perfect “crossover” moments: moments that fans of the characters would demand to see in any decent match-up between them. Thus we have moments like Iron Man reflecting his repulser rays off of Cap’s shield, or the Hulk trying to pick up Thor’s hammer, or the glorious moment when the team assembles as a complete unit for the first time and Cap begins ordering them to their places.

I really can’t think of too many flaws for the film, and they’re mostly ones of omission. I mentioned that characters like Nick Fury and Maria Hill get somewhat overshadowed or lost in the shuffle, though there doesn’t seem like a whole lot that anyone could have done about that. Also, I wish they hadn’t stacked the deck quite so much against Cap’s idealism: he never drops it, but he has it challenged more times than he probably should (though the film ultimately supports his idealism and selflessness as preferable to Stark’s cynicism). The fight between Thor and the Hulk (which I had been particularly looking forward to seeing) was far too short for my tastes. I also wish they could have fit the line “Avengers assemble!” into the film somewhere.

There are also a couple of moments where the story slips a bit: it’s mentioned a couple times that you can’t go out onto the Helicarrier while it’s in flight because of the thin atmosphere, but then several characters do so with no apparent problem. Likewise, one scene has Thor caught in a death trap that seems to pose more of a threat to him than it really should. The “World Defense Counsel” just sort of shows up without much explanation and doesn’t really serve much purpose apart from making Fury look good by comparison. I was also rather disappointed that Black Widow’s fighting style (which I praised in Iron Man 2 for its relative restrain and realism) has been simplified to precisely the rather prosaic punches and kicks I was so pleased the previous film had avoided. She’s still persuasive in the action scenes, but not as much as she was before.

Fortunately, there aren’t too many such moments. On the whole, The Avengers is the most fun I’ve had in a theater for a very long time and one of the most satisfying crossover films I’ve ever seen.

Final Rating: 5/5 Everything you wanted it to be: not only highly recommended, but it’s worth seeing the previous five films just to fully enjoy this one.

Memorable Quotes:

Nick Fury: “We have no quarrel with your people.”

Loki: “An ant has no quarrel with a boot.”

Bruce Banner: “Are you here to kill me, Agent Romanoff? Because that’s…not going to work.”

Black Widow: “We need you to come in.”

Banner: “What if I say no?”

Black Widow: “I’ll persuade you.”

Banner: “And what if the Other Guy says no?”

(regarding his new Stark Tower in Manhattan)

Tony Stark: “This is your baby. Give yourself…twelve percent of the credit.”

Pepper Potts: “Twelve percent?”

Stark: “An argument could be made for fifteen.”

(after being interrupted by Coulson)

Stark: “I thought we were having a moment.”

Pepper: “I was having twelve percent of a moment.”

(about the Helicarrier)

Steve Rogers: “Is this thing a submarine?”

Banner: “Do they really want me in a compressed metal tube?”

(the Helicarrier takes off)

Banner: “Oh, this is much worse.”

(to a crowd in Germany)

Loki: “In the end…you will always kneel.”

(an old man stands up)

Old Man: “Not to men like you.”

Loki: “There are no men like me.”

Old Man: “There are always men like you.”

(during an encounter with Thor, Cap suits up)

Black Widow: “You might want to sit this one out, Captain. Those guys are alien beings, they’re basically gods.”

Captain America: “There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.”

Thor: “We were raised together, we played together, we fought together! Do you remember none of that?”

Loki: “I remember a shadow. I remember living always in the shade of your greatness.”

Cap: “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that away, what are you?”

Stark: “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”

Cap: “I know guys with none of that who are worth ten of you.”

Banner: “Last time I was in New York I sort of broke…Harlem.”

Thor: “You people are so petty! And tiny!”

Loki: “I have an army.”

Stark: “We have a Hulk.”

(fighting the invading aliens)

Black Widow: “Just like Budapest all over again!”

Hawkeye: “You and I remember Budapest very differently.”

(giving the team their orders)

Cap: “And Hulk…smash.”

Reviews: Thor

  

             Thor is probably the most unusual of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a curious hybrid: half-superhero movie, half-high-fantasy adventure film. It’s a mixture that could have very easily failed spectacularly, or dissolved into silliness, but incredibly enough it works. Indeed, it almost works a little too well, as the high-fantasy, Shakespearean elements occasionally threaten to completely overwhelm the Earth-bound storyline.

                After a brief opening in New Mexico, the story proper kicks off with an account of the war between the Asgardians, led by Odin Allfather (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, led by Laufey (surprisingly subtle Colm Feore) fought on Earth in centuries past. The Asgardians are victorious, taking the source of the Frost Giant’s power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

                Flashing forward to the present, Odin prepares to hand over the kingdom to his eldest son, Thor (Chris Hemsworth); a brave, but arrogant and hot-headed warrior. The ceremony is interrupted when a group of Frost Giants attempts to steal back the Casket, only to be eliminated by its guardian, the Destroyer. Thor insists that Asgard should retaliate for the attack, but Odin refuses, not wanting to spark another war. Accompanied by his friends, Sif (Jamie Alexander), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), as well as his younger, more level-headed brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston in the film’s stand-out performance), Thor decides to take it upon himself to investigate Jotunheim, resulting in a pitched battle that destroys the truce between the two races.

                For his actions, as well as his arrogant refusal to acknowledge his mistake, Thor is stripped of his power and exiled to Earth, where he lands in New Mexico and is picked up by astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her friends, Darcy Lewis (hilarious Kat Dennings) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). Thor then sets out on a quest to recover his power, represented and contained in the hammer Mjolnir…which is now in the possession of S.H.I.E.L.D., as represented by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).

                The movie’s key strengths are the grand, Shakespearean tone of the Asgard plotline and the easy-going humor of the Earth-bound scenes. Yes, I said Shakespearean, and I meant it. The Asgard scenes play like a “Shakespeare’s greatest hits” collection, being all about war, kingship, fatherhood, questions of identity, treachery, and other mighty themes. In its central question of who shall be king, the story makes overt allusions to King Lear in particular, as well as snippets of Othello, Richard III, and Richard II (Loki’s character in particular is basically Prince Edmund with magical powers). Don’t think I’m being overly complimentary: the film doesn’t come within miles of Shakespearean-level writing, but it does at least take clear inspiration from the Bard, which both elevates the tone considerably and serves to make the story feel much more important and interesting than it would have otherwise. This Shakespearean influence (in the deft hand of Shakespeare veteran Kenneth Branaugh) is the key reason the film works as well as it does and prevents it from being merely an exercise in silliness.

                It’s perhaps inevitable, therefore, that the Earth storyline simply isn’t as interesting. The story of Thor’s exile on Earth, while enjoyable, just can’t match the scope and power of the goings on back in Asgard. That said, the Earth scenes are almost never boring, and are held together by a combination of good-natured humor and the strength of Chris Hemsworth’s performance. In particular, the film does a very good job of presenting both Earth from an Asgardian perspective and Thor from a human perspective. Obviously, the initial assumption is that Thor’s just crazy, but the characters quickly take note of odd evidence that seems to corroborate his story, and though they still take a long time to truly believe him, his earnestness and old-fashioned courtesy leads Jane to at least trust him to some extent.

                I especially like how Thor’s reaction to Earth is handled. When Thor arrives on Earth, he doesn’t suddenly turn into a complete idiot and start, say, attacking cars thinking they’re monsters or panicking when someone takes his picture. There’s some definite culture shock, but he’s able to mostly take it in stride once he bothers to try. For instance, there’s a funny scene at a diner where he chows down on a massive breakfast. Finishing his coffee, he calls for another by smashing the cup to the ground. When Jane and the others rebuke him, he’s at first amusedly dismissive, then apologetic upon realizing that he had been rude. This is actually good writing: Thor may be an arrogant hot-head, but he’s also a well-brought up nobleman trained in courtesy, one who has travelled to other worlds before and, as such, would be aware that different cultures have different manners. Realizing he’s made a mistake, he apologizes and takes note of what’s expected.

                Basically, Thor can understand human culture quite readily once he takes the trouble to. His ‘fish-out-of-water’ moments almost all come early in the film, while later he becomes more or less perfectly functional by the simple expedient of being courteous and not messing with things he doesn’t understand. This makes the film markedly more intelligent than most that have similar storylines.

                The main problem with the Earth-bound story is that not a whole lot happens in it until the climax; apart from one rather perfunctory action sequence, it’s entirely made up of occasionally repetitive dialogue scenes as the human characters try to figure Thor out and Thor tries to recover his hammer. They aren’t bad scenes (though, as noted, they sometimes grow repetitive as Selvig repeatedly calls Thor crazy and Jane repeatedly insists they keep an open mind), but after the grandeur of Asgard and the spectacular early battle on Jotunheim, they’re a bit of a letdown.

                One of the rather surprising things about this movie is how very funny it often is, both on Earth and in Asgard. I’ve already noted Thor’s amusing faux pas once he arrives on Earth, but there’s also the charming “Warriors Three” as listed above, who get some great boisterously humorous moments (“Do not mistake my appetite for apathy!”). On Earth, meanwhile, we have Jane’s friend, Darcy; a mildly apathetic, detached snarker who has little interest in science, but seems to have taken the job of assisting Jane (“She was the only applicant”) primarily for her own deadpan amusement. She gets some of the best lines in the film (“I am not dying for six college credits!”), and is one of the more charming comic-relief characters in recent memory. Then there are the running gags of Jane running into Thor with her van (“I swear I’m not doing this on purpose!”), Darcy’s taser, and Thor being knocked out repeatedly upon arriving on Earth. My favorite scene in the film, meanwhile, involves Thor bursting into a pet shop in search of a suitable mount.

                Performance wise, Chris Hemsworth gives a surprisingly strong showing as Thor. He’s very good at being loud and boisterous, as befits the god of thunder, but his best moments are the quieter ones, particularly the scene when Thor comes to the end of himself and believes that the life he knew is lost to him forever. Hemsworth showcases some great skill at alternating between subtlety and haminess, and good judgment at understanding when each is appropriate. That the film works as well as it does is due in large part to the fact that Hemsworth is able to sell Thor as a real character, both in the larger-than-life world of Asgard and on present-day Earth. He’s the link that binds the two stories together, and he manages that difficult task with grace and skill (he also deserves credit for holding his own acting alongside a powerhouse like Sir Anthony Hopkins).

                The best performance in the film, however, is Tom Hiddleston as Loki, who is quite simply the best villain in all the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A lean, inscrutable, soft-spoken bundle of envy, self-loathing, genius, arrogance, and neediness, he is at once alarmingly amoral and oddly sympathetic. We feel for him in his desire to prove himself to his father and his sense of being overshadowed by Thor. “I never wanted the throne,” he tells Thor during their climactic battle. “I just wanted to be your equal!” Loki excels at deceiving not only the other characters, but the audience as well. Up until the very end, we’re never quite sure where he stands: does he want the throne? Does he just want to humiliate Thor? Does he want to kill Odin? He plays his hand so skillfully that neither we nor the other characters can quite get a read on him until the end. Not only that, but when his plot is revealed it turns out to have been set up so skillfully that there actually isn’t anything Thor can do about…at least without making a tremendous sacrifice of his own.

                Loki is a complex, fascinating character. The best part about him is that even in the midst of his schemes he often comes across as so genuine, so emotionally sincere that you can fully believe the people around him would trust him. What’s more, his relationship with Thor is unusually ambiguous: Thor clearly still loves his brother, even after Loki’s treachery is revealed, but Loki’s feelings towards Thor are harder to pin down. On the one hand, he seems to hate him and even tries to kill him, but on the other, he seems to respond in some way to Thor’s overtures of peace and continued affection.

                Hiddleston deserves great credit for his performance; he makes Loki into a character we sympathize with and feel for, even as we are horrified by his actions. I particularly like the way Loki, while he’s soft-spoken and collected (in contrast with the louder, more emotional Thor) most of the time, occasionally slips into more open expressions when he’s honestly upset. It lets us see that, while Loki is manipulative and deceitful most of the time, he is still capable of real, sincere emotions; of loving and being hurt…

                As Odin, Sir Anthony Hopkins is, well, Sir Anthony Hopkins; what more do you need to know? He pretty clearly isn’t using his full talents, but he seems to be having a good time in the role and lends it his natural gravitas. He does best in his confrontations with his sons; particularly in the scene where Loki discovers information Odin had kept from him about himself. Hopkins expertly crafts the image of a father who genuinely loves both his sons, but cannot entrust his kingdom to either. His disappointment, sorrow, and care are effortlessly portrayed and make a strong impression, despite Hopkins’ limited screen time.

                Natalie Portman, unfortunately, doesn’t make much of an impression as Jane Foster. She’s cute and amusingly flustered by Thor, but we never quite believe that Thor would be so taken by her, or that she would have the effect on him that she’s supposed to. Basically, despite a number of entertaining moments, she’s just not very interesting as a character (as a side note, I can’t help mentioning an interview with Portman I read in which she seemed to think playing a female scientist was unusual. Maybe in the 1930s it was, but in 2011...).

                Stellan Skarsgard does better as her mentor, Dr. Erik Selvig. He lends a level of maturity and clear-headedness to the Earth storyline, and Skarsgard does a good job at portraying his obvious affection for Jane while still setting him at odds with her over Thor. His best scene is a male-bonding moment he and Thor share at a bar, where they discuss being at rock bottom over large glasses of beer (leading to a funny moment where they start an impromptu drinking contest).

                Clark Gregg, meanwhile, has his largest role yet as Agent Coulson, giving the character more room to spread out and grow. Here we get to see that Coulson is a very smart, capable man, able to think outside the box, make good judgment calls, and even shrewdly manipulate other characters to his own ends. He’s a good guy, but he plays a mildly antagonistic role here, appropriating all of Jane’s equipment and data (including Darcy’s ipod), in essence rather coldly taking away her life’s work. Coulson is pretty much Thor’s main opponent on Earth, and he shows himself to be more than up to the challenge. He also gets a number of very funny moments, such as when he finds himself face-to-face with the Destroyer. “One of Stark’s?” an agent asks. “I don’t know,” Coulson sighs. “Guy never tells me anything…”

                Other roles generally don’t make too much impression, but are well played enough. I mentioned Kat Dennings as Darcy being one of the funniest elements in the film, but again I’d like to give her a shout out for being comic-relief without becoming too annoying. Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas, and Tadanobu Asano as the Warriors Three don’t have a whole lot to do, and are never really as badass as they’re supposed to be, but they are fun enough company and get a number of good moments. Jamie Alexander as Sif fares a little better, but she likewise doesn’t have much to do (and the mythology buff in me has to wonder: was it really that hard to make Sif blond, seeing as that was practically her whole shtick in the myths?). Idris Elba, by contrast, is rather startlingly memorable as Heimdall the watchman, being pretty much the only character who is exactly as I pictured him from the myths: a no-nonsense badass who has zero vulnerability to – or respect for – Loki (the fact that Elba is black demonstrates pretty firmly the maxim that it’s better to get the personality of a character right than the appearance). Colm Feore as Laufey is coldly menacing, but has surprising depth considering his small screen time. Credit should also be given to Feore for giving such a subtle, effective performance while under such heavy makeup and prosthetics. Jeremy Renner, meanwhile, has a very brief cameo as Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye, which he makes the most of with a series of awesomely snarky lines (“You want me to slow him down, or are you gonna send more guys in for him to beat up?”), while Samuel L. Jackson makes his by-now traditional post-credits appearance as Nick Fury.  

                One area in which Thor excels in contrast to the other films of the MCU is in its visuals, which are striking and creative. There’s Asgard with its gleaming palaces, its brightly lit, cavernous halls, and its ocean constantly spilling over into space, and Jotunheim, all ice, snow, and ruins; reminding one of the Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings if they had been frozen over. Connecting the two (and Earth) is the bifrost rainbow bridge, which is a simply gorgeous creation, even though we only get to really see inside it once (the more mundane bridge connecting it to Asgard is likewise a beautiful sight, with its ever-changing colors that glow and shift when touched). During the end credits, meanwhile, we get a tour of Yggdrasil, the world tree, here envisioned as a vast nebula spanning the galaxy and connecting the different worlds in a beautiful and poetic visual effect.

                As you can probably tell, the effects are quite good here, though that is pretty much par for the course these days. The Destroyer is a particularly impressive creation; a ten-foot suit of armor that blasts a fiery beam at anything that gets in its way (the beam reminded me most of Godzilla’s atomic ray during the brief period that it was colored orange). The filmmakers also did a good job of integrating the actors into the fantastic, otherworldly environments so that they actually seemed to be inhabiting them, rather than just looking up at matte paintings (for a particularly dramatic example of how this can go wrong, see the live-action Dungeons and Dragons movie…no, on second thought, don’t).

                Of course, for a mythology buff like myself, it was pretty fun noting where the film matched up with the original myths. For the most part, I confess, it’s an ‘in name only’ adaptation: this Thor, Loki, Odin, etc. are clearly not the ones I grew up with (though they’re characters I can appreciate in their own right). There are points of similarity, but they’re clearly different people. On the other hand, an appearance by Sleipner, Odin’s eight-legged steed, delighted me so much when I first saw it that I actually missed a good part of the following dialogue out of excitement. More importantly, the film takes an oft-forgotten aspect of Loki’s character and applies it in a rather startling manner (Incidentally, I’m probably the only one who reacted to a shot of Thor and his companions riding out of Asgard with the thought “I wish they had given him his goat-drawn chariot.”).

                Thor is a rather odd film to review, because while it’s a good movie, and it’s definitely enjoyable to watch, I found it doesn’t really stick with me afterwards. It’s good, but not very memorable, and it has a number of clear flaws. I already mentioned the disconnect between the Asgard scenes and the Earth scenes, but really that’s probably the film’s biggest problem. The effect is rather akin to flipping back-and-forth between a production of King Lear and, say, a showing of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. It’s not that either is bad, it’s that one is a lot more than the other and you’re rather impatient to get back to it.

                Then there’s the fact that Thor’s redemptive character arc doesn’t quite work as well as it should. There simply isn’t enough of a clear difference between the Thor we meet at the beginning and the Thor we have at the end: he’s a little more polite and humble, but you really have to be observant and to consider the character to spot the points of change. On the one hand, that shows a respect for the audience’s intelligence, and I’m glad they don’t just make Thor a complete asshole like Tony Stark, but on the other it rather damages the effect of the story. Thor’s moment of truth, the moment that’s supposed to reveal him as a changed man, isn’t as effective as it should be, because we don’t quite buy that he wouldn’t have done it at the start of the movie (on the other hand, another moment later in the film in which he has to make a real sacrifice on behalf of people he has no reason to care about shows his changed character much better).

                There are other problems: as noted, the romance between Thor and Jane doesn’t quite work; we never really believe they have a real emotional connection. There are some sweet moments between them, but compared to the great Tony Stark-Pepper Potts relationship, or even the Bruce Banner-Betty Ross romance, it falls pretty flat.

                The attempts to play the ‘this is where ancient myths come from’ card, which is a lame plot development at the best of times, mostly fails since we have the insurmountable problem that the film depicts Thor and Loki growing up after the Asgardians retired from Earth, making their presence in the mythology completely inexplicable (let alone how the myth writers knew Loki would turn evil). Fortunately, the idea isn’t pressed too hard, though it crops up enough and is emphasized enough to be considered a legitimate plot hole.

                Finally, the big central action scene of the film, Thor’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s facility around Mjollnir, is, as noted, pretty perfunctory. It’s well-staged and proficient, but not very exciting or creative (it’s a bad sign when the most thrilling moment in an action sequence is an unseen figure selecting a bow-and-arrow from a weapons rack).

                On the other hand, the other major action sequences, the infiltration of Jotunheim, the battle with the Destroyer, and Thor’s climactic battle with Loki, are much better done, and while they aren’t as creative or well staged as the ones in The Incredible Hulk or Iron Man 2, they have enough moments of inspiration to get along with. The Jotunheim sequence has a number of good conceits, such as the giant monster that shows up mid-way through the battle (and at one point ends up running upside-down beneath the planet’s surface), and serves a good showcase for Thor’s powers. Actually, almost too good a showcase: at times it feels like they’re ticking off Thor’s different moves like the training level of a video game. The climactic battle with Loki, meanwhile, probably packs more emotional punch than any previous climax in the MCU, as Thor tries to avoid fighting Loki, while Loki spits out his complaints about his life at Thor.

                In summary, Thor is ultimately a successful attempt a very unusual type of superhero movie. It combines Shakespearean grandeur and high-fantasy visuals with good-natured humor and the now-familiar world of S.H.I.E.L.D., Iron Man, and the Hulk. It’s true that the balance of these two storylines is uneven, but not fatally so, and the movie is ultimately an enjoyable, thrilling, and emotionally affecting story that is well worth seeing.

                Final Rating: 4/5. Recommended to mythology buffs, fantasy fans, fans of the MCU, those who want to see an interesting story-balancing act, and those who enjoy a really excellent villain.

Memorable Quotes:

(convincing his friends to join him in going to Jotunheim)

Thor: “Who led you into the most glorious battles?”

Hogun: “You did.”

Thor: “And Volstagg, who introduced you to delicacies so succulent you thought you had died and gone to Valhalla?”

Volstagg: “You did.”

Thor: “And who proved wrong all those who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this kingdom has ever seen?”

Sif: “I did!”

Thor: “…True, but I supported you.”

Thor: “As king of Asgard…”

Odin: “BUT YOU’RE NOT KING! Not yet.”

Thor: “I have no plans to die today!”

Heimdall: “None do.”

Laufey: “You have no idea what you’ll unleash. I do…”

(surrounded by Frost Giants, Thor and his friends are given the chance to retreat)

Frost Giant: (to Thor) “Run back home, little princess.”

Loki: “Damn.”

(after a fight with Jane over the wheel led to them hitting Thor with the van)

Darcy: “I’m pretty sure that was legally your fault.”

(at the hospital, explaining how Thor got there)

Jane: “Darcy tased him…”

Darcy: (proudly) “Yes, I did.”

Loki: “What am I?”

Odin: “You are my son.”

Loki: “What more than that?”

(taking aim at Thor)

Hawkeye: “You better call it, Coulson; cause I’m startin’ to root for this guy.”

Agent Coulson: (to Thor) “You made my men, some of the most highly-trained professionals in the world, look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops. That’s hurtful.”

(Thor brings a drunken Selvig home)

Jane: “What happened?”

Thor: “We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!”

Thor: “I’ve changed.”

Loki: “So have I.”