Movie Review: Thor

Thor: 3 out of 5 stars

     writers: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne
     director: Kenneth Branagh

     The first big blockbuster of the summer is out and in all honesty I was a little leery.  I love me some comic book movies, but Thor was never really my cup of tea.  The character just always seemed silly, and as far as comic book heroes go, his origin pedestrian.  My interest was piqued none the less because I'm intrigued by the set up of the Avengers movie and I wanted to see what Branagh could do with a pure action flick.  Most times low expectations are the perfect expectations for seeing movies and Thor was no exception.  Highly entertaining, action packed, and, thanks most likely to Branagh, surprisingly poinent, Thor was a great start to the summer blockbuster season.
     That's not to say the movie didn't have its flaws.  The Asgard storyline was much more compelling then the Earth one, leaving the scenes on Earth feeling flat and unimportant.  I understand the need for Earth in the story, Thor needed somewhere to be banished to find redemption and the writers needed to find a way to link him to the Avengers movie, but the time spent away from Asgard hurt.  I found myself wanting the Earth scenes to speed up so we could return to Asgard and the more interesting story.  S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence made sense in the Marvel universe but did nothing to further the story or even really effect the movie's events.  They were just there and, other then providing one action sequence, served no purpose.  I would have been much happier if they just had a peripheral presence and more time was spent in Asgard or developing the relationship between Thor and Jen Foster.
     Which brings me to the Jen Foster character.  It certainly didn't help the movie that Academy Award winner, Natalie Portman, turned in a highly forgettable performance.  I understand that most actresses in these action packed comic movies, if they aren't the many character, fall flat, but you tend to expect more from Portman.  In all honesty, Portman has turned in as many horrible performances as she has brilliant.  She doesn't seem to be the type of actress that can turn weak writing into something with depth and Thor is just a further example.  We are supposed to feel that there is some connection between her character and Thor, but it just isn't there.  It would have been nice to establish something between the two other then two beautiful people finding each other pleasant to look at.
     At it's core Thor is a familiar story of redemption and maturity and Branagh does a great job pulling that core out of the comic book action that surrounds it.  I'm sure his Shakespeare roots helped him see the deeper story and allowed him to present it between wormholes and giant killer robots.  Thor never loses it's themes to silly action, but instead uses the action to bring those themes home.  Thor is a comic book movie with the heart of a Shakespearean tragedy.  Even with a few minor flaws that heart shins through and makes the movie worth going to see.