With the summer movies now coming in hot and heavy, I wanted to make sure I caught up with Thor this week. The film's got problems in terms of pacing, and some of the characterizations are half-baked at best, but it proves to be an enjoyable affair given its brisk but scant 114 minute runtime.
The look of the movie is generally acceptable. My concern was always the CG, and its excessive use thereof. It gels better within the context of the film, and while the quality isn't dazzling, it manages to get the job done. It tends to suffer more during the big action beats, but I admit it makes for some nice background dressing. The rendering of Asgard's vistas are particularly impressive, given the cosmic, fantastical look they were going for -- and the Bifröst rainbow bridge has a great sense of depth and scope. Glad I saw this one in 2D, as I'd hate to have diluted the bright, colorful visuals with dark lenses over my eyes.
Hemsworth and Hiddleston are clearly the star attractions here. The former definitely has the physical build for Thor, and despite his swagger and underlying arrogance, Hemsworth pulls off roguish likeability reasonably well. That moment when Kat Dennings' Darcy utters the line, "This is going on Facebook -- smile!", and he flashes that million-dollar grin is when I was sold on the character. And then there's Hiddleston, whose Loki surprised me by not coming off as the big-bad from the word go. His steady progression into evil is both at once intriguing and believable, almost sympathetic, even -- and Hiddleston knocks it out of the ballpark.
Regrettably, the rest of the supporting cast isn't nearly as strong; Hopkins' Odin is a fine presence for the brief periods that he's onscreen, but it's unfortunate that the Warriors Three + Jaimie Alexander's Sif didn't get more play time. The Midgardians are undoubtedly the weakest link, with Portman's Jane Foster making for an especially disappointing love interest. A lot of the character flaws are attributed to the all-too-brief runtime; indeed, the movie needed more breathing room to properly space out the numerous scenarios between Asgard and Earth, and better build character dynamics.
As for Doyle's music score, Thor is a definite downshift from the composer's usual sophisticated way of music writing, but I think he deserves more credit than what he's been receiving. Filmtracks' Clemmensen says it best: "Much has been made of Doyle's easily apparent, reportedly forced attempt to adapt the Zimmer/RC methodologies into this score, some going so far as to claim that he sacrificed the integrity of his musical style in order to satisfy a larger trend that involves the use of "dumbed down" music for these kinds of situations. On the other hand, though, when you compare what Doyle accomplished for Thor to Alexandre Desplat's recent refusal to significantly adapt his style to fit the Harry Potter franchise, you have to admire Doyle's flexibility. While Doyle enthusiasts may bellyache that there aren't enough of his own tendencies in Thor, along with too much RC-related simplicity, there is in fact a decent amount of Doyle style to hear in this score, and in many ways, the composer emulated James Newton Howard's take on the RC style rather than the Zimmer drones themselves."
The main theme is enjoyable, and it punctuates some of the best heroic sequences throughout. (I was, however, disappointed by how downplayed the melody is on the soundtrack's version of.... "Thor Kills The Destroyer". "Frost Giant Battle" is an especially rousing piece, and is one of my personal favorites.
Thor is a conclusively better film than I initially made it out to be. With Kenneth Branagh offering a good handle of Norse mythology with a Shakespearean touch, he bestows what might have been a rote-by-the-numbers summer blockbuster with some life. It's a shame about that runtime, though; it feels like a more extensive cut could have elevated a good movie to a really great one.
