Thor (Branagh, 2011)
May 19th 2011 00:57
Thor (Branagh, 2011)
Written May 18, 2011
Thor is the latest in the group of Marvel Super-Hero films that are meant to set up an epic showdown in Joss Whedon’s 2012 film, The Avengers. Never before in cinema has such an advantageous undertaking occurred on this type of grand scale wherein numerous films will be essential and necessary for the outcome of a greater project. Watching the progression of this project is something to behold; from it’s beginnings of Iron Man and The Hulk to the confirmation that “yes, they’re really doing this it’s not just a rumor”. The most interesting parts of Thor are the shout-outs to the loyal fans: from the inclusion of the after the credits scene from Iron Man 2 that you see within the film and realize the exact timeline in which these events are occurring to the un-credited cameo of a certain character who will appear in The Avengers. We’re witnessing a setup worthy of comic books themselves and so far, the films have been rather consistent in quality. Thor, however, is no Iron Man. It’s not Spider-man 2 or The Dark Knight, neither, but it’s definitely an entertaining film which takes on some refreshing angles.
Aside from the inherent canon of the Marvel film franchise, the most fascinating element with regard to Thor is its subversion of gender roles. Thor does not adhere to the male gaze. Instead, there is a distinct female gaze running through the film’s trajectory. Despite the presence of Natalie Portman and Jaimie Alexander, there is not one ounce of female objectification. If anything, Portman as Jane Foster is de-sexualized, portrayed as almost prudish. She giggles and gawks at Thor, all the while being a smart character who’s clearly cared more about her work than anything else. She dons loose clothing and is never once viewed sexually in the camera’s eyes. Even more surprising is the filming of Alexander. Her character, Sif, is dressed in skimpy warrior attire, yet there are no slow pans of the camera, no focus on her breasts or other assets. She is a powerful feminine presence who can take care of herself.
There is more objectification of the female form and sexual innuendo in the two minute trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 than there is in two hours of Thor. On the other hand, Chris Hemsworth as the titular character is drooled over by both Portman and Kat Dennings’ sidekick character. Branagh’s camera lingers on Hemsworth’s muscles while Dennings emits cracks about how ‘cut’ our hero is. With each gaze at Thor, Jane Foster looks like she wants to jump him; it is the most overt sexualization of a male lead character in recent memory and a nice change of pace.
Further, Branagh does some brilliant things with comedic timing, to the point that Thor’s immersion in life on Earth feels incredibly retro; a scene in which his friends walk down a street in complete warrior garb could have been something out of the Masters of the Universe film.
Branagh’s depiction of Asgard is rather stunning; the visual effects are gorgeous, particularly the rainbow bridge and effective use of landscapes. That being said, the rest of Branagh’s direction doesn’t feel particularly inspired or creative. He proves he can certainly handle helming a daunting project as this but he lacks a practiced hand when it comes to the battle scenes. The action sequences are full of frenetic energy and chaos to the point that the viewer loses track of what they’re seeing. As a result, these scenes which are meant to draw the audience deeper into the action only serve to further alienate the viewer from the story. These scenes meander for too long, and the end result overall is boredom.
Despite these criticisms, Branagh does have a steady hand for the most part, getting the most of his character’s emotions and the feel of their plights, particularly Thor and Loki’s. Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) is by far the most interesting character on screen, even though the dynamic between him and Thor could have been heightened and developed a lot more. The structure of the film is odd in that it starts with scene in present day and then jumps to a lengthy flashback and voice-over. The opening scene almost feels insignificance in the light of the epic back-story that immediately follows, especially since we pick up directly where the opening scene leaves off about half-way through act one.
As a whole, Thor doesn’t feel as significant as films such as Iron Man or Spider-man 2; it feels like the precursor to the main event. But it’s the innovative feel of these origin stories fully coming together to create something even more substantial, coupled with an unprecedented depiction of women that we’ve yet to see in any of the previous Marvel films that sets Thor apart from the rest.
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Comment by Bryn Tilly
Horrorphile
Great review though.