Thor: Two girls, one review

We couldn’t decide who was going to review Thor, so the answer was really easy, we’d fight to the death, and who ever won would get to write up the review… or we’d do it together. Somehow, together won out, I’m still not sure how that happened.

Wegie: Well, I can talk forever about Chris Hemsworth’s body, bright blue eyes, and deep voice, but that isn’t really what Thor is about.

Suepafly: Wait a minute, as you pointedly said and I quote “His entire body is an invitation muscle.” Which I appreciate but was extremely under utilized if you ask me. I mean there was a shirtless scene, and hammering. Lots of good hammering, the boy definitely knows how to twirl a hammer, but no shirtless hammering. It had better be in the director’s cut, I jest, kinda.

W: Of course, Hemsworth gets people into the movie theater, but Kenneth Branagh did an excellent job making a comic book story that, in the past, has doomed others’ careers. Thor is part of a group of movies whose superheroes will come together in The Avengers, scheduled for release 2012. We have already seen several of these movies, Hulk, Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor, and soon to be released Captain America. Many see Thor as a gamble and I can understand why. Too campy or serious and it flops. It needed the right mix of action, humor, bad guys, the right actors, and a committed director to make this one work. Thor is tricky material but this gamble paid off.

S: I’d have to agree it was a huge gamble. When the name Kenneth Branagh is mentioned, superhero is not the first thing that pops to mind, most tend to think Shakespeare, and although there are some very Shakespearian themes, it’s a far cry from you’re typical renaissance faire, even if there is armour.

W: It’s kind of a coming of age story. Odin (Anthony Hopkins) feels Thor is arrogant, quick to act, and not ready for the throne of Asgard. He’s right. Of course, Thor doesn’t see it until he is sent to Earth and sees his new friends in danger. That danger is compliments of his younger brother, Loki. I was really impressed with Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He played the trickster with a calm demeanor, but his eyes conveyed the volatile anger erupting just below the surface.

S: Hiddleston was absolutely amazing, the entire casting was pretty good but I have to comment on Hemsworth, because his portrayal was spot on. I loved the cheekiness of Hemsworth’s Thor prior to his exile. He pulled off cockiness and golden boy cheekiness with a single wink at his adoring mother, the lovely Rene Russo who was as underused as Hemsworth’s eight pack. The power, intensity and pure joy when he was battling the ice giants, made the scene all the more fun. And, I loved that Kenneth Brannagh found a great way to bring the humor, who else enjoyed Hemsworth faces when he was tranqed or hit by a vehicle, and the seriousness of the story. I don’t think I will ever be able to call Thor’s hammer Mjöllnir again, it will always now be Meow Meow to me.

W: I studied Norse mythology, so I understood the many references to the Norse Gods, their realms, and personalities. This maybe where some people could get confused and lose interest, not me. For me, I loved it. There was a scene that looked like a camera moving over a tiny model plastic people during the coronation of Thor. Some of the CGI appeared choppy on the bridge to the gates. But the kiss; let’s just say I’ve seen worse. You know it’s going to happen and when it does, all I saw was two cows chewing cud. They were chomping so much I’m glad their mouths were closed. Other than those rarities, I enjoyed the movie. I didn’t even notice the majority of CGI. The action started at the beginning and continued through the whole movie. As a bonus, we get a sneak peak of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

S: And just as with the previous movies there is a tie in to a future film if you watch till the end of the credits, but I have to admit, though I love Hiddleston and Skarsgård it didn’t make me as excited for the next one as Iron Man 2 did for Thor.