“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”
I always felt the most interesting thing about Thor was that highly-lauded thespian Kenneth Branagh would be directing. With a mixture of features under their belt, the audience was left pondering his selection for the next film in the MCU.
But as it turned out, Branagh was worthy.
That final line in the film synopsis is so wild in retrospect:
“Thor, now stripped of his powers, faces his greatest threat.”
You would think this to be some big-bad from another world to engage the ‘strongest Avenger’ in a mighty battle with flashing lights everywhere. Instead the threat is something a little more personal; Cast out due to their arrogance and confidence, we join them in self-discovery.
Though that sounds wildly boring, surrounding him with a cast which balances intelligence and wit with ease, helps Thor fly. Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård and Kat Dennings provide the means for Thor to develop and do so in such an entertaining way that you forget what the film is actually about. Of course Hopkins and Hiddleston, with similar backgrounds to Branagh, bring a commanding thespian performance that connects these two worlds.
A multitude of memetic material formed, from “Another!” to “Tell Me!”, Thor simply outshone the assumptions of an anxious audience.
And with what was coming next, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was about to cement its stake in the Box Office.
