“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.
Having directed a mixture of features, the audience was left scratching their head at his selection for the next film in the MCU.
But as it turned out, Branagh was worthy.
As the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of the Norse gods, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father.
However, on the day that he is to be crowned, Thor reacts with brutality when the gods’ enemies, the Frost Giants, enter the palace in violation of their treaty.
As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s brother, plots mischief in Asgard as Thor, now stripped of his powers, faces his greatest threat.
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 Thor in a mighty battle with flashing lights everywhere.
But instead the threat is something a little more personal to Thor himself; Cast out due to arrogance and confidence, we join him in self-discovery.
And though that sounds wildly boring, surrounding him with a cast that 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 the same background as Branagh, bring a commanding thespian performance that heralds the comparisons of 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 it’s stake in the Box Office.
