Myeuh-muh? What’s Myeuh-muh?
Thor is the 4th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following straight on from where Iron Man 2 left off, we pick up in New Mexico, the Land of enchantment. Here Coulson discovers Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir (Myeuh-muh). This was the MCU’s biggest challenge to date, as Thor comes from such a fantastical world. So far, the MCU has been somewhat grounded, however, they actually play on that very well by depicting Thor as an almost ‘crazy homeless guy’, who they all just think is crazy.
The one instance of this looking a little weird is when Sif and the Warriors three show up towards the end. They end up looking a little too out of place, but in the long run, it’s a minor complaint. The whole scene with them, the Destroyer armour and Thor being Thor, is actually the weakest part of that film, but it is absolutely saved by the finally with Loki.
As a villain, Loki easily tops them all so far. What Tom Hiddleston does with this character gets me every time. At first, he’s just in it for a little mischief, this quickly escalates to one of my favourite scenes in a Marvel movie, when he confronts Odin about his parentage. I love that you never really know what side he is on.
For Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth does a great job. Although his costume in this and the colour of his hair, beard etc. looks a little bit off. Aside from that, it’s a great start for a character that I feel at the time, really could not have come across as dumb. Quick side note, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, is there even anyone else? Fantastic.
Sound Design
Being a Marvel movie the sound design is always going to be at an excellent level, there are still some specifics that stand out for me. The sound the Bifrost makes, that bass-heavy noise, almost booked ended by notes of silence is amazing. It really helps capture the power of the Bifrost and its potential to destroy planets. The various metallic sounds used for Mjolnir are also really well done. They end up giving the hammer itself some real character.
World Building
S.H.I.E.L.D has a real presence in this movie. in Iron Man 2 they briefly popped up to help out Tony, but this time they are a fairly main part of the narrative of the film. Thor is the first MCU film that really expands the world out into space and challenges the viewer to accept magic as ‘science we don’t understand’. A which is a very cool notion and while that may be true, I feel it doesn’t apply to all of Asgard. Sure some things maybe super advanced technology but, Loki has magic and Thor has powers, but the majority of Asgard being super advanced beings, I think is really clever and of course, that comes from the mind of Jack Kirby.
Final Thoughts
Thor does a great job of introducing a fantastical character and making him fit into the world of the MCU.
The fight with the Destroyer is a bit ‘meh’ as are some visuals. When the warriors three and Sif appear. Although I can see how it was by design, it could have been pulled off 10% better. That being said Loki’s presence as the main villain Is amazing. Hemsworth’s Thor has loads of personality and a great arc. Hopkins Odin, Jane Foster, Darcy and Selvig, I find all to be compelling characters. this overshadows those small gripes to make Thor an overall good movie.
MCU Ranking
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- The Incredible Hulk
