6. Thor

Release Date: May 6th, 2011

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgaard, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba.

Director: Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet)

First Time I Saw It: I saw this on opening weekend, and it actually has a historical significance on my movie going experience. I was never a fan of 3D to begin with, but Thor was the movie that made me emphatically say “never again.” I actually made it a point to see this in regular 2D, but when the previews started, everything got blurry. Apparently the movie theater screwed up, and this showing was in fact 3D, so they immediately started handing out the glasses. I was slightly annoyed, but whatever, I was already sitting down. While I still enjoyed the film, the 3D element nearly ruined the experience for me. The Frost Giant Battle in particular was already filmed dark, and I could barely make anything out. It was unbelievably frustrating. From that day forward, I vowed never to see a movie in 3D again. Aside from a couple films I didn’t care about like Need for Speed that I saw in 3D out of convenience, I’ve held true to this. I don’t care if the filmmaker and every review says “You MUST see it in 3D.” I don’t give a damn. Never again. Leave me the hell alone.

Importance in the Marvel Universe: Now that we got that rant out of the way, onto the actual film. Thor is a significant piece of the puzzle in creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the first movie that showed us there is a larger world outside of Earth. Not only that, but the primary antagonist for the Avengers was born from Thor, so there’s no arguing that this isn’t a crucial piece in the series. Without Loki, the Avengers don’t come together. Enough said.

Why I Love It: This is easily one of the better Marvel movies. What this movie has that so many other Marvel films don’t is a clear/non-cluttered character arc. Thor is an arrogant asshole who becomes a humble protector. That’s it. But in the midst of its simplicity, there is great drama lurking. Before they turned Loki into the cackling Green Goblin-esque cartoon character that he became in The Avengers, we actually sympathize with him as the adopted son of Asgard who gets passed over. While evil, you completely understand his motivations. The big reason why I love Thor though is Kenneth Branagh. This guy took silly Saturday morning material and actually took it seriously, whereas a lot of other Marvel films go for the cheap laughs. There’s definitely good humor involving Thor being a fish out of water, but Branagh was able to get a charismatic and towering performance from Chris Hemsworth, a performance I don’t think we’ve seen since. There’s no wonder the quality dipped significantly with Thor: The Dark World when Branagh left, and I think it’s a decision Marvel regrets as they smartly brought back the Russo Brothers for Captain America: Civil War and James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I’m actually still hoping Kenneth Branagh triumphantly returns for Thor: Ragnarok.

Oh yeah, and the effects look gorgeous. Asgard looks magnificent.

Best Moment: Not a lot of people like the climax, but I love the whole battle between Thor and Loki on the rainbow bridge. It was interesting to learn that Loki’s ultimate plan was actually to destroy the Frost Giants, and to see Thor fight so hard to save his enemies was interesting. The fight itself on the bridge looks fantastic, and Anthony Hopkins coming in at the end was a nice touch. –Daniel Cohen

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