Marvel Cinematic Universe: THOR

In eager anticipation of Marvel Studios' AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, I'm re-watching every entry in the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" (MCU) thus far, from IRON MAN to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and then sharing my views on each one as a film and within the context of the MCU and movie landscape.  At the end of each essay is a list of "Easter eggs" that connect the pertinent film to other films in the wider MCU, and a "Top 5" of the best five parts (a scene, concept, actor, character, etc.) in each movie.  Although transparently manufactured, and one of the weaker installments in "Phase 1" of the MCU (the first six movies, that is), there's plenty of silly blockbuster fun to be had in 2011's THOR.  [Please note, this review contains spoilers for THOR, and minor speculated connections to future Marvel releases].

THOR
Released 6 May 2011
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Colm Feore, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Dallas, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence.
115 minutes 
Merit: 3/4
The heir to the legendary throne of Asgard is a brave but restless warrior who longs for the glory and rush of battle.  Armed with the mighty hammer Mjolnir, Thor is nearly unstoppable with the weapon in his hands.  When the arrogant prince is banished to Earth from his homeworld of Asgard, he must fight to reclaim his lost powers.  Pursued by an enemy sent to destroy him, the fallen God of Thunder must rise to battle and learn what it takes to become a true hero. [Synopsis from "Marvel Cinematic Universe - Phase One: Avengers Assembled" Blu-ray box set]

Went it opened in theaters in May 2011, THOR was considered a risk, a make it or break it moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing extra-terrestrial characters, "magic" and other more explicitly fantastical elements that were not present in the Iron Man movies or THE INCREDIBLE HULK.  It plays it safe though.  It's a perfectly fine bit of blockbuster fluff, and while certainly not bad, it is transparently manufactured.  It gets the job done to introduce the characters that will need to appear in THE AVENGERS, with a few fun, but simple action set-pieces, and a smattering of humor throughout.  It's the Jim Belushi of the MCU.

Considered gods by ancient Norsemen of Earth, the titular Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) have been raised as Princes of Asgard, one of the Nine Realms, by their wise father and ruler of Asgard, Odin (Anthony Hopkins).  Wielding the mighty hammer Mjolnir, Thor is a brave but arrogant and vain warrior, and when his actions destroy a delicate but longstanding peace between Asgard and Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost Giants, Odin exiles him to Earth, with an enchantment on Mjolnir that only one who is worthy my wield it.  Thor lands in the desert in New Mexico, near the tiny town of Puente Antiguo, where he meets Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), an astrophysicist who is studying the phenomenon that brought Thor to Earth.  When S.H.I.E.L.D. takes possession of Jane's data while investigating Mjolnir, which has landed nearby but is immovable, Thor agrees to help Jane, during which time he comes to recognize the value of humility, and for lack of a better word, his humanity.  On Asgard, Loki, jealous and resentful of Thor, learns of his own true heritage as a son of Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants, and begins enacting a coup to consolidate power for himself by ensuring that Thor never returns to Asgard.
The plot is generally simple, mostly setting up characters, with Thor and Loki having individual arcs that only collide momentarily, mostly at the end.  Loki, a spiteful, jealous schemer desperate for approval comes to sever himself from his family in pursuit of power, while Thor, an arrogant and selfish warrior, becomes a sincere and benevolent defender of others.
Director Kenneth Branagh, probably best known to most American audiences as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart from HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, is also well known for his big screen adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, the best of which is his 1996 unabridged production of HAMLET.  THOR has an appropriate and slightly self-aware Elizabethan grandiosity, but more notable than the Bard is the connection to Arthurian legends, with the film's best scene alluding to the Sword in the Stone.  Taking out a series of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with brawny fisticuffs in muddy, torrential desert rain, Thor fights his way into a makeshift compound built around Mjolnir, perched on a rock, and attempts to claim it.  However, still the proud and arrogant warrior, he finds himself unworthy to lift it, let alone wield it.  It's a nice, poignant moment, and Branagh's direction provides a steady hand, but THOR is hardly defined by his directorial vision.

THOR is a very moderate movie, never making any bold plays, with the arguable exception of opting to be so bold in its lack of boldness.  It's got a strong cast; Hemsworth is a big, hulking, Thunder from Down Under with a roguish smile and an action hero's charisma as Thor, his breakout role, though having already filmed lead roles in the then-unreleased CABIN IN THE WOODS and RED DAWN.  Fresh off her Oscar win for BLACK SWAN, Portman is an adorkable romantic lead as Jane Foster, an adequate but light character benefited greatly through Portman, and Swedish-born Stellan Skargard brings an actual Nordic presence to the proceedings.  Tom Hiddleston in the role of Loki was the breakout star of THOR, but as the primary antagonist of the movie, Loki is not much a villain for this round.  In the midst of the world-building, the story is kept simple, and Loki's villainy is reserved to a surprisingly sympathetic, albeit deranged effort to earn the admiration of his adoptive father.  Loki is not yet a fully formed character, not until his next appearance in MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS, so I was admittedly disappointed at first to learn that he would be the main villain in THE AVENGERS.  Joss Whedon's perspective on the character would render my concerns unwarranted.
It's a sort of fantasy film with swashbuckling and magic that takes place between three worlds, including Earth, but the movie goes out of its way to minimize the world-building, showing sweeping scenery of a vaguely steampunk meets Camelot city/world of Asgard, and Dutch angle shots of the jagged, icy Jotunheim, but never trying to make any sense of the civilizations or cultures themselves.
Patrick Doyle's grandiose musical main theme is one of the best in MCU, a suitable theme for the bombastic, hammer-swinging God of Thunder, and in turn is the most efficient world-building element to THOR.  It's a well-polished production, decent summer blockbuster entertainment, but feels strangely small.

Easter Eggs to Look For:

• Foreshadowing to MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS: S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Clint Barton (played by Jeremy Renner), aka Hawkeye, is introduced but unnamed as the agent with a bow aimed at Thor as he storms the makeshift compound before Agent Coulson calls him off.  Hawkeye later appeared as part of the main cast in MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS.
• Foreshadowing to MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS, Reference to CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER: In the post-credits stinger, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) comes to Dr. Selvig with the Tesseract (also referred to in the comics as the "Cosmic Cube"), a potentially unlimited power source for Selvig to study while a hidden Loki looks on.  The Tesseract is a major plot point in both CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER and in MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS, where it is key to Loki's plans.
• Foreshadowing to AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART 1: Possibly an unintentional foreshadowing at the time of production, the Infinity Gauntlet can be glimpsed in Asgard's weapons vault when the Frost Giants are killed by the Destroyer.  The Infinity Gaunlet will likely become a major plot point in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART 1, currently scheduled for May 4, 2018.

Top 5 of THOR

1. Thor's Main Theme by Patrick Doyle- I'm a big fan of Doyle's boisterously grandiose film scores, and his composition for Thor's leitmotif, which was reportedly inspired by a Celtic folk song, is magnificent as it should be.
2. Thor Storming the S.H.I.E.L.D. Compound- A rough and rowdy bit of brawling in the muddy desert downpour, with heavy thudding blows accentuated by the water makes for the most thrilling action in the film, followed by a moving failure to remove the hammer from the stone.
3. The Puente Antiguo Diner- All the best moments of humor in the one scene; Thor finishing a cup of coffee and smashing the cup on the floor to call for another, and Thor declaring "This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance!"  Also, Thor's goofy grin when Darcy (Kat Dennings) takes his photo is golden.
4. Chris Hemsworth- Marvel Studios has a knack for choosing its leads, and Hemsworth is no exception, a lively action star in a classic fashion.
5. Thor and Selvig Go Drinking- Thor puts it simply enough when they return: "We drank, we fought; he made his ancestors proud!"

Images via Marvel Studios