The Devil Reviews: Thor

What I disliked.

I have only one real gripe with Thor and one incredibly petty one. The latter of which is the missed opportunity; I was a Thor comic fan before I saw the movies. And no, I'm not a stickler for the source material. Even though I liked this movie overall, I feel like it had the potential to be an absolute masterpiece. It comes close at some moments, but overall falls short. One of the big factors of this is the the way Thor's powers were handled; I personally felt there should have been a massive lifting scene or at least something to display Thor's true power. I realize it's a silly fanboy nitpick, but I love Thor and for a character like him the powers are probably his most defining attribute. I felt as if the filmmakers were seriously holding Thor back as far his incredible powers go.

But aside from that, it's the romance that brings Thor down for me. It feels forced, like it wasn't supposed to happen and it happened way too fast. Too cliche, but also they never even explain why they like each other. She just ran him over with a truck and then they suddenly like each other. It's a bit weird and doesn't make sense if you ask me. In the comics, Thor comes to admire her because of her job. She's a paramedic, she inspires him to do greater because she has no powers yet she still puts her life on the life to save and protect others. In the comics this is how he becomes attracted to her, in the movies it isn't quite so smooth and sweet. In the movie she a scientist, and she runs him over with a truck. Then they hang out and fall in love for no reason...the heck??


What I liked.

One of the things Marvel is repeatedly bagged on for, is their use of humor in their films. Often times the humor may feel forced and not even funny. But I understand and can respect good humor in a movie, if it's at least actually funny. Because after all, we don't want every movie to be dark right? I liked the humor in Thor, it didn't feel forced the way it does in it's sequel and the Iron Man movies. I felt a lot of it was very witty and legitimately funny. It didn't feel overdone the way it did in other Marvel movies. In my opinion the humor didn't take away from the drama that was prevalent in the movie. In spite of what I said before regarding the missed opportunity. I still quite liked most of the action in the movie. Depowered Thor taking on SHIELD was an awesome tough guy scene, followed by a highly emotional character moment with the hammer. I really liked seeing him in human mode tearing through SHIELD as if he was as good as Cap or something. "Fought bigger" was a great line and made me cheer in the theatre. I also liked the Asgardians vs The Giants, it was cool to see Loki standing with his Asgardian brethren before his turn to villainy. I liked it because we get to see Sif and the warriors three in action. But Thor himself was obviously the best part. I also though that the end fight with Loki was good. While it may not have been the best visually, the whole scene was extremely emotional and full of meaning. Again, I cheered when Thor broke the bifrost to save the Giants. Even though the Destroyer fight in New Mexico sucked really bad, the action was definitely a positive through out.

      

The story isn't too shabby either. I liked how it set up the relationships early on, and later delved into what they mean and how they affect each other. Tom Hiddleston's Loki was quite brilliant as a villain. Because he doesn't feel like a villain to the story, he feels like a main character caught in shades of grey. Ultimately he wants to commit mass genocide but he believes it for a good reason. He believes he is doing it to gain acceptance from his father and brother. And also to gain rule over Asgard. Thor on the other hand, starts off as a warmonger. An arrogant, self-righteous brute. Thor is a jerk really, he wants to start war with other realms due to his arrogance and nationalist pride. He believes he is superior, he is invincible, he believes he is the ultimate good in the universe and his pride is what drives him. But when his brash action start a war with neighboring realms, his father Odin realizes he is not worthy of that kind of power. So Thor is banished, and is forced to live as a human being. He is supposed to learn humility and change himself as a person. Through his time on Earth, Thor sees the beauty of humanity and learns to value all life. And in the end, sacrifices himself to save them. And puts a stop to Loki's impending genocide. Personally, I think this is one of the strongest story lines in all of comic book movies. The script ties it all together with wit and humor, but also depth and emotion. Chris Hemsworth's brilliant Thor is the jewel of the film as he embodies everything Thor's arc is meant to be. Let's also not forget the heroic soundtrack, it fits well with the hero and the moment when he's about to lift the hammer, as well as the part where he dies to save the humans were just perfect. The music MADE those moments.


Conclusion.

Thor is a great movie, let's just say that right now. But I honestly felt like they were holding back with Thor's powers. Realistically he should be Marvel's ultimate strong man and he felt kinda weak. The romance was crap, and the Destroyer fight was okay but underwhelming. However the story line is very strong, story-wise Thor was the best MCU film until The Winter Soldier. It is also one of the most emotionally driven CBMs I've ever seen, and the brilliance of Hiddleston and Hemsworth tie it all together. Making it a truly great movie.

The Devil gives Thor an overall score of: 8 stars out of 10.

Thanks for reading bros! Feedback in the normal place. Until next time; The Devil says hey!