God of Thunder
Thor
Review by Ross Anthony

The opening act takes place out in a space. It's a story of war and peace between two alien peoples in which audiences won't have much stake. Further, the main characters are drawn broadly, hardly interesting. Thankfully, though, filmmakers preface that preface with a much more engaging scientific-ish, “Close Encounters,” phenomenal moment out in the deserts of New Mexico. This choice gives us faith that Thor has much more to offer than thinly scored space battles.

The film delivers on that promise with thunder. Thor on Earth becomes instantly endearing. What seemed like a narrow, sober film blossoms into a rich picture of landscape contrast, strong family drama, and an unexpected, yet sharp, and very welcome sense of humor.

Kudos to Portman and Skarsgard. Their solid performances fill out the odd pairing of human band and comic book team. “I don't know if you're the God of Thunder or not. But you ought to be.”

Great pace, amazing visuals, solid 3-D, imaginative design, and a visceral sense of drama. It even had me choked up a bit at times. I could almost feel the wind lift me out of my seat. The fantastic ending credit graphics (space objects in IMAX 3-D) are, by themselves, almost worth the admission price. If you've always wanted to see the aurora, this film will give you a glimpse.

Thor-stan-lee Thor-portman
-- Books by Ross Anthony, Author/Illustrator --


  • Thor. Copyright © 2011.
  • Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Paramount Pictures

Grade..........................A (3.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Wednesday, 04-May-2011 09:28:55 PDT