DVD Reviews

Thor (Blu-Ray\DVD Combo)

Thor is a piece of the puzzle that is Marvel Studios' big project for 2012: The Avengers. Along with the Iron Man films, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America: The First Avenger, each film has been building to a massive all-star superhero team up the likes that have never before occurred in a comic book feature film endeavour. This movie is directed by Kenneth Branagh (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), a respected actor and director known more for Shakespearean drama than fantasy epics.

It tells the tale of the mythical Norse god-of-thunder (Chris Hemsworth) who defends the realm of Asgard against any evil force that might oppose it, with his trusted hammer Mjolnir and valiant friends at his side. Before he is crowned king by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor's ceremony is cut short by a small invasion from the Frost Giants (an old enemy of the realm), which prompts him to provoke a war with their race.  By doing so, Thor encurs the wrath of his father Odin; who banishes him to Midgard (a.k.a Earth) as punishment and unaware that his half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is manipulating events to gain the throne of Asgard for himself.

While there, Thor has to overcome his cockiness and his boldness to learn what it is to be a hero with the help of a beautiful young scientist (Natalie Portman) who has been tracking strange phenomenon linked with Asgard for months.

The Movie

Much like Iron Man, Thor does a fairly impressive job of creating a faithful and well-executed film about one of Marvel's well-known comic book characters. Acting as sort of an origin story along with some plot elements pulled from the character's pages, it's a spectacle of beautiful scope and vision that does the mythology justice. Branagh's inexperience with big-budget films and special effects shows every now-and-then, but for his first time out the movie is very impressive. The sets and costumes are spectacular, the actors are rock-solid in their performances, and the film entertains all the way through.

Hemsworth embodies Thor wonderfully, which is admirable considering his limited acting experience and is now asked to carry the film on his shoulders as the title character. He steps up to the plate, backed up by a very capable supporting cast including Canadian actor Colm Feore, Rene Russo, Idris Elba, and Stellan Skarsgard. Hopkins makes for a fine Odin, and Hiddleston is also an inspired choice as Loki. The film also treats fans with cameo appearances by future Avengers and a lead-in to Captain America: The First Avenger after the credits roll.

The Blu-ray

When I initially saw Thor in theaters, I knew I was in for a hell of a Blu-ray experience down the road. Released on September 13, 2011, Thor's Blu-ray has been given the royal treatment in 1080p high-definition. The film is already filled with gorgeous images and color, but the defined picture and enhancement makes it pop even more than it did in theaters. The DTS Master Audio track roars to life with in every big sequence and spreads to the speakers with specific sharpness and impact.

The disc also comes attached with a respectable amount of bonus features although much of it is brief and almost all of them can be taken down in one viewing. Kenneth Branagh provides a very relaxed and informative commentary track to the film, and offers insights to every scene that fans may not be aware of. He also chimes in on the Deleted Scenes with an optional commentary that sheds light on why certain sequences were nixed, and they all play in high-def which is a bonus.

There's a collection of 7 different featurettes that zero in on one aspect of production on the film per feature. Among the focus is the set design, costumes, Branagh as the director, Hemsworth cast as Thor, music, the hammer prop Mjolnir, and a conversation with comic book legend Stan Lee as he films his trademark cameo appearance.

Some throwaway features include a short bit called "The Consultant" which expands the coda scene from The Incredible Hulk, and a brief preview of The Avengers with director Joss Whedon and some Comic-Con 2010 footage that introduced the cast. There are also two Theatrical Trailers for the film, and one for an upcoming animated Avengers movie. A standard DVD/Digital Copy also comes in the edition as well.

Final Thoughts

Thor is a well-executed and faithful comic book adaptation put to film that is fun, visually dazzling and entertaining. The Blu-ray DVD edition is air tight in the technical aspects and generous in the supplemental material (although there is definitely room to give fans a little bit more). A bit of a retrospective to the character's history and creation on the comic book page would have made a fantastic addition as a bonus feature instead of some of the time-wasters that make appearances. But all-in-all Thor is a good movie, and has a good Blu-ray experience to go with it.

Review By Ryan Young