As the first pictures from “Thor,” the first of next summer’s two Marvel superhero flicks, appeared, our skepticism was sparked; was that really what they were wearing? But the buzz on the 5 minutes or so of footage from Comic-Con turned out to be strong, and now we, and the rest of the world, have a chance to look at the clip ourselves.
And you know what? We’re pleasantly surprised. It gives a lot away, but there’s more than enough here to suggest that Marvel’s biggest risk to date may pay off. Maybe it’s just that we’re used to them now, but the costumes and sets in Asgard look far better in motion than in stills, and the Shakespearean heft that director Kenneth Branagh was hired for is in full evidence in these scenes (we’re particularly looking forward to seeing more of Tom Hiddleston’s performance as the villain Loki, particularly as rumor has it that he may prove to be key part in the team-up movie “The Avengers”).
In fact, Branagh seems to have nailed the tone, which for a property as tricky as “Thor” is no small task — it seems to be taking itself seriously, but not too seriously, and the lightness of touch that Jon Favreau brought to “Iron Man” seems to be at work here as well. The action scenes though brief, are impressive for the most part and, while it’s too early to judge Chris Hemsworth as the titular hero (there is still a slight Australian twang to his voice than seems less than Asgardian) he certainly looks the part.
We’ve got some qualms, certainly; while we love Dutch angles as much as anyone, Branagh’s using them so often here you start to wonder if they shot the film with a wonky tripod, and we’re still unclear why Odin & co seem to live inside a giant church organ. Our biggest concern is with the glimpse of Destroyer, an enchanted suit of armor which lays waste to SHIELD agents near the end. While Clark Gregg’s typically scene-stealing line delivery just about pulls it back, the design’s kind of lame, reminiscent of the remake of “The Day The Earth Stood Still.” But, having said that, we’re still nine months away from the movie’s release, so there’s plenty of time to make some changes.
