At this point in the super hero tentpole sweepstakes of 2011, Kenneth Branagh has his work cut out for him and is playing catch up. When the venerable director was first announced as the helmer for Marvel‘s live-action adaptation of their Asgardian hero “Thor,” many of us discerning filmgoers presumed Branagh was going to class up the joint in a big, big, way.
Fast forward to almost two years later and of the four super hero films hitting in 2011, two of them being Marvel Films properties, “Thor” definitely is on the lower end of the spectrum while “X-Men: First Class” is sitting prettiest, “Captain America: The First Avenger” is looking far better than expected and the goofy looking “Green Lantern” is running a distant third.
From what we’ve seen so far, Branagh’s been going for camp, the costumes look like a strange mix of steam-punk and sci-fi and the Shakespearian mien we hoped he would bring to the proceedings seem to be sorely lacking. From interviews so far, Branagh seems to demonstrate that he’s not taking things too seriously and “Thor” is inherently campy, and while this is true, it looks silly enough on its own so a more solemn tone might help.
So this new version? Well, it centers on what feels like the beginning of the film and the earthbound parts of the story starring Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard and of course, Thor himself, played by Chris Hemsworth. The comedy in the trailer is well…not terrible, but a little strange. The second half gets all special-effects-y and elaborate with CGI. Anyhow, see for yourself below.
Starring Chris Hemsworth as the Asgardian hero, Natalie Portman as the love interest (which feels out of place so far), Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, plus Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg, and Colm Feore, “Thor” hits theaters on May 6th, 2011. We’re not against it, it’s definitely an improvement from what we’ve seen, but we’re not exactly convinced either. Could be OK. Let’s hope so, we’re certainly not asking a lot from it at this point.