Jasminka’s Comfy Movie Couch: Thor

Settling in my comfy chair at the movie theatre, with my 3D-glasses, I was sucked into this film I’d love to introduce to you today. And this is me trying something new in the realm of The Winchester Family Business.

 

Settling in my comfy chair at the movie theatre, with my 3D-glasses, I was sucked into this film I’d love to introduce to you today. And this is me trying something new in the realm of The Winchester Family Business.

Why? 

Well, there are many reasons. First of all: I liked it. And movies of quality should be watched. Even if the quality stems mostly from fun and action, but also some depth. That, however, is not delivered with a hammer. You have to put out your antennae and be open for it. It’s entertainment with profundity, but most of all full with humour and adventure. 

But there are more reasons: it’s the story of two brothers and their father issues. One brother following in his father’s footsteps, the other at odds with his wishes. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it, in particular when we learn that one of the guys is Loki, the Norse version of our beloved Trickster.  This film is not Supernatural, but it holds topics and elements fans of our show might find interesting.

So, if you need some distraction during the one week-hiatus of our show, you could watch Thor…

The story takes us to a place of myth and legend, and it takes us back to earth again – because our world is connected to that other one by a magic bridge, a pathway. Norse mythology calls that bridge Bifröst, a somewhat burning rainbow that connects our planet Earth (or Midgard, as they called it) with Asgard, the home of the Gods. Science calls it Einstein-Rosen-Bridge or Wormhole, a hypothetical shortcut through spacetime, connecting two sides of the universe by a tunnel, much like a worm that eats its way through an apple. 

Crossing that bridge a young man reaches Earth, confused, lost, angry – Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a astro-physicist and her companions  Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) literally bump into him in the middle of nowhere and take him to a hospital. They are in such a hurry that they miss the fall of an important artefact – Thor’s hammer.

What they don’t know yet – Thor was banished from his home of Asgard. He defied his father Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and therefore forfeited his power and his station and had to leave his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and mother Frigga (Rene Russo). Finding the hammer will be the key to restoring Thor’s strength. Or – will it?

On Earth Thor realizes what is indeed happening in Asgard and needs to find his power with the help of his human friends, fighting secret organisations, handymen of his king and a traitor withal.

With its epic backstory and scale the plot is almost Shakespearean – and who could get into that sort of material better than an expert on bringing the bard’s work to screen – Kenneth Branagh.

‘I stood in the Belfast newspaper shop, a young boy, transfixed. (…) In the rack above, amid a group of high coloured comics, gleamed an image of a superhero with long, blond hair, head down, his arms around a kind of rough, wooden yoke’ recalls Kenneth Branagh in his Director’s Diary. ‘…it instantly made me think of Samson, or Hercules – but of course it was Marvel’s Thor. (…) I was bowled over the sheer massivity of this figure. He looked like he was carved out of granite. That strength was hypnotic. (…)I know that people don’t associate me with comic books, but my relationship with Thor stretches all the way back to this moment. (…) so when, 30-odd years after (…) I received a one-line email from my agent asking, “Would you ever consider directing a film of Thor?” I popped back a one-word response “Yes.”’

Kenneth Branagh is best known for his amazing work as director and actor of such extraordinary films like Henry V, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or Dead Again. A versatile actor and director, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at the age of 23 and won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Theatre Award twice. 

When we look at the complex mythology tackled in Thor, it makes sense that this Shakespearean thesp took the reins of this production. The scheming and the intrigues caballed in this story are of proportions that we find in Shakespeare’s plays.  It is an epic.

Even more as the characters, from Odin to Loki, correspond in many ways to their mythological sources, with characters that often ask themselves – who am I? What is the journey I must undertake? 
 
These questions are universal, I believe. And we find them within our favourite show in abundance.
 
I felt reminded of the relationships of Sam, Dean and John, their friends, what they are ready to do and willing to sacrifice for each other. These questions often lie at the bottom of a storyline in our show. They are essential. We find them in many stories of heroes, from mythology of old to Lord of the Rings. And we find them in Thor. Hello, Joseph Campbell…

We get to know two brothers, very close but also very different from one another. Both love their father. But one of them finds out that he is something else, too. He’s not only the man he thought to be. But something else, something almost monstrous. ‘Am I cursed?’ He asks his father. ‘What am I?’

You know what this reminded me of, don’t you: The journey of the younger Winchester who learned to live with what he was. Who had to understand what that made him and what he wanted to be.

This son in Thor still needs to find out.

Even though the story is very true to the mythological background, there are some differences, myth buffs like me might wonder about – for instance, Thor’s trusted friends Fandral (Josh Dallas), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) are not mentioned in Norse mythology – except Sif (Jamie Alexander) who is Thor’s wife in the legends and not a goddess of war, as this film shows. The three friends may not be a part of Norse legends, but they are characters of the Marvel universe, The Warriors Three. And it’s wonderful to find them portrayed here. 

Thor’s mother was not Æsir- Queen Frigga, but the earth goddess Jörd. And Loki is in Norse mythology the son of two giants, but still one of the Æsir (the Norse house of gods). For the sake of storytelling, in this film Loki’s mother Laufey becomes a man and his father, which is interesting. I’d like to ask Branagh why he changed this significantly. 
 
We’ve met a version of Loki within our show – the Trickster. In Hammer of the Gods, a clear reference to Thor’s Hammer, our Trickster is named Loki, and the gods present know him by that name. 

 
In the Norse legends, Loki was the god of fire, of lies and tricks, a schemer, and you never really know whether there might be a good intention behind it all, as he is sometimes of assistance and – sometimes he is trouble.

He is amazingly portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, a young University of Cambridge graduate and Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts – trained Londoner. He won the Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in 2008. He brings nobility and grace to the character and a moving depth not expected in a blockbuster of this kind. We encounter a troubled young man who needs to redefine who he is and where his loyalties lie, and, furthermore he feels betrayed by his father, so he belongs nowhere. You understand his motives right away, and the loneliness behind them.

And he is the perfect antithesis to his brother Thor, the god of thunder, of storm and weather, of work and battle, of fertility, and the protector of Midgard, our own Earth. His weapon in the hammer Mjölnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. A man of colossal, sometimes hardly controllable strength, played by Australian Chris Hemsworth who manages to be huge hunk (about the size of Jared) and likeable hero, a conjunction of youthful stubborness, imperial pride, comedic timing and emotional depth. 

Branagh describes him in his Director’s Diary as a man ‘who combined physical magnificense with a sensitivity and an interest in the character having more problems than just how tough it might be to be a god.’ He first strikes you as a flamboyant Scaramouch, but then you really like him.

But still he is outshone, to my mind, by Tom Hiddleston and Sir Anthony Hopkins as the mighty Odin, the king of Asgard and the nine worlds. The regal dignity of Sir Anthony serves this film well and brings the kind of Shakespearean quality to speech and décor that moves this film from being just another blockbuster to premium adventure. Hopkins gives you the impression that he is indeed ruling the universe. What an actor. What a voice.

Unfortunately, the other stunning actors, like Natalie Portman or Stellan Skarsgard, don’t get much to do, and what appears wondrous and impressive in Asgard loses a part of its appeal on Earth. There you feel the Shakespeare effect, here it’s much softer, less inspiring, more comedic, which is fine by me. This film is entertaining. And that’s all it wants to be. The ending came a bit abruptly, though, leaving you hungry for answers and more adventure.

For everyone who wants to go and have a look  – please remain seated till after the credits. There is, as we find it often with Marvel films, another scene that points to the upcoming film The Avengers which will again feature Thor, Loki, Hawkeye (here in a small role by Jeremy Renner), Captain America and Black Widow. 
 
Thor is the story of a dysfunctional family in times of war with an overpowering father figure, irascible warriors and rivaling brothers seeking their father’s approval and love. It’s about a man lost, stripped of his strength within a Shakespearean scheme who finds his own humility on his journey from one part of the universe to the other.

Though you have the amazing sets, the incredible special effects, it’s still about moments between a father and a son, a man and his friends, a brother and a brother, a scientist and her mentor, and there is authenticity in those scenes. I’m not comparing this film to Supernatural, of course, but I found elements there that reminded me of our dear Winchesters and thought you might enjoy a classic adventure story with some familiar problems of a dysfunctional family… It’s a great way to spend two hours in a movie theatre. 

Some of you who read my articles and know my love for Shakespeare, Tolstoy or other posh writers might be surprised that I enjoy this kind of film. Well, I do. There is nothing trivial about ‘trivial’ entertainment. Countless people bring together their talents to create a piece of art – in this case a film. For me the movies are a modern art form. I have the highest respect for the effort of coordinating hundreds of people – from actors to grips – and bring a story that captures our imagination to life. Sometimes I am fascinated by intense drama. But sometimes, like on this day, I needed a film to get down from work exhaustion. I didn’t need tissues. I needed fun. To find that this kind of fun held also some depth was wonderful. It enhanced the experience. It was worth every dime.  And it was, after all, great fun.

 
(copyrights for the pictures belong to their rightful owners, of course)