FILM REVIEW (via Flixist)
THOR
Dir: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins
Running time: 114mins
First, a disclaimer: I've never so much as read a page of the Thor comic book. That's important, because my impression is that this latest entry in Marvel's pre-Avengers canon may offer a different experience to those with knowledge of the source material from those experiencing it for the first time. This is a denser, more fantastical world than has been put on-screen in any other modern comic book adaptation, so anyone who knows the characters and worlds beforehand may find it easier to accept many of the outlandish elements on show.
What will surely not be a matter for debate is that, on an objective level, Thor is a mess. It never manages to find a tone that balances the inherent ridiculousness of the fantasy with the need for the drama to be taken with a modicum of seriousness. There's broad humour-a-plenty and while it is no Batman & Robin (although if you're not cracking Mr. Freeze puns by the time the 'Frost Giants' show up, you're a stronger man than I), at times its silliness doesn't feel worlds away from the frivolous tone of Batman Forever.
