A Shakespearean Director's take on a Classic Marvel Superhero

 I decided to write the first review on Thor (2011) because all last week my roommate kept reciting, “Thor the God of Thunder was riding on a filly, ‘I’m Thor’ he cried, his horse replied, ‘So get a thaddle thilly.’” Therefore the only plausible way to deal with my desire to rewatch Thor was to use it in an assignment. Basically my roommate and I are very close.

She (Hilary) and I have been roommates for two years. We were thrown together as timid freshman testing out the waters of college when we realized the new environment would be somewhat survivable because we are both awesome people. Hilary is so awesome that I couldn’t bare the thought of not rooming with her the upcoming year. So here are; two sophomores, delving deeper into our respective majors (her Geosciences and Education and myself Radio/TV and Cinema Studies).

I have to admit I love my majors because it is fun to watch movies and intently analyze them along with putting together and editing my own creations. At the bottom of it all I just really like to watch TV and movies and talk about them. I’m kinda like Abed from the TV show Community. I find these things interesting to break down and study. There is always so much meaning and detail, which is exactly what I’m going to be exploring in this blog.

Thor is an exquisitely stunning film directed by Kenneth Branagh that masterfully blends a Shakespearean sense of dramatic storytelling with the modern day appeal for action.

For those of you who managed to miss the fourth installment in Marvel’s Avenger series, the film is about the god Thor who is as powerful as he is arrogant. Because of this arrogance, his father casts him out of their land, Asgard, to Earth where he is only as strong as the next man. Through Thor’s banishment he must learn what it means to be a God and all that he is responsible for. However, his banishment gets tricky when his little brother Loki decides he is going to take over the realm. Thor must stop his brother from destroying all the peace their father created while King, while stuck on Earth in order to keep all the realms safe.

Let’s talk about the visual effects for a moment. They are breathtaking, absolutely breathtaking. A team of visual artists worked very hard to make this film as beautiful as it is entertaining. Every color is magnified; in one particular scene when Thor, Loki, and his friends enter the Jotunnheim (where the Frost Giants are), the entire realm is gray and black, with some white because of the snow. Everything is sharpened as to really emphasize the coldness of the realm. But what is really striking is Thor’s red cape contrasted with the gray, cold background. It is so vibrant that it almost makes the entire setting black and white. It is very reminiscent of Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. The entire film is black and white except for two parts; the beginning in which the viewer sees the color of the flame of the candle being lit and then again when the main character is watching a little girl walking through the streets while apartments are being raided by the Nazi’s. Everything around them is black and white, except for her, in her bright red coat. We follow the girl because of this distinction and are told there is something different about her because of her coat. 

Also really highlighted in this scene is the Frost Giant’s piercing red eyes. Red is a very significant color throughout this film since the color exemplifies power, which is very dominant theme in Thor. For the most part though, the film uses special effects only when the audience is viewing the where the Gods dwell, such as the Jotunnheim and Asgard. When the film changes its setting to Earth, there are no special effects and everything looks very realistic. We are supposed to view the realms as a fantastical and mythical place; which is exactly what the stunning graphics achieve.

The brothers, Thor and Loki, have a very specific color scheme in this epic. Thor's colors are red, blue, and silver while Loki's colors are green, bronze, and black. These colors are incorporated into their princely garb while in Asgard and the two also are dressed in their respective colors when on Earth, although their costumes are not as fantastical. Thor is wearing blue jeans, a navy blue t-shirt, and a red plaid flannel shirt. Loki, during his brief visit to Earth, is wearing a dark green overcoat, a green and bronze scarf, and a deep green tie. Clearly the costuming in this movie is very purposeful and really wants to draw our attention to the contrast in dress and the contrast in characteristics between the two feuding brothers. Another interesting point with costuming are the helmets Thor, his father (Odin, the King), and Loki wear. The color of Odin's helmet is gold, Thor's is silver, and Loki's is bronze. This subtly highlights the importance and rank within the family and as always, Loki comes last. 

The reason Loki becomes so jealous and vengeful is because he always had a sneaking suspicion that he was not really Odin’s son and Odin never truly loved him. That kind of thought can really do a number on a child’s head. Thor was always the favorite, he was the one who would become king someday, even though Loki believed he would make a terrible king; and he would. Thor is too rash and violent. He thinks with his heart opposed to Loki who would actually make a decent ruler because he think with his brain. Loki does find out the reason his father never loved him as much and it is because he is adopted, and not only that, Loki is actually a Frost Giant Odin saved when he made peace so long ago. So there is a lot of underlying tension.

Now, onto the interesting choice in director. If one goes onto Imdb and looks at the other films Branagh has directed, one would notice that for the most part, the films are adaptations of Shakespeare’s greatest works. Now it might be odd that a classic Shakespearean director be chosen to director a superhero movie, but a close look at the plot of Thor would suggest otherwise. The story of Thor is actually very Shakespearean. The story of Thor is actually very Shakespearean considering the story is about two brothers struggling to succeed their father as king. One brother, Thor, is a spoiled, arrogant person who does not know the first thing about ruling a kingdom but believes he does on the basis he grew up as a prince. Compared to Loki who really just wants his father's love and attention therefore he decides to try to start a war and in process causes his father to go in to a deep sleep and just basically tries to ruin everything because his father never loved him enough. The story is really a great epic. The costuming, the staging, and the lighting all really add the dramatic idea that Thor could be a Shakespearean play.

All in all, the movie is arguably the most enjoyable out of all the Avenger's films due to its stunning visuals, the choice to use a director skilled in Shakespeare, and all of the action laid in.