Review by Cindy White on http://bluray.ign.com/articles/119/1193890p1.html
It's a pretty good summer for comic-book adaptations when a movie as decent as Thor lands somewhere in the middle of the pack (not as good as X-Men: First Class, but not as terrible as Green Lantern). Thor may have issues with pacing, and is weighed down by the obligatory set-up for next summer's big Avengers team-up, but it manages to overcome those drawbacks with charm and a character arc (more than one, actually) that doesn't feel forced or unbelievable.
When we meet Chris Hemsworth's Thor, he's full of bravado as the presumed heir to the throne of Asgard. But when his big moment of triumph is disrupted by the Asgardian's ancient foes the Frost Giants, it's Hammer time. Thor defies his father Odin (a regal and properly imposing Anthony Hopkins) and invades the realm of Jotunheim, along with his friends, the Warriors Three – Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) – and the lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander).
This incurs the wrath of Odin and earns Thor a banishment to our world without his powers to learn the value of humility. On Earth, Thor lands in New Mexico and befriends astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her research team (Stellan Skarsgård and Kat Dennings). Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Thor's jealous younger brother Loki schemes to seize the throne for himself. In order to return home in time to stop him, Thor will have to prove himself worthy of wielding his hammer. If he can manage to recover it from S.H.I.E.L.D., that is.
Thor, obviously, is the character who shows the most growth in the film, but every hero needs a worthy nemesis, and in this case Loki's transition from jealous but supportive younger brother to all-out villainous usurper is just as engaging to behold. The film is filled with great performances, led by Hemsworth and Hiddleston. Hemsworth has good chemistry with Portman, but maybe even more with Skarsgård. It may sound like a cliche, but Kenneth Branagh really is a true actors' director. Yes, no comic-book movie since the 1960s Batman has had more Dutch angles than Thor, but Branagh should be commended for getting good, emotional performances out of his cast. It elevates what could have otherwise been a silly, superficial adaptation.
Despite filmmakers insisting that 3D makes the viewing experience more lifelike, it can actually have the opposite effect. In the case of Thor, the artificial environments of the realms of the gods are more suited to the 3D treatment, but even that still lacks some punch. Unfortunately, the 3D scenes just aren't that impressive on this post-production conversion. It's all too obvious that the film was not shot with 3D in mind, so a lot of it is unnecessarily dark and not staged to take advantage of the added dimension. The regular Blu-ray presentation is all you need to get the full impact of the film. And we have no complaints there.
If you have the capability to hear the film in 7.1, you're in for a treat. From top to bottom, the sound is solid and impressive. Everything in the mix gets a chance to shine, whether it's the audio effects or Patrick Doyle's majestic score. The use of the surround channels is artfully done, especially in the action scenes. And dialogue is never lost in the mayhem. This track will make you glad you bought a top-of-the-line system (and if you didn't, it might make you wish you had).
We previously had a chance to go through the special features, including the Marvel On-Shot short film "The Consultant." You can read our extensive thoughts on that and the rest of the extras in our First Impression piece from a few weeks back. The collection of seven featurettes covers a wide variety of topics relating to the film and is rounded out with deleted scenes, a great director commentary and some intriguing Avengers-related material as well. They all add value to what would already be a must-buy for fans of the movie. We just recommend sticking with the 2D version.
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