Lack of uniqueness steals 'Thor'’s thunder

Film: Thor (U/A)
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Rating: **1/2

Thor (Hemsworth), a hammer-wielding extra-dimensional entity, dwells in Asgard, a realm whose mighty folk, living on the other side of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, were regarded as deities by the Norse in ancient days.

Thor, by allowing himself to be persuaded by his brother Loki (Hiddleston), earns the wrath of his father the almighty Odin (Hopkins) for breaching a peace treaty with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, a race whom he, the ruler of Asgard, had vanquished aeons earlier. Punished for his brashness, Thor is banished to earth, one of the nine realms that are strung together by Yggdrasil, the world tree.

Thus, the one-time god of thunder crash lands in New Mexico where Jane Foster (Portman), her assistant Dacy (Dennings), and mentor Dr Erik Selvig (Skarsgard) are studying aberrations in climatic conditions in the area.

A hammerless, made-vulnerable Thor (all part of the father’s lesson in humility) has a run-in with SHIELD (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), the shadowy agency that operates across the pages of multiple Marvel titles and, recently, the universe set up by Marvel Studios.

But, with Odin fallen and the next in line to the throne put out of the equation, all isn’t well in Asgard. Can Thor ever regain his lost glory and reclaim that which is rightfully his?

The performances of Portman, Skarsgard and Hopkins lend some gravitas to the film and Thor’s plight, as does Hiddleston, whose character, if you are well-versed in Norse mythology, can be quite slippery. Hemsworth himself just about pulls off what his role demands without being too over the top.

The film, though highly predictable, has its moments, thanks to spots of good humour and great special effects with visuals that are grandiose and cognizant of the epic feel that the maestro Jack Kirby went for in the character’s long run which commenced in the early 1960s.

Yet, one wishes that the film had worked around the conventions that mark all introductory installments of a franchise by providing something that would relieve viewers from origin-story fatigue.

Yes, one knows that the titular character will redeem himself through his interaction with meeker, but wiser, characters as surely as one expects Stan Lee, who scripted the character’s exploits, to make a cameo as he has in all previous Marvel adaptations whose every character he co-created.

One wonders why the story and characters, delicious nods to the Marvel Universe (cinematic or otherwise) aside, weren't uniquely fleshed out.

Maybe Thor’s presence will lend itself better in the upcoming crossover Avengers film which will feature Captain America (coming soon to a theatre near you!), Iron Man, the Hulk and Hawkeye (sorry, no Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch,  Fox owns all the mutants).

Speaking of nods, if  you didn't catch what lay beyond the credits of Iron Man 1 & 2, sitting through them this time around might be a good idea.