MOVIE REVIEW: THOR

There is a fine line to balance when portraying a fantasy movie. You either take yourself seriously to the point where the lore seem believable (say, The Lord of the Rings, or the first three Star Wars) or, you take yourself too seriously, and end up looking very camp (Dungeons & Dragons, parts of Clash of the Titans). Luckily director Kenneth Branagh (As You Like It, Hamlet) chose the former. Add equal doses science fiction and fantasy – because science and religion here are one and the same; a contemporary Shakespearean plot; and enough humor to satirise the hero’s journey.

Thor (Australian super-hunk Chris Helmsworth) is the arrogant, portentous son of the Norse God Odin (Anthony Hopkins, only man in the world who is allowed to play ancient patriarch Gods). They live in the world of Asgard – a universe running parallel to our own Earth. Think of Asgard as Discworld combined with Middle Earth, strewn with black holes, portals and runic teleporters. We’re not clear on what Thor’s superpower is (aside from being an obnoxious Asgardian frat-boy), until he is bestowed the power of Mjolnir, a hammer he wields with great tenacity that makes him even more of a frat-boy. Long story short, he disobeys his all-powerful father (that’s hubris right?), and as punishment gets sent to Earth, where he learns how to be a true hero thanks to persistent storm-chaser and love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman in her 30th movie of 2011). His brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, played with malice but looking like a cast of Harry Potter with his pasty skin and oily hair), sets up some very serious hurdles along the road to redemption. Add explosions, frost giants, giant robot automations, and capricious FBI types and stir.

Along the way were some stellar performances by Kat Dennings as the well-timed comic relief, Stellan Skarsgard as Natalie Portman’s mentor figure, and most notably Idris Elba as the stoic gatekeeper Heimdall. These characters don’t get a whole lot of screen time, which makes each moment all the more enjoyable. Chris Helmsworth’s arrogant pomp entertains: His presence in a sleepy American town brings out the laughs, whether demanding more coffee or looking for an acceptable steed.

One of the drawbacks of an origin story is the pacing. In comic books, it’s usually acceptable to go through a few issues, but translating it to the big screen can be an ugly task (look at Ang Lee’s Hulk). Branagh and co could have spent half the film in Asgard, expanding the Nordic mythos, hampering the pace. Luckily, Thor switches from Earth, Asgard and the Frost Giant realm of Joutenheim reflexively, using Thor’s personality change as an anchor to the movie rolling at a steady pace.

My only gripe is the screen resolution in the film. I know 3D films are considerably better at drawing profits than the standard definition, but the price they pay with screen brightness is particularly irksome. Joutenheim is already a dark and dank place, you can barely make out the CGI’d blue villains in one fight scene. I am, however grateful that there were no cheesy ‘hammer to the screen moments’.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Marvel movie without the fan service. Servings such as the first appearance of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, possibly the best Stan Lee cameo, and a location that looks all to familiar to last year’s comic event Siege. Thor is a fun summer blockbuster that lives up to its hype. If Captain America: The First Avenger were this good, then Marvel will be the prime powerhouse in the superhero movie genre.

My Grade: B+

Thor
• Directed by Kenneth Branagh
• Written by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz & Don Payne (Story by J. Michael Straczynski)
• Starring: Chris Helmsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston
• Runtime: 114 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW: LIMITLESS

More often than not, I like to see movies. But every so often, for no particular reason at all I would write a review about it.

It’s undeniable: Bradley Cooper has become Hollywood’s main draw when looking for charismatic leading men. With the sudden surge in popularity since The Hangover, one would hope that hes upgraded from the alpha-male routine to playing somebody with a bit of substance. Sadly, It misses the bar in Neil Burger’s Limitless.

To be fair, Cooper is more than capable throughout the entire film. It’s hard to justify this when the pace barrels through like a freight train, but stopping so abruptly, you’d wonder what was the point of all that build up in the first place. The film starts off in a manner that is reminiscent of Fight Club: we have a protagonist, facing his impending doom on top of a tall countless-storey building. The vague and seminal narration reveals next to nothing, but we know it’s going to be crucial later on (Sadly, it isn’t), until the scene rollercoasters through with some snazzy special effects and an electric soundtrack, ending the opening credits.

Enter Eddie Morra: a failed writer, who is dumped by his girlfriend (a generic Abby Cornish), hitting rock bottom until he is given a wonder-drug by his seedy brother-in-law, allowing him access to all 100% of his mind. Burger makes good usage of tracking shots of Eddie’s transformation. Seeing Bradley Cooper go from washed up to living a lifestyle that would make Tim Ferriss jealous (read: tropical islands with Generation X’ers and working for about, say, four hours a week). Eddie makes it big on the stock-market and draws the attention of billionaire maven Carl Van Loon played by a very screen deprived Robert De Niro.

All of a sudden, Eddie is dealing with duplicitous Russian gangsters, a ruthless, enigmatic assassin ala No Country for Old Men, and Van Loon’s Wall Street-lite antics. There is a scene halfway through the film where the drug accelerates Eddie’s brain power to the point where he cannot keep up with his own actions. It’s a pivotal point in the movie: Things are moving too fast for Eddie inside his own brain. The entire movie functions like this – fast paced shots with little or no explanation as to how it happened – audiences are dragged from the beginning of a plot, right to the end with no middle ground.

I tend to think about what the direct/writer is trying to comment on society. Mid-way through the movie I conclude that this is most definitely an extreme of how our Generation Y need to be gratified with instant millions – the Mark Zuckerberg culture. Or how the over-exertion of barely legal drug use has deprived society.

Unfortunately, like a cheap second-hand car, Limitless splutters and breaks down in the last arc. The finale does not commit to the level of urgency played throughout the film. The conclusion is weak, and critical plot points are explained disappointingly. Nothing gets resolved, which for a movie which plays the perils of intentional drug use, is not the least bit consequential at all.

My grade: C+

• Limitless
• Directed by Neil Burger
• Written by Leslie Dixon (based on the novel by Alan Glynn)
• Starring: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro
• Runtime: 105 minutes