Thor – Movie Review

SPOILER ALERT!

So came a Thursday—I apologize—THOR’s Day Night in a crowded IMAX theater when through the entrance lo! Thor appears and bellows his name to the masses awaiting his big screen debut… Seriously, some guy dressed as Thor burst into our theater before preview and yelled “THORRRRRRRRRRR!” with a Mjolnir knock-off held high. He even had a cape. That’s the kind of excitement these Avengers movies ignites in people.

Even if Iron Man 2 wasn’t what we were all hoping for, it did nothing to quell the anticipation for Thor. And it isn’t because Thor was fresh. Marvel has been promoting universe-building from day one. So every film that comes out is not exactly the sequel to the last, but too connected to call it something new. Sibling sequels? Whatever you want to call it, people aren’t going to these movies going “Thor? Sounds like a cool superhero movie,” they’re going saying “Oh, Thor! That’s what they hinted at after the credits of Iron Man 2, right? Awesome!”

But most people were disappointed with Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk got mixed reviews. On paper, Marvel Studios’ movies are not the most stable foundation for the biggest superhero film ever. But then I bring you Thor, sitting a little further down my row and drinking Milk Duds from a carton. Thor could be a disaster; Captain America: The First Avenger will still get people showing up with their shields in hand. Captain America could be god-awful… But next summer, there will be more people dressed as Avengers than in regular clothing when it comes to that midnight premier.

All because Marvel’s done something incredible… They made us excited for a movie. Doesn’t sound like much, does it? Okay, they made us really excited. Excited in the way people were for Return of the King. Excited like people were for Episode 1… Even if it was the worst of all the Star Wars films, was there anyone on the planet not freaking out for it? That’s the kind of excitement I’m talking about. I don’t even think the Harry Potter films tapped into that (or there’s been so many, the excitement’s been replaced by routine).  But The Avengers? It’s getting there. For Thor to sell out at midnight screens all over the place means that people believe in this superhero team. And they trust Marvel, for better or for worse.