Film Reviews- "Thor" & "Pirates of The Caribbean 4"

Thor: 
Directed By Kenneth Branagh. 
Starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin...


Thor tells the story of the fourth, arguably lesser-known Avenger of Norse mythology. The film begins with a young Thor and his brother Loki learning from their father Odin of the history of Asgard, and how Odin prevented the Frost Giants from conquering The Nine Realms. We then learn only one of the two youngsters will ascend the throne after Odin. Obviously, it is Thor who is chosen.  


Before Thor can take the throne, The Frost Giants attack Asgard, and Thor leads a retaliation strike with his friends to their realm against his father's wishes. Odin finds out, strips Thor of his power and the throne and banishes him to Earth, where he's taken in by Jane Foster and her team of scientists. While adjusting to life on Earth, Thor gradually starts to mature, learn what it means to be a man and such. Meanwhile, his mischievous brother Loki plots to take the throne of Asgard for himself...

This was a very entertaining movie with a great script and great characters. Branagh gives this comic-book hero tale a level of Shakespearian tone. The action scenes and effects are phenomenal. All of the actors fit their roles perfectly. Kat Dennings as Darcy does too, but her character gets annoying, and seems unnecessary. She's there for comic relief, but Thor himself brings enough of the laughs. If there was one more thing I had to pick at is Thor's evolution through the movie. At times it feels rushed, or not given the proper attention it needs to movie the story along. But maybe it's just me. I found this to be a great movie and highly recommend it.

Pirates of the Caribbean 4- On Stranger Tides:
Directed By Rob Marshall
Starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Penelope Cruz as Angelica, Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa, and Ian Mcshane as Blackbeard


Captain Jack Sparrow returns on his own adventure, sans Will Turner or Elizabeth Swan. While trying to save his first mate Gibbs from the gallows in London, Jack learns King George II has commissioned an expedition to find The Fountain of Youth before Spain does. The one leading the expedition? Captain Barbossa, now in service of the British Navy, having lost the Black Pearl to someone else on the hunt for the Fountain, the infamous Captain Blackbeard.

Soon Jack runs into an old flame, Angelica, impersonating him hoping to get a crew together for an expedition to The Fountain. Jack finds himself prisoner aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, headed by Blackbeard himself, who turns out to be Angelica's father. The race to the fountain begins that includes vicious mermaids, haunted ships, and the Spanish armada.

Of all the Pirates sequels, this I found to be the most enjoyable. It was just a straight adventure in vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it didn't get caught up in a complex mythology like Dead Man's Chest or At World's End did. Jack Sparrow the character isn't as enjoyable as he used to be, put he still is fun to watch, and Johnny Depp does a great job bringing the character to life again. Penelope Cruz is delightful as Angelica, Ian McShane is pure evil as Blackbeard, and Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa is a lot more "tame" in this film, but still a job well done. The romance between clergyman Sam and mermaid Serena wasn't what I thought it was going to be, a new version of Will and Elizabeth. It was interesting to watch unfold, and it didn't slow the movie down. My one issue is I wish the climax at the Fountain of Youth was put on a grander scale. The action seemed a bit mellow for my taste.

All in all I enjoyed this fun adventure movie, and it is my favorite of the Pirates of The Caribbean sequels.