Thor (2011)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Against his father Odin's will, The Mighty Thor - a powerful but arrogant warrior god - recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
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4 films that influenced Thor
What critics say influenced Thor
When Thor, accompanied by his magician brother Loki (Alan Cumming lookalike Tom Hiddleston, HBO's 'The Gathering Storm') and his loyal warriors Volstagg (Ray Stevenson, "The Other Guys"), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano, "Ichi the Killer," "Café Lumière"), Fandral (Josh Dallas, "The Descent: Part 2") and the female Sif (Jaimie Alexander), arrives in Jotunheim, we're reminded of rocky outcrops of 'Star Trek' - the television series - until the immense King Laufey (Colm Feore, "Changeling") and his frost giants begin battle.
Thor also has four knightly sidekicks who are plotting to return him to Asgard, including the Falstaffian Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), the Robin Hoodish Fandral (Josh Dallas), the Amazonian Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano of the 2001 cult classic “Ichi the Killer’’), a samurai who appears to have taken a left turn at the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The elderly Odin has two sons, the beefy, headstrong Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and the slim, wily Loki (Tom Hiddleston), a figure most familiar to moviegoers for inspiring the malevolent trickster figure played by Jim Carrey in The Mask .
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Visuals Characters
Here is where the shades of Peter Jackson kick in with a flashback battle that feels akin to the Elves/Orcs one that kicked off “The Fellowship of the Ring”.
Thor's Asgardian warrior friends, Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), Fandral (Josh Dallas), and Sif (Jaimie Alexander), contribute their energies in an early battle with Frost Giants and later with a very tall robot-looking thing, but their "Fellowship of the Ring"-style camaraderie doesn't get enough screen time to really breathe.
The indie-schooled Jon Favreau worked wonders with "Iron Man," and Branagh was expected to bring fresh eyes to a comic-book legend (similar to the Hogwarts hierarchy drafting Alfonso Cuaron to direct "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban").