Plot: What’s it about?
As the summer onslaught of films starts to come our way “Thor” is yet another in the seemingly endless line of superhero movies that keep coming our way. Nothing wrong with that, of course as movies are meant to entertain. But as we veer away from the more major super hero movies (“Superman”, “Batman”, “Spider-Man”, “Iron Man”, “X-Men” and so forth) they become a bit more obscure. The common passerby won’t know that Thor is a Norse god or that his hammer wields ungodly power. Now Thor isn’t the most obscure of heroes and I’m willing to bet that people will get the reference when they say “God of Thunder.” But Thor was once a member of The Avengers (movie forthcoming) and we get a look at him in “Thor: Tales of Asgard.” Yes, this is an animated feature that explores the earlier days of Thor, back when he wasn’t the God of Thunder. So if you plan to venture out to the cinema to see the live-action film, this might be a good place to start.
We meet a young Thor as he and his brother, Loki (Rick Gomez), are in their teenage years. Thor has never been outside the realm of Asgard. Everything has come relatively easy to him all his life and he’s ready for a challenge. Like most youths, he rebels against his father, Odin, and the two set off aboard the ship of the Warriors Three as they seek the Lost Sword of Surtur. However Thor mistakenly violates a peace treaty thereby putting the realm of Asgard in danger. And that, in a nutshell, is it. This isn’t the origin of Thor, more like an adventure that happened long ago. Granted Loki is now Thor’s biggest enemy, but like Professor Xavier and Magneto, the two used to be inseparable. As I mentioned, this might be a good place to start if you choose to venture out to see “Thor” this summer. This series of Marvel animated films is certainly a wise move and a great way to promote their movies.
Video: How does it look?
It’s a well-known fact that pretty much any sort of animation will have a leg up on a live-action movie in terms of how it looks on Blu-ray. This being a new movie, “Thor: Tales of Asgard” is visually superb. While this isn’t like the Pixar line of films, this 1.78:1 AVC HD transfer sparkles from beginning to end. The fluidity of the movements, the lack of grain or dirt on the print and the impressive level of detail are among the standouts that make this exciting to watch. I don’t know what else to say, this is about as good as it gets when it comes to how good a 2D transfer can look.
Audio: How does it sound?
On the down side, “Thor: Tales of Asgard” does contain a DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, though I feel it misses the mark a bit. Dialogue is strong and consistent, though some of the surround effects seem a bit off. I learned a long time ago that just because a movie is animated, it can’t sound good. That’s been disproven many times. And while this mix isn’t bad, per se, I just feel it could have been better. There are some moments when the LFE kick in and I really felt it, but on the whole it just didn’t do it for me.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This two disc Blu-ray set has the standard DVD as the second disc, with the remaining supplements on the first disc. First up are a pair of commentary tracks, the first with Craig Kyle and Greg Johnson and the next with Gary Hartle, Sam Liu and Phil Bourassa. Both tracks are chock full of information, though the second track is far more technical. Next up is “Worthy: The Making Of” and as this suggests, we get the backstory and the thought behind this feature. Lastly is “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” in which we get a bonus episode (“Thor The Mighty”) that shows Thor’s first appearance in the series.
