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THOR

"Humility and Sacrifice Overcome Arrogance"

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What You Need To Know:

THOR, the latest superhero movie from Marvel Comics, begins with the powerful but arrogant warrior getting a lesson in humility from his father, Odin, the king of Asgard. Thor’s reckless actions almost reignite an ancient war between Asgard and their long-time enemies, the Frost Giants. So, Odin strips Thor of his alien super powers and, via a wormhole, banishes Thor and his mighty hammer to Earth. Then, when Odin falls deathly ill, Thor’s jealous half-brother, Loki, decides both Thor and Earth must be destroyed. Only Thor stands in the way, but how can he stop Loki if he doesn’t have any powers and is unable to even lift his hammer?

THOR is loads of fun. It’s also a coming-of-age tale. When stripped of his powers, Thor must learn what it takes to be a true hero. Eventually, Thor earns the right to be the hero again because he becomes humble, kind and, most importantly, willing to sacrifice his life for others. This gives THOR a wonderful, inspiring, redemptive quality. Happily, THOR also turns out to be rather family friendly, despite brief foul language, action violence and scary, threatening creatures.

Content:

(Pa, BB, C, H, LL, VV, N, A, M) Light mixed worldview with strong moral elements and solid, but not overt, Christian, redemptive elements stressing heroism, humility, reconciliation between father and son when son becomes too arrogant and reckless, chivalry, and sacrifice for others, with references to pagan mythology transformed into a humanist science fiction story of advanced technology, which is described at one point, however, as a mixture of magic and science; eight obscenities (mostly “h” words) and five light exclamatory profanities; lots of action violence includes man falls to earth and is grazed by truck/van, battle between men in armor and giants who freeze things, man has lost an eye during battle but not shown, Thor leads four others in armor to battle giants, monster attacks Thor and his companions, Thor smashes coffee cup to the ground, people thrown against objects, Thor fights his way into a compound, giant armor-plated robot sets fire to vehicles and buildings, people thrown against buildings and vehicles in battle with robot, Thor uses his giant hammer against giants and large robot; no sex but brief kissing and women admire Thor’s muscular physique; upper male nudity; alcohol use; no smoking; and, lying, deceit and arrogance.

More Detail:

THOR, the latest superhero movie from Marvel Comics, is loads of fun, with an inspiring message about heroism, humility and sacrifice. It transforms Norse mythology into a science fiction story about super-beings using advanced technology.

THOR opens with a group of scientists, led by Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, finding Thor falling to Earth in the New Mexico desert after being cast out of Asgard, a floating kingdom from another dimension or another part of the universe (the movie isn’t always quite clear here but later mentions the idea of different dimensions once later). Thor was due to be coronated as the heir to his father Odin’s kingdom, but an invasion from several of the Asgardians’ ancient enemies, the Frost Giants, disrupts the ceremony. Angrily, against Odin’s orders, Thor leads a team of Asgardian warriors, including his brother, Loki, against the Frost Giants on their home planet. Thor’s plan doesn’t go well, and he and his friends have to be rescued by Odin.

Odin is extremely upset that Thor tried to start a terrible war, after years of peace. Thor is arrogant, however. He wants to defeat the Frost Giants once and for all. So, Odin takes away Thor’s power, including his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and casts them both down to Earth. This leaves Loki next in line to the throne.

On Earth, Thor is upset and bewildered to learn he has no powers. With help from Jane, he tries to retrieve his mighty hammer, but agents from SHIELD, a secret governmental agency, are now guarding it.

Back on Asgard, Loki plots against his brother. Apparently, it was he who gave the Frost Giants a secret way into Asgard. Loki has his own intense scene with Odin, where he confronts Odin about his true origins. The confrontation leaves Odin deathly ill. Now that he sits on the throne, Loki orders Thor, and Earth along with it, to be completely destroyed. Only Thor can stop Loki from destroying Earth, but how can he do anything without his superpowers?

THOR is primarily a coming-of-age story. When stripped of his powers, Thor must learn what it takes to be a true hero. Eventually, Thor earns the right to be the hero again because he becomes humble, kind and, most importantly, willing to sacrifice his life for others. Thus, the title character in this superhero movie has a wonderful, redemptive and inspiring character arc that turns out to be quite moving. It doesn’t hurt that, as Thor, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth turns in a star-making performance. Of course, he’s helped by an incredible supporting cast, including Oscar-winning actors Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Also, Director Kenneth Branagh, with his Shakespearian background, now seems the perfect choice to handle the movie’s epic interaction among Asgard’s ruling family. Branagh also handles the movie’s intimate, funny scenes with a deft touch.

Happily, THOR also has a family friendly feel, despite some brief foul language, action violence and scary, threatening creatures. It turns pagan mythology into a story about alien beings with super powers and access to advanced technology. Thus, the rainbow bridge linking Asgard to Earth in Norse mythology becomes a bridge to a device that constructs a wormhole to transport people from Asgard to the other nine realms of the universe, a concept which is also taken from Norse mythology. All in all, viewers should have a hammering good time with THOR.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.