‘The true Norse legend’
Thor: God of Thunder is a 2022 American fantasy action film and a mockbuster of Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder from The Asylum. Not to be confused with the video game of the same name.
This is the second Thor movie The Asylum has produced. The first was Almighty Thor, released in 2011 to coincide with the release of Marvel Studios’ first Thor movie.
Directed by Noah Luke (Moon Crash; Jungle Run) from a screenplay written by Steve Doucette, making his feature debut. Produced by Paul Bales and David Michael Latt. Executive produced by David Rimawi.
The Asylum production stars Vernon Wells (Tales from the Other Side; Jurassic City; Mad Max), Myrom Kingery (Root; Devil’s Triangle), Vaune Suitt, Tyler Albrecht, Vadim Brunell, Eva Ceja (4 Horsemen: Apocalypse; Titanic 666; Moon Crash; Aquarium of the Dead), Tyler Christopher, Daniel O’Reilly (The Girl on the Mountain; D-Railed), Neli Sabour and Ashford J. Thomas.
Plot:
Thor’s villainous uncle Loki has escaped Asgard to search for Yggdrasil – The Tree of the Nine Realms. The tree holds the power of the Universe and is hidden away on Earth. With the help of giant wolf god Fenrir, Loki plans to destroy the tree and replant it in his image, giving him dominion over all. Now Thor must follow Loki to Earth to wage an epic battle that will hold the two worlds in the balance…
Review:
Thor: God of Thunder begins promisingly with a briefly seen yet decently rendered version of Asgard. However, this being The Asylum it’s not long before we are once again back on Earth… in California… outside Los Angeles… of course.
However, regular watchers of The Asylum’s often threadbare fare can take heed that this new take on the Norse God is way much better than their 2011 effort, Almighty Thor which suffered from having Cody Deal being unsuited for the lead role due to his youth and a script that presented our superhero as being rather ineffectual. The only positive in that weak movie was Richard Grieco’s pantomime performance as Thor’s villainous brother Loki.
In Thor: God of Thunder, Loki is played by Daniel O’Reilly and while he exudes enough baleful expressions, Grieco’s over-the-top delivery makes him more memorable.
But what of Thor himself? Shaven-headed Myrom Kingery takes on the lead role and despite his limited experience in being centre stage – he was previously seen as King Neptune in The Asylum’s shoddier-than-usual Devil’s Triangle – he at least has some presence on screen due to his build and manages to come across as suitably heroic while handling some of the comedic moments well.
Veteran Vernon Wells is acceptable as Odin (albeit with a slight Aussie accent) except during a lamentable yet thankfully short dying speech. Of the actors playing humans, newcomer Vaune Suitt stands out as an archaeologist who gets to show some convincing remorse and involvement in the sparring with Loki at the climax.
This being an Asylum production the cheap effects are variable with earthquake damage rendered unconvincingly, while Fenrir sometimes appears more bear-like than a wolf. They really should have spent at least a few more dollars on the CGI for Fenrir as the production as a whole clearly had a higher budget. That said, Loki’s swiftly-seen snake creatures are passable and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tsunami that hits LA is at least fit for purpose.
Given some of the deep disappointments from the studio recently such as Dracula: The Original Living Vampire, 4 Horsemen: Apocalypse and the aforementioned Devil’s Triangle, Thor: God of Thunder is a welcome entry in their wildly variable roster. The plot moves swiftly and provides the kind of low-budget camp entertainment that fans of trashy mockbusters should enjoy; frankly, it’s one of their best. Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA
Other reviews:
“While still pretty rough by normal standards, judged by Asylum standards, Thor: God of Thunder isn’t bad at all. It’s one of the better things they’ve done recently and their fans should be delighted. More casual viewers should enjoy it for the energetically cheesy style it shows for most of its length.” 3.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
Release:
In the US, Thor: God of Thunder will be released theatrically from July 8th to the 14th in the following locations:
Laemmle Monica Film Center – Santa Monica, CA
Hickory Ridge Cinemas – Brunswick, OH
Trylon Cinema – Minneapolis, MN
O Cinema South Beach – Miami Beach, FL
Aurora Cineplex – Roswell, GA
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