Review by C.J. Bunce
It’s only been six years since the first arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended in Avengers: Endgame, but it’s been fourteen years since we first saw Chris Hemsworth take on the role of Thor in his debut movie Thor, still a unique movie in the MCU canon because it tapped Academy Award-winning director Kenneth Branagh and it delivered the first big comic book movie in a space fantasy otherworld. It didn’t take long for audiences to learn that as much fun as the charismatic Hemsworth would be as the larger-than-life superhero god, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki hijinks and humorous villainy would be a requirement going forward–the duo a one-two punch of “brothers from another mother” who were perfect big-screen frenemies.
Today we’re looking back to Thor and how it all came together in Thor: The Art of the Movie, the third of the 24-volume MCU library from Titan Books. Where Iron Man’s development was all about his amazing flying suit of armor, a look behind Thor is about bridging the look of Thor in the comic books to a modern audience and building the fantasy world of Asgard. Thor: The Art of the Movie, available here at Amazon, is a collection of the visual history of the movie from the creations of the art department and production teams that researched the characters and translated them to the big screen.
The book begins with an introduction by artist Walter Simonson, taking us through a brief history of Thor back to 1962 and Issue #83 of Marvel’s Journey Into Mystery. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber, and many others would create the early versions of the character that would grow into the amalgam that the concept artists would translate to live-action.
Key to this book are contributions by costume designer Alexandra Byrne. Concept artists Ryan Meinerding and Charlie Wen, who would be instrumental throughout the Marvel films, credit Hemsworth for bringing the costume to life. Byrne’s cape and helmet work for the film, including Sif, Hemdall, and Loki’s designs are discussed throughout the book. Prop master Russell Bobbitt explores some of the hundreds of designs for Mjolnir, the prop of Thor’s mighty hammer. But the bulk of the book reveals the development of the fantasy worlds that would represent Asgard and beyond, adapted by director Branagh with an explicit intent to appraoch this movie similar to his film adaptations of other classic works of literature.
If you love fantasy artwork, look forward to have the book filled with concept artwork that influenced the final cut of the film. Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos discusses his use of lighting, especially in the context of the Frost Giant sequences. The marriage of comic book Thor, which already had explored its Norse inspirations, got another overhaul for the film, breathing more mythology into the comics realm. Byrne says that she and production designer Bo Welch developed the concept of ancient modernism for the movie, finding a happy medium between Jack Kirby’s fantasy art and Viking influences.
Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the series: Iron Man: The Art of the Movie here, Captain America: The First Avenger–The Art of the Movie, here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ The Avengers here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World here, The Art of Captain America and the Winter Soldier here, The Art of Guardians of the Galaxy here, The Art of Avengers: Age of Ultron here, and The Art of Ant Man here.
The original edition of this book is hard to find, so this re-release is a great buy for fans of the MCU. For every fan of the Marvel Infinity Saga and Kenneth Branagh’s movie that launched Hemsworth and Hiddleston as the ultimate family fantasy duo, don’t miss Thor: The Art of the Movie, available now here at Amazon. Thor is streaming on Disney+.
