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I am not a Thor fan, so I was never particularly interested in the upcoming movie. However, an interview with the director over at Hero Complex, has me very excited for the film.

So, here’s a quick primer on the upcoming Marvel film, Thor: (WARNING: I wouldn’t consider the following spoilers as all it is is general backstory from the comics. However, if you wish to remain completely clean, you may want to stop reading.)

• The character was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby and based on Norse Mythology.
• The general plotline is this: The Mighty Thor, a powerful warrior in the realm of Asgard, is cast down to Earth by his father, Odin, in order to teach him humility. While forced to live among humans, he learns what true hero really is and must use all his strength to thwart an invasion by the darkest forces of Asgard.
• The film will switch between Asgard, the home of the Asgardians, and present-day earth.
• Chris Hemsworth will play the titular role, with Sir Anthony Hopkins portraying his father. Tom Hiddleston is Thor’s stepbrother and arch-nemesis, Loki. Natalie Portman and Jaimie Alexander are Thor’s two love interests, from Earth and Asgard, respectively. Joshua Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, and Ray Stevenson are the warriors known as The Warriors Three, and the rest of the supporting cast includes Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, as well as Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
• The movie is being directed by Kenneth Branagh, who is best known for his several Shakespeare adaptations.
• Thor is set to be released May 6th, 2011.

So, what changed my mind about the movie? In the interview, Branagh had this to say about his film:

“Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we’ve tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world. It’s about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different…. The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film.”

This shows how much passion the director, who is a huge Thor fan, is putting into the project. He is taking the comic book and, rather than hype it up for mass appeal, bringing the inherently Shakespearean aspects of the story to the forefront. Combine this with a stellar cast, and you should have an amazing film.

After seeing the comic-book movie genre explode, this is the kind of creativity that distinguishes a “Dark Knight” from a “Wolverine.” Exciting action is fun, but a fantastic story and good filmmaking are what really matters, and that is why I am really looking forward to this film.