The Reckless Thor, son of Odin is cast down to Earth from the fantastic realm of Asgard for his arrogance.When sent down to Earth he is forced to live amongst humans to teach him much needed lessons. Whilst on Earth his new-found strength comes in handy a a villain from his homeland sends dark forces down to Earth. Thor's love for scientist; Jane Foster, along side his lessons of humility transform him into a real hero, saving Earth from destruction.
The general superhero conventions present in Thor are:
Powers - Even though Thor doesn't gain powers as an ordinary person and instead represents more of a God, he still has powers which help him along on his journey. He is super strong as well sending lightning bolts out of his hammer. However, when Thor is sent down to Earth, his powers are gone and he is only left with the hammer. Without his power of super strength he isn't actually able to lift the hammer. Once Thor has proved himself when he chooses to save his friends lives, he regains the power and he is able to use the hammer.
Achilles Heel - Without his Hammer, Thor is powerless as he is unable to fight to his best ability. However, when he is regained the power to use his hammer, we see him become successful once again.
Back story - The back story to Thor is when Thor is growing up in Asgard and with Loki his brother. When Loki discovers that he is adopted he sets out on revenge, sending dark forced down onto Earth.
Secret Identity - As he is a God he doesn't have a "secret" identity.
Rogues Gallery - Thor has to protect Earth from his own brother, Loki. After finding out he was adopted he turns against everyone, including Thor. He sends down dark forces to Earth and at the end Loki is defeated by Thor.
Costume - Thor's costume involves a metal suite and a red cape. His hammer is also a trademark of his.
Within the film there is lack of sex and nudity meaning it is suitable for more younger teenagers. The violence involved indicates that the target audience would mainly be teenage males, as fantastic combat scenes are involved. The gore isn't explicit and very little blood is shown so again isn't unsuitable for those slightly younger. For some young children, the Frost Giants may be scary. The film is slightly unrealistic and so won't be as upsetting, however the fight scenes take place on Earth and some of the cars crashing might be upsetting in a real-world way.
The binary oppositions present in this film are as follows. First the good V's evil, this is the most obvious binary opposition as we see the battle between Thor and his brother; Loki. Thor has to protect the Earth from the Evil Loki's dark forces. As well as fighting off the Ice Giants. Another Binary opposition is the idea of God V's the human, it represents the strength and power of the Gods as when Thor's powers are taken away from him e is left weaker and unable to fight to his usual ability, he becomes just like any other human, weak and defenceless. Also the representation of the hot v's the cold as Thor is able to defeat the Ice Giants using the lightning bolts from his hammer, being a weakness to the Ice Giants.
Thor does reinforce gender stereotypes as even though the main female role of Jane Foster is a key part in Thor's development on Earth and the key part to why he wants to save Earth, she has no part in any fighting scenes as well as having no power. She is classed as weak and defenceless. The main characters, Thor and Loki are male and are seen as strong and powerful at certain points in the film. Also, the women on Asgard are represented as powerful they aren't really involved in the film.
Overall, the film entertains it's target audience, by introducing a completely different world into the film. It doesn't just take place on Earth but in a more powerful and God like place, almost bringing to mind the idea of ancient Gods, myths and old Greek legends, straight away offering something different to the genre, making it much more interesting. Tension is built throughout as well as being able to leave the audience in suspense, at times for example when Thor loses his powers and he is left weak and defenceless it makes us wonder if he will be able to save Earth and ever regain his powers. Also when we find out that his own brother is going against him and sending evil forces down to Earth make us feel emotions of anger and hatred for him as well as making us wonder if Thor will be able to defeat his brother. It is also interesting how we see Thor develop as a character as we see him become more aware of the world as well as becoming a better person.
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