Before he ever lifted his mighty hammer, there was the sword.
Co-Written by Caleb Paullus (Media Editor) and Matt Sernaker (Senior Editor)
So you saw Thor’s movie and bought the game for your PS3/Xbox360 and iPad right? You didn’t? Then what are you doing sitting there reading this? Go do those things right now and then come back. Why? Because I told you. You can’t get enough of Thor! He’s the next Marvel trend, so eat him up while you still can get your hands on him. To help you with that, Marvel and Lionsgate Entertainment brings you Thor: Tales of Asgard on Blu-ray/DVD combo! LETS GET HAMMERED! (Get it? Hammered?)
Before Thor went on to star in live-action movies, he was an animated Asgardian Teenager. Young Thor spent most of his days honing his skills against the fiercest warriors that Asgard had to offer, hanging out with Sif and Loki, and getting mad at his father, Odin (who kept him sheltered within the confinds of the realm). When Sif confronts Thor about how the warriors of Asgard have always let him win in the arena battles, Thor makes a decision to take a warrior’s quest to retrieve the sword of the fallen warrior known as Surtur. If he can find the weapon, it will prove that he truly is a skilled warrior. With help from his brother Loki, the two stow away on the vessel of the Warrior Three, and find that the Warriors are not the legendary fighters that they claimed to be. Now, the men find themselves working together to carve out a new tale of heroism and help Thor achieve his goal. While the quest might seem straight-forward, the group must fight off the forces of the Frost Giants, Brunhilde and her Valkeryies, and more!
So how does Thor: Tales of Asgard compare to the previous Marvel Direct to DVD animated features? The animation is the same quality as the previous releases, but unfortunately, I felt that this story was probably one of the weakest. While it was an interesting concept to see how Thor became the warrior that we all know, this story felt like it dragged on due to some choices in pacing. This is not to say that the film is without it’s fine moments, as the younger versions of Sif, Loki, and the Warriors Three do a fantastic job stealing the spotlight from Thor throughout the film as the most engaging and entertaining of the characters. Tales of Asgard featured excellent performances by Tara Strong as Sif and Rick Gomez as Loki, but I felt that the interpretation of Thor himself (Matt Wolf) was a bit disappointing.
Special Features
Disc 1: Blu-ray Feature Film + Bonus
-“Worthy: The Making of Thor: Tales of Asgard”
–The Avengers: Earth’s Mighiest Heroes Bonus Episode
-Feature Length Audio Commentary from Supervising Producer Craig Kyle, Screenwriter Greg Johnson, Supervising Director Gary Hartle, Drector Sam Liu, and Character Designer Phil Bourassa
-Trailer Gallery
-1080 High Definition Video
-16×9 Widescreen Presentation
-English 7.1 DTS-HD Audio
Disc 2: DVD Feature Film + Bonus
-Includes same bonus features as on Blu-ray
-Widescreen Presentation
-English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Overview
Having enjoyed all of the Marvel Direct to DVD release (with the exception of The Invincible Iron Man), it is easy to see how Thor: Tales of Asgard fits in nicely with its predecessors as a fun story for anyone who wants to see more of the heroes of the Marvel Universe. While it might not be Thor at his finest, it is a coming of age tale that sets the stage for the hero that we know he will eventually become.
ComicsOnline gives Thor: Tales of Asgard – 2.5 golden locks out of 5!
Buy Thor: Tales of Asgard on Blu-Ray/DVD combo today!
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