Thor EMI ****

Although better known for his period and indie drama scores, director Kenneth Branagh chose longtime collaborator Patrick Doyle ( Henry V, Hamlet) to score Thor, his first foray into the Marvel comics franchise. Having demonstrated his action chops with The Last Legionand Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the award-winning composer produces a career-defining score with signature elegant melodies, bold colours and dynamic Romantic motifs, which slyly redefines blockbuster scoring conventions by emphasising complex themes over heart-pounding thumps. Deftly combining lush orchestration with bright electronica and sinuous rhythms, Thor delivers taut drama and adrenalin-charged thrills with enormous charm and energy, infusing its set pieces with a remarkable seriousness and urgency. Thorkicks Asgard. See thor.marvel.com

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