Thor

Thor is the soundtrack to the Marvel Studios film of the same name, based on the character created by Marvel Comics. The music was composed by Patrick Doyle, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Buena Vista Records announced the details for the soundtrack in March 2011. It was released in some European territories at the end of April and was released on May 3 in the United States.

The film's score was written by composer Patrick Doyle, a frequent collaborator of Branagh. Doyle described Thor as "the most commercially high profile film I have done since Frankenstein", adding that the composing process had the challenge of trying to find a tone that fit the duality of Asgard and Earth. Thus Doyle and Branagh had frequent discussions on the musical direction, with the director suggesting a contemporary feel and having a balance between the music and "grand images [that] were not in any way hyperbolized", and the composer in turn implementing "a strong sense of melody, which he responds to in my work". As Doyle declared that his own Celtic background made him familiar with Norse mythology, an old Celtic folk song also provided the inspiration for Thor's leitmotif. A soundtrack album was released by Buena Vista Records in April 2011.

The film also features a song by the Foo Fighters, "Walk", in both a scene where a powerless Thor shares some boilermakers with Selvig in a roadhouse, and the film's closing credits. Marvel president Kevin Feige stated that "Walk" was a last minute addition, that the crew felt had "these eerie appropriate lyrics and themes" upon hearing it. Branagh in particular thought that "these lyrics about learning to walk again" were appropriate "of [a] movie about redemption, learning to be a hero."



RECEPTION

James Christopher Monger of AllMusic stated that, "Composer Patrick Doyle, who brought a new-found boldness to the Harry Potter franchise in 2005 with his Goblet of Fire score, treats director Kenneth Branagh's big-screen adaptation of Marvel Comic’s iconic Norse superhero Thor with appropriate gravitas. The longtime Branagh collaborator (Henry V, Dead Again) sets the stage with “Chasing the Storm,” a tense and surging unveiling of the main theme, which sounds a bit like a cross between the James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer's Batman Begins cue and Zimmer's “CheValiers de Sangreal” theme from The Da Vinci Code, and like Zimmer, Doyle knows how to whip a circular melody into a frenzy. Elsewhere, the lovely and appropriately stoic “Sons of Odin” is awash in traditional fantasy elements, while the epic “Compound” unveils a more modern, sci-fi action approach, resulting in a score that’s wistful, heroic, and as grand as the fantastic realm of Asgard itself".

Danny Graydon of Empire stated, "Reuniting with long-time collaborator Kenneth Branagh, Patrick Doyle’s score successfully mixes Wagnerian "Sturm und Drang" ("Frost Giant Battle") with cues brimming with nobility ("Chasing The Storm") and dramatic richness ("Odin Confesses" and "Banishment"). He also creates an engaging melodic core via the opposing themes of Thor and Loki and reaps dividends from his concerted distinction of the worlds of Asgard and Earth. It’s just a shame that the omnipresence of choirs and percussion in current action scores somewhat dilutes the dynamism of Doyle’s climatic cues".