I Am Thor

RELEASED IN 2015 and directed by Ryan Wise, "I Am Thor" is documentary on the life of flamboyant body-builder/metal front-man Jon Mikl Thor and his band, Thor, from its beginnings in the 70s-early 80s to more recent years.

I remember seeing albums by Thor (the band) at record stores back in the day and my response was always, "Um... no." I guess I dismissed them because I wasn't sure if I was to take them serious. The guy looked like the superhero Thor come to life, but as a rock god; and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to take it. I finally heard some of their music a few years ago on Youtube, like "Let the Blood Run Red" and "Triumphant," and I found it catchy, raw & passionate in the manner of early Anvil and Twisted Sister. There's also a little Venom, but without the goat-sucking buffoonery (but a LOT of other buffoonery), not to mention the occasional wannabe Norse epic-ness of Manowar (e.g. "Warriors of the Universe"). Meanwhile, their stage antics recalled KISS, Alice Cooper and (again) Twisted Sister. The music's simplistic, but kinetic & fun metal that gets your blood pumping.

I'm just trying to establish how little I knew about Thor, the man or his band, and yet I found this movie entertaining from beginning to end. I can't tell you how many times I busted out laughing. For comparison, "I Am Thor" is superior to 2008's "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" and 2004's "Some Kind of Monster," at least as far as being more compelling and amusing.

The last act is the best, covering the reunited band from their glory days 1983-87, albeit with a new, younger bass player. That was the era when the band had their biggest success in England before abruptly ending when Jon decided to try his hand at acting. A decade later Jon decided to "get the band back together" and that's when his ex-porn-star wife said "Buh bye." In 2009, with his reunited band, Thor landed three concerts at sizeable festivals in Scandinavia, where the band is generally hailed. Say what you will, but Jon & co. know how to put on a show and Jon loves what he does and loves the people, despite the many hassles and unforeseen setbacks. Speaking of which, there's a montage of statements by fans or people who've worked with Jon and they unanimously said he's one of the nicest guys to know and work with. That tells you everything you need to know.

Lastly, remember this: Before there was Manowar, there was Thor.

THE FILM RUNS 82 minutes, never overstaying its welcome.

GRADE: A

I thought I knew a lot about music (and I even spent time in a band myself). So I feel kind of embarrassed that I didn't know about this band until watching this documentary.

It was super late at night and I was thinking of stopping and getting some shut-eye. However, I'm glad I stayed up and watched this through until the end. It turned out to be quite the story of highs, lows, and sheer determination. No matter how bad things got, how questionable the situation, how tattered the band became, or how ridiculous a scenario was that was playing out in front of your eyes -- rest assured somehow and some way Jon Mikl Thor would face things with a positive attitude.

The unabashed honesty in this documentary is fearless. Here's a person who wears his heart on his sleeve and is truly likable. And he's willing to put the good and the bad times out on display for everyone to see. No publicist filter here at all. It's actually really refreshing to see in this age of carefully scripted and curated presentation. It makes you laugh, cry, worry, and cheer. And that folks is entertainment.

Bravo to Thor and all the musicians and loved ones that helped him on his journey here in midgard.

I have seen many documentaries. I believe that I have never been so moved or enthralled by a movie. Ryan Wise has created a masterpiece. If I can make a comparison to other films that have given me so much intrigue, emotion and excitement I can mention The Wrestler or Rocky. But this is a documentary. Yet it plays like a docudrama. It is captivating. I cried and I laughed and got up and cheered. Yes I got up cheered for Jon Mikl Thor. This wonderful and amazing human being. What he goes through and the obstacles that are overcome are sheer amazement. We are having a party this weekend with my friends and we will watch this together and be inspired.

I just watched this on Netflix and I flatly refuse to believe it is a true story. The makers of this movie have pulled an elaborate prank on us and I'm very impressed. The characters are cartoons and the plot is a never ending loop of ridiculous clichés. This is Spinal Tap is a David Attenborough narrated Oscar winner compared to this movie. However, despite or maybe because of it's short comings this movie was an hour and fifteen minutes of laughter if you're into rock and roll and general goofiness check this one out.

At the beginning I was a little worried. The documentary starts off in a suspiciously congratulatory fashion when describing John Mikl's rise to stardom but thankfully it becomes brutally honest and intimate once the first leg of his career is over.

Mikl's fall from super stardom and the problems in his personal life are given enough space to really get a sense of him as a person, and not just as a character, which is a trap some other documentaries have fallen into. His long return into the limelight, a more than a decade long comeback tour of sorts is easily the most entertaining part of the film. If you've ever been on stage or on tour with a band, especially a smaller, rather niche one you can immediately relate. It's a very emotional section, one moment you get a lot of laughs out of the weird band side projects like the punk rock outfit "Thor and the assboys" the next you are worried about Mikl's health after he suffers a stroke. Through all this he's never cynical, never too self-aware that you would think he's just playing a character for the camera and despite some of the more ridiculous outfits and ideas you never make fun of or look down on him. He has a dream, he is who he is and whether he's playing in front of ten people at someone's house party or in front of thousands at a festival he's a born entertainer and an amazing frontman. The last third is still pretty entertaining, full of tour troubles and interesting characters, echoing other recent rock documentaries like Anvil but the middle takes the cake for me.

I came in knowing John Mikl mostly from his 80s B-movie rolls (that I would have loved to hear more of) and not being a fan of his music, I left appreciating this charming man and everything he has brought into the world. At the end I just wanted to give him a hug.

May you live long Thor!