‘Thor at the Bus Stop’ a film in magic realism

“Thor at the Bus Stop,” a film by local filmmakers Mike and Jerry Thompson, is about how the mythical Thor spends his last day alive.

By Josh Bell

Sunday, June 14, 2009 | 1:12 p.m.

Beverly Poppe / Special to the Las Vegas Sun

Local filmmakers the Thompson brothers have infused their first feature with real Las Vegas, down to the soundtrack with tunes from local bands Hungry Cloud and A Crowd of Small Adventures.

Local filmmaking brothers Jerry and Mike Thompson turn in a winning, whimsical film for their feature debut, a mélange of quirky stories that represent a side of Vegas rarely seen in films. "Thor at the Bus Stop," expanded from a pair of Thompson short films, interweaves various stories catalyzed by the title character, whose angst over being the unsung savior of the world sets off a string of random lightning strikes.

Despite the mystical overtones, Thor isn’t a supernatural movie; it’s more like magic realism, with elements like the thunder god and a guy wandering around impaled by a yield sign mixing with more grounded stories about relationships and family. The Thompsons deftly tie their disparate characters together, and the cast of locals (including Mike and Jerry and non-directing Thompson brother Scott, as well as magician Teller) is almost uniformly strong.

The filmmakers also make good use of their small budget, with creative shot composition and location choice. Some of the scenes could use a little tightening, and some of the comedy is a little too tame, but Thor is an auspicious start to what will hopefully be a long career in feature filmmaking for the Thompsons.