Thor

Great movie! Has a comic book feel to it. The storyline is very well done! I love how they show Asgard and explain how everything fits into place. The humor is very tasteful, but can be oddly quirky in places. Lots of fun action. The only thing that could have used some improving was the way they filmed the movie. The shakey camera and weird angles are a little annoying, but the rest of the film makes up for this. Very good choice in the cast, could not have picked a better actor for Thor or Loki. Natalie Portman's part isn't the best. She has cheesy lines and her acting doesnt flow right, even though she is a talented actress. She does better with serious parts inatead of light and comical. This movie is very clean and makes a great fun movie for the entire family.

Thor was much much better than I expected. I didn't know if they could pull of the balance between the Norse mythology stuff and the real world Marvel Universe. I should've known better because Marvel knows their characters and knows what we want to see. Spider-Man set a new standard for the superhero film genre back in the day. Iron Man upped the ante. Thor takes the ball and runs with it and places that bar even higher. I look forward to seeing it again and know it will do well enough to be worthy of a sequel because word of mouth is going to be great. Trust me when I say Thor REALLY IS as good as Iron Man and is most worthy to be called one of the greatest adaptations ever.

Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god Thor, and Tom Hiddleston as his villainous brother Loki show they have the acting ability and star quality to become mega-marquee names in the future. Marvel found two absolute diamonds in the rough. Both actors make a HUGE impression and are wonderful on screen. You knew Acedemy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman would bring it but these relative unkowns more than hold their own on screen. I know the script is written mostly for them but they carry it in a big way. From what I've read, Hemsworth and Hiddleston were cast almost a year in advance of filming the story so, they had time to get into shape and do character research. They certain did these long-time Marvel greats proud. Intelligent comic-book popcorn epics are rare and this one is definitely a cut above the usual fare.

This is a throw-off piece of Marvel fiction that is packed full of cliché and predictability...to a point.

I found myself cringing at a lot of the scenes of heroism and there's a definite stink of pure cheetos-stained fanboyism in many of the scenes in general, with the usual over-the-top "glory" of this old four-color trope.

But certain things caught my attention as well-done.

First, Asgard is absolutely beautiful. They went all out in making a realm of metallic and elemental grandeur. I had no trouble in buying this as the realm of Asgard, the ultimate land of beautiful heroism. In particular, the rainbow bridge, the weaponry, and the interior scenes were very fitting in general style and specific detail. Very impressive visually and even thematically.

Second, Branagh's touch can be seen with Shakespearean flair in the family of Odin the AllFather. Odin himself is brimmed with both the rime of age and the wisdom that comes with it and yet his voice can instantly summon fearful authority. Hopkins does well with that balance, even through some cheesy scripting.

And the brothers... the sibling rivalry here is very very potent in that it is nuanced and fully realized by both actors. There is love there, but also a lack of understanding, envy, and hate. Loki is far from a cardboard villain, in that we see, all in one package - a fighter who protects his allies, an honest counselor, a liar, a cautious thinker, a smooth tongue, and an awkward one. He loves and reveres his father, but comes to almost fatally doubt him and even hate him...but it's all very real and very stirring. And even when it's clear that he's done very grim deeds, you can actually understand and accept his motives...and his last scene in the film brings all three of the family men together in a very poignant moment of utter loss.

I was pretty surprised how moving this all was, especially when put in the middle of some otherwise-uninspiring hero pablem.

So in summary, this movie both met my negative expectation of disappointment and surprised me with some purely moving content. See it to see if it surprises you at all as well, and forget the whole comic-book hero thing, since that's been done far better.

Thanks for reading.

In 965 D.C., in Tornsberg, Norway, the Frost Giants from Jotunheim led by King Laufey (Colm Feore) attack the locals, and the Allfather Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and the warriors of Asgard protect the humans and win the battle against the invaders. They take their source of power and bring it to Asgard and they start an armistice with Jotunheim.

When three Frost Giants break in Asgard trying to retrieve their source of power, they are destroyed by the Destroyer. The arrogant Thor (Chris Hemsworth) decides to attack Jotunheim with his stepbrother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and four Asgardian warriors and disobeys the order of his father Odin. In order to avoid war against Jotunheim, Odin removes the powers of Thor and exiles him on Earth to live among the humans. Odin also throws his hammer Mjölnir to New Mexico and orders that only the one that is worth will get the powerful hammer and achieve Thor's powers.

In Puente Antigo, New Mexico, the physician Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is researching a phenomenon in the desert with her professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and her mate Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). Out of the blue, Thor is hit by Jane's truck and she takes him to the hospital. Thor unsuccessfully tries to retrieve Mjölnir that is protected by agents of the government SHIELD. When the Machiavellian Loki sends the Destroyer to Earth to kill Thor, he needs to retrieve his hammer to save not only the humans, but also his Allfather Odin and Asgard from the evil Loki.

"Thor" is an entertaining adventure based on the character of the comic book published by Marvel Comics. Natalie Portman is usually the synonym of a good movie and she is delightful in the role of a scientist. The plot is funny and the scenes with the human Thor; the Nordic black gatekeeper Heimdall (Idris Elba); and the Vikings and Gods speaking in English are hilarious. The special effects are top-notch and the viewer may bring the popcorn and delight with a pleasant family entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Thor"

The first blockbuster of 2011 may be the best. They certainly set the bar very high. It's an exciting and certainly an all-around entertaining comic book adaptation. Nothing in this genre since LOTR has been any better. Everyone involved in the production should be proud to know that their movie can stand toe-to-toe with the likes of anything else that summer can throw at them.

They found the perfect combination of spectacle and guts and passion balanced with the human dynamic of the character. It delivers mind-bending visuals but it still very intelligent and thrilling. How many summer films can you say that about that you've seen over the past ten years or so???? The actors REALLY brought the characters to life. It was really amazing to see it develop on the big screen. There's no doubt that Hemsworth is a star in the making and a rather astounding leading man. Thor is a dazzling example of the superhero movie done right. There were some parts in the movie where I was just blown away. This film has a depth that no one could have expected and is very impressive in scale and design.

I love how the movie played out and it exceeded all my expectations. This was by far the adventure movie I've seen in years. Not too many movies continue to have character growth from start to finish but still pack in the action and heart.