Thor

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.

The Marvel magic continues with Thor, as they create yet another throrouly enjoyable, fun, action packed and humourous adventure, where we're introduced to a bigger universe extending far beyond Earths realm.

What this movie does perfectly is ground the characters, and link them to our reality so that even though we're dealing with the mystical Frost Giants or the humoungous Destroyer, the characters do not appear other worldly or over powered to the existing superheroes.

The visuals are captivating, whether it be the splendours of Asgard or the chilly Jotunheim, the CGI is excellent. The story is crisply told, fast paced and simple, taking us across the realms and giving us a background to some really interesting, well written and well portrayed characters.

Chris Hemsworth nails the role of Thor with this charm, comic timing and of course good looks. He brings across the carefree, impulsive Thor while also showing a compassionate, gentle side to the character who'd otherwise have been all brawn and no brain.

Antony Hopkins is brilliant as ever, playing Odin Allfather with all the gravitas that the ruler of the nine realms should possess. He shows his steely, ruthless side, as well as his soft, wise nature with elan.

With Tom Hiddleston Marvel have struck gold when it comes to antagonist. His portrayal of Loki is by far the best negative character in the Marvel universe thus far. The God of mischief oozes charisma and brings out his underlying conflicts to perfection.

Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard play important roles in helping Thor in his transformational journey, and we get small bits and pieces of Idris Elba and Jeremy Renners Heimdall and Hawkeye with a hope that they'd play meatier parts in future movies.

The action sequences are frequent and fun, there's a lot of humour, especially as Thor adjusts to the ways of the Earth and it keeps you engaged from the start to the end.

All in all, this film provides a perfect introduction to other worldly elements to be incorporated later in the MCU while managing to hold its own as a spectacle.

It may not be on par with Iron Man when it comes to a deep, rich story line, but it's the closest a movie in the MCU has come so far in touching those grand heights.

I watched this last night at a preview screening in London.

I prayed that Kenneth Branagh would learn from his mistakes with handling a big budget movie, namely his Frankeinstein. Thankfully, I am glad to say he learnt a great deal from those mistakes. Of course, this is no Henry V, this is just pure popcorn entertainment but a thoroughly enjoyable introduction to Thor for the big screen. Chris Hemsworth played the part with a lot of energy, charisma and I have to admit from a bloke's point of view, annoying good looks. Anthony Hopkins added much needed heavyweight presence as Odin but its a role he has quite frankly played a gazillion times but I never tire of it, so I'm not complaining. In a year long span of brilliantly playing vastly different roles from psychotic to swashbuckling heroine, Natalie Portman this time plays the sweet determined scientist girl who falls for the strangely mannered good looking guy. Nothing too taxing for any of them but they do give a re-assuring aura about them.

The visuals were quite spectacular, mainly, the sweeping canvas of Asgard. The action scenes were also good though I thought could have been executed better with lesser use of the fast cut edit style that is too often the norm in action film these days.

There is plenty of humour when Thor is on Earth but not in a put-off way as there is a suitable contrast of a serious tone with everything set in Asgard. Even though the storyline was somewhat predictable, it was still a riveting one.

For those like me, who were concerned about how Thor fits into the established Marvel connected universe set by the Iron Man films need not worry. That is just another thing that Branagh and crew pulls off very well. We can now fully embrace the forthcoming Avengers where a God, a man who transforms into a giant green beast, and a man who flies in a hi tech amour suit can share the same screen. So its all coming together nicely.

And make sure you stay for the end credit scenes. In case you did not know of this before, I urge you to go back to the previous films (Iron Man 1 & 2, Incredible Hulk) and watch the end of credit sequences if you haven't already. They tell a separate story strand that will culminate to a certain upcoming Marvel movie. The end credit sequence of Thor is the most fascinating yet as it actually takes a major plot development in the story strand ;) And it was the longest bloody end of credit sequence I've ever seen in any movie! One last thing, the film I saw was in 3d and once again, it practically nearly ruined all the action scenes for me. In the non action scenes, it was pretty useless and just simply made the film much darker.

Thor is a film that takes risks - and they pay off wonderfully. The movie grounds itself in reality while keeping a mythological and fantasy-esqe tone, and it never loses sight of the humanity within the characters, with elevates this above standard superhero fare.

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.