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.

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.

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"

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.