I went into Thor not knowing much. I was aware that he is part of the whole Avengers thingy and I had seen a few animated features with him in it. I did know he was the God of Thunder, but that’s where my knowledge of him stopped. The movie had been in the news for a number of reasons since it went into production. I personally disliked the poster of Thor and even included it in my Posters Unwanted blog post. The trailers, although nice, were very special effects heavy and that can be either good or bad. I was aware Kenneth Branagh was directing, which I must confess was an odd choice for a superhero movie. It also meant that there was good chance that the movie would lack action and might even go in the direction of Ang Lee’s Hulk.
So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the movie to be more than entertaining. Yes, it lacked action, but the entire story and direction was so wonderful that you do not realize that till you have left the theater and had a thought about it. The cast was simply perfect. Chris Hemsworth represents Thor in all his cockiness, confidence, and glory. Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and eventually Thor’s love interest is charming. Kat Dennings as Darcy gets the job of providing the straight faced one-liners that brought subtle comedy in just the right dose to the movie. Besides them, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Stellan Skarsgard as Erik, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki all do a brilliant job portraying their characters. In fact the strong supporting cast is what makes the movie so enjoyable as there is never a dull moment.
The movie on the whole is a great “origins” story with astounding special effects, especially those revolving around Asgard. It fits well with the whole Avengers movie built up with the now obligatory after credits scene involving S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Samuel Jackson.
Thor gets a much deserved 4 starts out of 5 from me. I would recommend that even if you are not so much of a comic book movie fan, head over to the nearest cinema to have a watch, for Thor makes for an entertaining movie experience.
