Thor

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 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.

Another outstanding effort, Marvel does it again! It's hard to believe that a movie with this subject matter can make you think and challenge all your movie viewing skills but it does so and more. It's very artistic and you would expect no less from Kenneth Branagh. He presents the entire film in a way that can be savored. Many aspects are classical drama and yet other aspects are just plain old fun kick-butt action scenes. It's a perfect blend and this movie is far deeper then I would've thought. The pacing was perfect as is the link to the Marvel movie Universe... I can't wait to see what Captain America brings us. Overall, a summer movie that's superior to everything else that I've seen in years.

The director's background in Shakespearian themes comes in to play right from the beginning of the film and run throughout. Thor is a super-strong "god" and can travel through space with supernatural powers yet the story is paradoxical and contrary about those elements instead choosing to focus on the human elements. THAT elevates this film far beyond anything I was expecting but I should have known better considering the source material and the director.

The genuine and relatable qualities of these characters are what make it a great film. Sure, the action and fantasy are incredible but the story works so well. The family dynamics between fathers & sons along with sibling rivalry and the price of vanity and lack of humility all resonate. The choices made and the relationships on display are as wonderful as the brawling and action... which are as good as any summer movie that I've seen in years.

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.

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.