Thor

There used to be a time when Memorial Day weekend was the signal for the kicking off of the summer of movie blockbusters. However in recent years it seems like Hollywood has begun to push that earlier, and with Thor opening this past weekend it is definitely the earliest I can remember the launching of the summer movies. Thor is in many respects a great action movie that not only delivers the punches, but has the perfect amount of romance, laughs and a strong story to make this a movie with more then just meets the eye. Thor for me was one of the least known superheroes and so it was great to get this origin movie to help build on the story arc that has been building over the past few years for the Avengers movie. I know that there were the cynics out there that felt the movie was going to be a disaster and that Thor was coming off as being just a teenager who is upset at his dad based on the trailers, I was glad that in all actuality he really was the god of Thunder and the movie did not disappoint.

Chris Hemsworth, stepped into the role of Thor and does a stellar job, especially since for most he is pretty much an unknown actor. For a superhero movie it is imperative that the actor must not only command the screen, but must portray an aura of having super human abilities. Hemsworth plays this to a "T" and gives a very Thor-like performance onscreen in not only his physique but also with how he carries himself and speaks. This gives the character a perfect combination of the pompous and operatic "classic" Thor with the dynamic and unstable modern Thor. I do not know how the purist fans of the Kirby/Lee era will take that mash-up, but I think it was a very good decision, specially because Thor does not only work as an origin of that superhero, but also as an efficient preamble of the highly anticipated film The Avengers, which will be an unification point of Marvel's film universe

The supporting cast of characters is magnificent and really help to make this film more then just your average superhero film. Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki brings a great villain to the role. Marvel definitely found two diamonds in the rough with Hiddleston and Hemsworth. Hiddleston does such a great job that I would definitely have to say that he embodies the best villain in the Avengers story arc so far. Portman plays the role of the innocent, sweet science girl with such ease that you almost believe that is precisely who she is. Hopkins in the role of Odin is exactly what we expect from him. I swear I have seen him in this same role a billion times yet he commands the screen with such subtlety that I do not tire of it.

I think the biggest gamble that was taken on this movie was that of Kenneth Branagh's directing. It is definitely a huge risk to bring in a "classically" trained actor and director to direct a huge summer superhero blockbuster. However in the case of Thor it ended up being definitely appropriate since the comic has always used Shakespearean drama and archaic language to tell the story of the God of Thunder, the political/family conflicts in the kingdom of Asgard and its interaction with the Marvel universe. With Branagh's direction Thor ends up being a shining example of the superhero movie done right.

The writing is spot on as they do a magnificent job telling the story as we are able to see Thor's motivations, power and ark completely. The pacing of the story is perfect in that everything keeps moving, but does not race along at such a frantic pace that no depth is told in the story while at the same time it does not plod along at a pace that makes you look at your watch. Instead, the action keeps you on the edge of your seat while at the same time you get a depth that is not always found in action movies. Also I think part of the writing that makes it work so well is the casting of Hemsworth and Hiddleston were done so early it allowed them to do research into their characters that truly comes through in the writing and their performance. The visual effects were amazing especially that of the kingdom of Asgard. The detail in the city was brilliant and I particularly loved the interpretation of the "rainbow bridge." This interpretation really helped to give the movie an ethereal feel.

Thor is the perfect way to start off the blockbuster movie summer and it has set a high bar for the rest of the movies this summer. Intelligent comic book popcorn movies are rare, but Thor delivers on all cylinders. The acting is above what I was expecting and I definitely expect Hiddleston and Hemsworth to have Thor be there breakout roles. I am giving Thor three and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five, this is one that is definitely worth seeing in the movie theater so to have the entire action movie effect. Also make sure to stay for after the credits to see a separate story strand that will surely be tackled in an upcoming Marvel movie.

-The Movie Man