God of Thunder and Rock & Roll.

Obligatory: Stop.....Hammertime!

Who's everyone's favorite God of badass hammers and thunder? That's right, it's Thor! Thor was a movie that I never thought would be filmed. Thor is a hard comic to adapt. Taking in account the myths and legends that surround the character...It's almost scary to be put in the shoes of someone who has to pump out a script for this. But...Thor is also a film and script that succeeds on almost all levels. Strong character driven story, great battles, epic adventure, and great dialog make Thor the film it is.

The gist of the film consists of Thor tricked into violating a long standing truce by his brother Loki, leaving him banished from Asgard and exiled to the mortal realm of Earth.  Simple synopsis but the execution of said events are Thor's strong point. 

Most comic books start off with said hero acquiring their power or motivation for being who and what they are; Thor, however, is a different story. The character already has his badassery during the beginning of the film. He's straight up kicking giant ass 15 minutes into the film. It's kind of refreshing not to have to sit through another Origin story considering those kind of peaked with Batman Begins. There simply has not been a good one since. Even well received films like Iron Man suffer from a weak Origin. Props to the script for avoiding a long and drawn out narrative. 

Thor, being the established God that he is, still has his tragic flaws. He is an arrogant warrior who rushes to decisions all too soon, eventually jeopardizing a long standing truce between Asgard and The Frost Giants set forth by one uber-badass Anthony Hopkins as Odin. Hopkins, who slums a lot for a paycheck despite being one of the best actors ever, is really awesome here. When news of his casting was announced, I simply thought he'd be in the film about 2 minutes and that would be that. Thankfully, this was not the case. Odin plays a big part in Thor's story and character. 

Speaking of great actors, it's very difficult to talk about anyone without mentioning both Thor and Loki. Hemsworth is terrific as Thor. He brings the character to life in the same way as Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Bale's Batman are brought to life. His charisma adds a lot to the character of Thor and he actually ends up being a damn good actor. I first saw him in the opening of Abrams' Star Trek as Kirk's father, in less than 10 minutes, he made you feel like you wanted to cry. He's a very emotional actor and really puts forth the effort to be the character. At no point does it ever feel like he is not Thor which has been a problem with a lot of Marvel works lately. 

On the other end of the spectrum you have Loki as played by Tom Hiddleston. I have no idea where this guy came from. I've never seen him in anything other than Thor, but WOW! He sure makes Loki one hell of a villain. He's very symbolic in his portrayal and quite sympathetic. I really felt bad for Loki through the whole film. Hiddleston is an excellent actor, perhaps the best performance in the film. I can't say enough good things about it. There is a scene with Odin and Loki after Thor's Banishment that simply gives me chills. 

"Oh, Look, Hulk! A Taco Bell!!!"

The supporting cast is great as well, all of Thor's battle buddies are present: Volstagg to Sif. But of course, there is on weakness to the film....Natalie Portman. I love Natalie in pretty much everything she does. But in this film...she's just kind of here. No real performance, and she's adequate as Thor's main squeeze...but I never got the impression that she was this great physicist or cared about what her work would bring. But I may just be nitpicking here. 

          

Thor is one of the very few comic book movies that you don't have to read the comic book to understand or enjoy. That's one of the strong points about the film. Thor is not just a good comic book film, it is a great movie and perhaps my favorite of the Marvel films. It's a must see for the summer and a must own for any self respecting geek.

9 out of 10.