Thor

Thor
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Rated PG-13

*The following may contain spoilers*
Here we are again; another Marvel movie. For a quick trip down memory lane, Iron Man 2 (the last Marvel movie) was my second review ever. Kind of cool. Anyways, onto Thor.

As most of you probably know, Marvel is in the middle of what is probably the greatest buildup in the history of Hollywood. In a bold move that got nerds everywhere excited, the studio began making movies of their greatest heroes, starting with Iron Man in 2008. In three years, Marvel has released The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 with Thor releasing on May 6 and Captain America headed to theaters in July. All of these surprisingly great movies are leading up to The Avengers in 2013, a huge project that will throw all of these heroes together for one seriously epic movie.

Thor focuses on the story of it's title character, the Norse god of thunder. True to the comics, Thor is an arrogant, selfish god about to take the throne of his home "realm" (or planet or whatever) Asgard. But, since it is a movie, right before he's crowned, a group of ancient enemies called Frost Giants attempt to steal an artifact. Enraged by this act of treachery, Thor gathers his team of warriors and heads to the Frost Giants realm to confront them, against his father, King Odin's orders. Long story short, Thor loses his temper and, after a pretty awesome battle scene, reignites a centuries old rivalry and threatens to plunges the universe into war.

Seriously ticked off, Odin strips Thor of his rank and powers and banishes him to earth, cursing his hammer so that only those who are worthy may pick it up. Now, stripped of his powers and lost in the new world, Thor must find his way back home to stop the treachery building in the kingdom, while trying to protect his new mortal friends from his own enemies.

What I Liked: 
Just like every other film in the "Avengers franchise," Thor is mainly a springboard to prepare the nerds of the world (myself included) for the amazingness that will be The Avengers so there was a ton of subtle hints to other heroes and movies, which are always fun to spot.
The writing was solid and the plot managed to stay somewhat original, even though the comic strip has been around for 40 years. Also, Natalie Portman is always a good thing to put in a movie.

Dear Hollywood, please put her in EVERYTHING

The special effects were pretty spectacular as well, creating pretty believable realms that were both visually dynamic and creative, helping to once again bring the comics to life.

What I Didn't Like: 
Despite it being convincing most of the time, there were a couple times when the CGI was just kind of terrible.
Also, though it was creative and new, the movie kind of jacked up Thor's basic origin story (banished and convinced he was a physicist until he found the hammer). While I appreciate the creative freedom (because it's Stan Lee and he can do whatever he wants), some die-hards might not appreciate it.
Finally, the plot seemed a little uneven and rushed. I can understand some of it needs to be cut in editing, but it kind of seemed like Thor was changed and influenced in a day and a half (granted, it's Natalie Portman so that could be an accurate time line) but for a conceited prince it doesn't seem likely. And then it ended really abruptly, setting up for a sequel that I'm not sure it deserves.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, Marvel has released yet another great movie to raise the standards that superhero movies should be held to. Despite the slight drag in the plot at times, Thor held it's own as a lead-in for The Avengers but as a stand alone movie, I can't say I was blown away. However, of you're as pumped about Marvel movies as I am, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

When Should You See It?
Like I said, it's not great as a stand alone movie, but if you can't wait for the greatest superhero film ever go check it out NOW!
And don't forget to stick around after the credits (all of them) for a quick taste of The Avengers and it's possible villain.

Personal Rating: 6 of 10
Plot: 7 of 10
Spiritual Aspects: 9 of 10