Movie Review: Thor (2011)

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Studio: Marvel Studios
Runtime: 114 minutes
Release Date:
Availability: on DVD/Blu-Ray, buy here, buy Blu-Ray here

Thor is a superhero movie based off the Marvel Comics character Thor.  Thor is cast from his home in the dimension of Asgard after he foolishly declares war on the Frost Giants after some of them try to steal the Casket, a powerful relic.  Odin casts Thor to earth along with his hammer and Thor must regain his lost powers.

 I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would.  The plot is very well done and the action scenes are solid and exciting to watch.  I did like the characters and the storyline.  I also think that The Avengers Movie is one of the most interesting concepts I’ve seen a comic book company pull off, since no one has ever done a major crossover with movie characters from multiple franchises is going to be a big winner for Marvel Comics.  DC Comics, as much as I love your comics, the only good movies from you guys were Superman Returns and Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, you guys have a lot of catching up to do with your movies, because Marvel’s winning in the cinemas.

The visual effects are awesome and everything looks fantastic.  This is one that you should definitely see on Blu-Ray if you have it because the effects are very well done.  The fights are very cool and this is a fun action-oriented comic book movie.  It’s not quite as fun as Iron Man, but it’s very close.

The actors are terrific Chris Hemsworth is Thor.  He has both the character’s god status and his arrogance and his humility when he’s stripped of his powers. 

Natalie Portman is great as Jane Foster and I liked her in this movie.  She has a great character arc and she did a great job in this movie, she’s a great actress, unfortunately, what people know her for are the Star Wars prequels where she was given poorly written dialogue, but in this movie, she shows her talents and she was very good in this film.

Tom Hiddleston is good as Loki and I liked him, he just didn’t seem nearly as good as the rest of the cast, but he’s not bad by any means.  He did a good job too.

Anthony Hopkins as Odin is awesome, I’ve seen him in some movies, and I like him in this one.  He is both regal and terrifying and he was great in the movie although he wasn’t in it a whole lot.

Patrick Doyle does a good job on the musical score and it sounds great and I liked it a lot.  It fits the movie and it was very well done.

If there are any flaws of this movie, it’s that it’s a little slow in the beginning, but it does take time to establish the main character Thor, but seeing more of Jane would be nice, but they did establish her character pretty well.

I highly recommend Thor, the storytelling is good and the plot is very well done with a solid character arc and excellent visual effects and acting.  It’s definitely a lot of fun if you enjoy superhero movies, and if you’re like me and you have never picked up a Thor comic, this is a great introduction to the character.  I enjoyed the movie a lot and if you like superheroes, this is a must-buy, I will be getting this on DVD.  If you’re curious, give it a rental from the red box, Netflix or your local library.  It’s worth your time and money.