Thor has been around for a while - the Marvel version of the character dates back to the early '60s, and rumours of a film version have been kicking around for what seems like ages. It wasn't until Marvel recently decided to take hold of their own properties that it came to fruition, though. Chris Hemsworth is the titular character in a role that won't serve to turn him into an household name, but should ensure he sees regular work for the near future. As Thor, God of Thunder, son of Odin, and heir to the throne of the realm of Asgard, he's brash, strong and arrogant - and, of course, dashingly handsome. Basically, he is exactly what you'd expect him to be. Cast out of Asgard by his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston in a role with just the right amount of sniveling and menace), Thor winds up on Earth - where he undergoes various 'fish-out-of-water' moments (one scene with Thor enjoying a particularly tasty cup of coffee is great) and, predictably, falls in love with the first attractive woman he meets (Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster). Frankly, one of my biggest issues with the film is this relationship itself - without spoiling anything, I'll just say that they took a few... 'liberties' with the character's origin story and because of this, the relationship between the two doesn't seem to ring true with me - in many ways, she almost seems as if she's there just to make googly eyes at him and laugh at his alien quirks.
And speaking of glossing-over, Thor has four warrior friends from Asgard who journey to Earth in a bid to convince him to return home, but these characters are so static that I couldn't even remember their names without looking them up on IMDB (The girl is named Sif... the other three, I don't know - one of them likes eating, I think). They seem to exist to drive the plot forward and nothing else. In a film directed by Kenneth Branagh, I was just a little bit shocked by how paper-thin they are.
Enough nitpicking, though - Thor is a comic book movie and the main thing I should be asking is, "Is it fun?". Thankfully, I can answer that emphatically in the affirmative. The scenes in Asgard, though all CGI, are quite pretty to look at. Seriously, how much Windex do you think they go through in a year up there? *Everything* has this glossy sheen to it which lends very well to the otherworldly aesthetic they're trying to achieve. The action sequences are well-shot and the special FX are more than adequate (the scene where the Destroyer rampages through a SHIELD roadblock is particularly memorable). The direction by the aforementioned Branagh is tight and good pacing keeps the film moving (it clocks in at a brisk 2 hours). Additionally, the acting is almost uniformly solid, if not excellent. Plus, there are more than a few nods and winks to comic fans (Watch for Hawkeye in the scene where Thor assaults the SHIELD base) that make it worth a view if you're a huge nerd like me.
That being said, will NON-comic book fans enjoy it? I would wager so - it's May now, so the summer movie season is starting up. It's the time of year when people come to the multiplex and feel perfectly all right with turning off the logic centre of their brain and watching things go 'splodey on-screen, and Thor does it with enough bombast and good humour to make it worth your dollar. It's far from a perfect adaptation, but it's a decent franchise starter and a worthwhile addition to Marvel film canon.
Geek Score: 7 out of 10 bacon strips.
What I'm Playing: Alan Wake (a fun game, but this is just a placeholder until next week when L.A. Noire comes out)
What I'm Reading: Batman: Arkham City
