Not a movie fitting for a god but.....

In the realm of Asgard the AllFather Odin (Anthony Hopkins) chooses a successor to his throne, and out of his two sons, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor is chosen. During the ceremony, the lower labyrinths of the castle have been infiltrated by an enemy from the past called the Frost Giants. The team is quickly killed, yet Thor isn't satisfied, he wishes to invade their realm and teach them a lesson. Fearing another brutal war Odin forbids it. Thor invades the realm against his father's command and due to the consequences of the act Odin strips Thor of his powers, and banishes him to Earth where he's found by a group lead by an astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). -summary

Taking these superhero films with a grain of salt is something I don't do often. I've come into most of these films as a comic book fan and I've been impressed several times, because Marvel's run at the very least hasn't been that bad, quite the opposite, they have enjoyed some success and I've come away satisfied to a certain degree, which brings me to the God of Thunder, Thor. Released earlier this year and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Thor may not be the best the superhero genre has to offer. However, at the very least, it can appeal to fans by delivering several things from the comic, and give non fans some background and idea on Thor's world by developing the personalities of major players. After finishing this film along with Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk; the upcoming Avengers movie does look promising.

The plot follows Thor as he deals with his new life on Earth, and back on Asgard, his brother Loki is planning the takeover of the kingdom. There are plenty of attempts at suspense, and even if you're not a fan of the comic; it's pretty easy to tell who's responsible for what. The movie is extremely predictable on just about every level. Thankfully, it managed not to be boring and for me, this is due to the characters mainly.

Character development is present as the viewer will get to know Thor well, as he comes off very arrogant and ignorant in the beginning of the movie. Due to his interactions with the people on Earth he becomes a bit more well-rounded. I really liked the portrayal of Loki here, his character remains true to the comic as not only the God of Evil, but mainly the God of Mischief. I would have enjoyed him more if his abilities as a very powerful sorcerer were delved more into. Jane Foster wasn't bad as the love interest at all, and I give props for her not being used as the damsel in distress.

The movie seemed to follow Thor of the Ultimate Marvel Universe, but there's traces from the regular as well. Even though I enjoyed the light hearted nature of the film, and the comedic moments even made me laugh out loud a few times, I would have preferred the more thought provoking aspect of the character. In the comics, Odin banished Thor into the body of a man suffering from a handicap to teach him humility. Although he appeared to learn his lesson here, the original source material is far more powerful in its message. Ironically, this is the exact same point missed in the Iron Man film in a way, in regards to the reason on Tony Stark wearing the armor. However, the aforementioned film managed to handle the character a lot better.

I really do try to watch these films without searching for small details from the source material, but I just can't ignore the mediocre use of The Destroyer, one of Thor's deadliest enemies. This character is in his top ten rogues gallery, and I really wasn't happy with his dismissal. The battle with Loki really didn't have an epic feel either and I found it to be kind of lacking.

The cinematography is among the films best features. Asgard truly gives off the appearance as a home for gods, with some beautiful backgrounds and set designs. This also goes for the Frost Giants world, which was very dark and gave off the icy death feel. The film uses its fantasy elements quite well. I thought the special effects had many moments of greatness with some nice lighting effects. The movie definitely looks good.

Ever since the release of the first Iron Man film, these Marvel and DC superhero flicks have been a bit too Hollywood for my taste. Most of them haven't really tried to be anything more than just your average superhero movie, and Thor is no exception in this area. There was some effort put into it I think, since it doesn't feel like something the powers that be wanted to just get out of the way, in time for the Avengers movie. I recommend coming into this one with low expectations, and the fact that the gore is very low to non existent and I don't recall any profanity at all. It wouldn't be bad for kids either.

Pros:
-Visually impressive, acting

Cons:
-Doesn't aspire to be anything more