Thor

Chris Hemsworth stars as Thor, God of Thunder, in this adaptation of the Marvel comic directed by Kenneth Branagh.  Thor is the proud son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of the mighty realm of Asgard.  Now that Thor has come of rightful age, he eagerly awaits taking over the throne as the new king.  Except on the day of his coronation ceremony, Asgard's longtime enemies attack the city and Thor decides to take matters into his own hands and seek revenge, despite his father's pleas to the contrary.  As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to live among humans as a mortal being.  Stripped of his powers, Thor must now find a way to get back to Asgard and protect Earth from those who wish to destroy it.  As Thor, Hemsworth nails his performance as the headstrong god, portraying him with a playful swagger that is both funny and charming.  Hemsworth - with a magnetic smile and a body to match - turns what could have easily become an arrogant frat boy shtick into a genuinely likable character.  His crew of warrior pals also lends equal parts comic relief and gravitas as they fight valiantly at the side of their beloved leader and friend.  A bit on the disappointing side was Natalie Portman, as Thor's love interest.  Portman, playing a brainy astrophysicist, is the one who discovers Thor after he crashes to earth during an unusual electrical storm, and immediately turns into a silly schoolgirl around him.  While it is understandable that any girl would turn to mush around such a fine specimen of rugged good looks and manly confidence, Portman's giggly, swoony act is hard to buy from someone who is supposedly such a brilliant and level-headed scientist.  Nonetheless, the film delivers in every other way, from its spectacular special effects (a rainbow bridge connecting Asgard to their interplanetary teleportation device is visually stunning) to its swashbuckling fun that every summer blockbuster should aspire to.  In fact, this movie was done in such a marvelous (pun intended) fashion that I was amazed no one took the initiative to bring this superhero to the big screen before.  I, for one, am eagerly awaiting more appearances from the god of thunder (next summer's "The Avengers", anyone?) and sincerely hope Hollywood sees fit to make the charismatic Hemsworth a star.


4 out of 5 stars