Movie Review - "Thor" (2011) ***1/2

     I've stated more than once before in the blog, I'm a nerd and proud of it...but I've never been into comics and the movies they have inspired too much. I know enough general knowledge about some of this stuff to hold my own in a conversation, but it's generally not my thing. Batman seems to be exception as I really enjoyed several of those films. But I found the Spider-Man movies to be relatively boring, I didn't care for Iron Man, and my recent review for Captain America was simply average. I haven't even bothered with most of the X-Men or Fantastic Four films. All that being said, for some strange reason I was intrigued about the new Avengers movie coming out and once it destroyed opening weekend box-office records, with a big thumbs up from the critic masses, I knew it was going to be a movie I needed to see. And I did, but more on that in a later review. Before seeing The Avengers, I had been told that you really needed to see Thor, a movie that I intended to pass on but decided to give a shot to before heading out to see The Avengers. I'm glad I did. Of the precursor Avenger movies to date that I have seen, Thor is the one I enjoyed the most.

     The film stars Chris Hemsworth in the title role of Thor, a powerful yet arrogant warrior whos recklessness reignites a war between his homeworld of Asgard and the evil Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Thor, with the help of his mighty hammer, succeeds in this initial skirmish but back on Asgard, his actions have infuriated his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Odin banishes Thor to the planet Earth where he is to live among the humans as punishment. As he crashes to Earth, Thor is hit by an RV that is home to three scientists; astrophysicist Jane Foster (the lovely Natalie Portman), Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Jane's friend, Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). This leads to a series of amusing moments between the god Thor, who doesn't understand what is going on around him and his human companions who are constantly hitting him with their RV or tasering him when they do not know if he is dangerous or not. I have to admit, while some of this is eye-rolling slapstick, I found it quite amusing. I definitely chuckled a few times seeing this fish-out-of-water tale. Thor's hammer has landed a short distance away in the desert and is immediately quarantined by the secretive S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Thor learns of this and sets off to reclaim his hammer, only to find he no longer possesses the strength to wield it. Back on Asgard, a new, sinister villain is rising to power...Thor's own brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Loki dispatches an evil force to Earth to destroy Thor and any humans that get in the way. It's up to Thor to learn what it means to be a true hero in order to regain his strength and protect Earth.

     I'm not even going to pretend that I understand some of the storylines involved in this film, and it's for that reason that while I enjoyed the film, I'm not able to give it a higher score. It's made for individuals who know a bit of the backstory and who have read the comics. I am not one of those people. That is the primary reason I dislike many of these superhero films, I just don't understand them. And if I don't know what's going on, the acting and story must be good enough to draw me in for a length of time. A majority of these movies have failed with that in the past. With Thor though, I was able to follow along for the most part and I enjoyed myself. I don't think there is any one thing that I thought was outstanding, but all of the performances are at least watchable and I liked the story that was presented to me. The movie was directed by acclaimed British actor Kenneth Branagh, who I didn't even know had directing credits to his name, but he's done several films actually, none of which I have seen. Hemsworth has become a bit of a hot property as an actor in recent years, especially among the fanboy community. He landed the role of Capt. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot, has become a vital role in the Marvel universe, and was recently seen in the horror film The Cabin in the Woods. I'm sure there are other actors who could have pulled Thor off, but I think he was a fine choice. Portman seems out of place to me in this movie, but she's so darn beautiful, so she is always welcome to be around!! I really enjoyed Thor and being that I saw it mere hours before heading out to see The Avengers, I think it makes for a good double-feature. Did it add to my enjoyment of that film? We'll find out shortly.