Thor is about the titular Asgardian God of Thunder and his trials on both earth and Asgard. Son of Odin and brother of Loki, Thor is about to become king of Asgard when the movie begins. The Frost Giants attack and begin the downward spiral of chaos that has repercussions on both earth and Asgard. For his foolish attempt to investigate what happened with the Frost Giants, Thor is cast out of Asgard without his powers or hammer. He lands on earth and is rescued by scientist Jane Foster. From there the movie goes between both earth and Asgard, leading to a satisfying conclusion and leaving me plenty excited for the Avengers movie.
The acting in the film is - for the most part - well done. Chris Hemsworth, who seemed like an oddball choice at first - was the perfect person to cast as Thor. He easily portrays the overconfidence of Thor in the beginning and makes his transition throughout the film seem believable. The same goes for the other important Asgardians of the film. Anthony Hopkins is superb as Odin, making Odin seem powerful and important, even in his old age. Tom Hiddleston is charismatic and slimy as ever playing Loki, the inevitable villain of the story.
The supporting characters serve their purposes well. Idris Elba brings a definite presence to the Gatekeeper, Heimdall. The Warriors Three (played by Ray Stevens, Tadanobu Asano, and Josh Dallas) are just fine in each of their respective, albeit small roles. The same can also be said for Jaimie Alexander as Sif. Natalie Portman and her fellow earthlings (Stellan Skarsgård as Eric and Kat Dennings as Darcy) do a fine job. Though the romance between Portman and Hemsworth seems rushed occasionally.
The plot itself is a rather black and white tale about family, jealousy, and betrayal. This is unsurprising as Director Kenneth Branagh is a large Shakespearean actor, writer, and director. This bleeds into Thor quite heavily, but it never hinders the film. In fact it helps give it something to relate to, making the idea of other worldly beings not so cheesy or preposterous. The tale follows all the notes you would expect it to, there are no crazy twists here. Though this hinders the film a little, it's never boring to watch, but it never quite lives up to its potential and simply remains "average" throughout most of the movie.
The thing I was most afraid of about Thor was the pacing. Would they spend too much time on earth? How would Asgard be figured in? Thankfully these were things I shouldn't have worried about. The pacing of the film is spot on from the action filled beginning to a slightly slower middle, and building back up to an exciting ending.
The film itself is quite beautiful. The effects on Asgard especially are wonderful to watch. The rainbow bridge is nothing silly at all, instead a shimmering glass bridge reflecting all sorts of color. The various technologies of Asgard are simply fun to look at and watch. The same goes for the action scenes. They're enjoyable to watch, especially the battle that takes place in the beginning of the film. The problem though it has though is the same as the story. They never goes as far as they can, only remaining "average". The climatic fight at the end is especially disappointing - despite being filled with wonderful special effects.
Of course any film apart of the Avengers Initiative wouldn't be complete without a few Marvel universe references. For those familiar with the Thor comic books, there are a few nicely placed nods there. For those looking for clues to characters outside of Thor there is plenty to be had. There is at least one mention of both Iron Man and the Hulk and Jeremy Renner makes his appearance as Hawkeye.
The most important thing Thor does above of everything else, is get me excited for The Avengers movie. Unlike both Iron Man films and the Hulk movie, Thor was the one where I finally realized that I am excited to see all of these characters on screen together. I can't exactly say what did it for me, but by the end of the movie, I could not wait for the final piece of the puzzle, Captain America and finally get the Avengers movie.
Overall Thor is better than most no doubt expected. The acting is solid and the story is well done, even if it is a bit basic. The action is fun, just not as fun as it could be. But by the end of the film you will easily be able to accept the fact that Asgardians can exist in conjunction with Iron Man and the Hulk. Even if you're not a fan of the Thor comics and know little to nothing about the character, I would recommend seeing this movie, especially if you were a fan of the other Marvel movies.
P.S. If you didn't know already, stay after the credits. There's a nice little scene there.
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