Marvel can’t seem to do any wrong with its movies these days, save for a Spider-Man that shouldn’t have been. Furthering the growth of expectation for The Avengers, Thor does its best in introducing the character to cinema-goers.

Thor is one of the Marvel characters that I’ve always wanted to get into but never really got the opportunity to. His translation to film was a pretty decent one, Chris Hemsworth seemed like he was literally born to play the role.

The movie plays out between two worlds, Earth and Asgard. On Earth the cast is Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).

Jane Foster is a research scientist following some anomalies and storms in New Mexico, Darcy is her assistant and Erik is her mentor, so it seems.

In Asgard Anthony Hopkins plays Odin, Thor’s father and Loki, his brother, is played by Tom Hiddleston. Thor has a group of warrior friends that play a good role in the movie, Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Fandral (Josh Dallas), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson). Idris Elba also plays a key role as Heimdall, watchman of the gods. A quick read-through of Norse mythology will give you a better understanding of the characters, if you’re lost.

In Asgard, an enemy causes a disruption during Thor’s inauguration and enrages him enough to take his friends on a ‘fact-finding mission’. This mission turns into a brawl, prompting Odin to make a deal of sorts with the leader of the enemy. The aftermath results in Thor being cast out of Asgard – deprived of his powers.

Thor is sent to Earth, New Mexico to be exact, and his hammer is sent within reach, adding insult to injury.

Jane Foster finds Thor after his descent causes an energy storm. His hammer causes some stir with the locals and brings in some attention from S.H.I.E.L.D. (if you saw the bonus scene from Iron Man 2, this may seem like De ja vu). I haven’t seen this much presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents in a Marvel movie. Was nice seeing them with more than a few lines.

I really appreciated the way Thor interacted with being on Earth, everything is awkward and his customs are way off. The writers didn’t sacrifice his integrity at all.

The movie does feel more like an episode leading up to something though. It makes sense when you consider it a precursor to the upcoming Avengers movie but, in retrospect, it does leave you looking for more. It’s also not as explosioney as the usual Marvel fare, which may throw some viewers off. The build-up to the climax felt simple too, maybe a bit cliché. It doesn’t end on a cliché note though and leaves room for anticipation of a sequel. More movies need that.

Definitely one for Marvel fans and can alienate the casual viewer in spots. It may leave you wanting for more or feeling otherwise cheated but it’s a pretty good watch if you’re interested. The acting feels very natural and lures you in; nothing seems too exaggerated- even with the balancing act of parallel plots. I did find the 3D to be annoying in a lot of parts and oddly absent where it really could have shined. It was awesome in the end-credits though!

Check it out and let me know what you thought in the comments. Thanks for the read, see you soon!

Ampero

Bonus: After the end-credits, as with most Marvel movies, there’s a bonus scene that you’d want to see, True Believer!

Check movie times and see the trailer here