Review - Thor (2011)

This movie reminds me why we still watch some shows in the theater.  It is teh awesome!

The Norse gods are real.  They are a virtually immortal and technologically advanced race.  Long ago, they protected our planet from the evil Frost Giants.  The Vikings wrote of their stories--the origins of Norse mythology.

Thor and Loki are the two sons of Odin, one of which is to become the next king.  When Thor demonstrates unbridled recklessness, Odin exiles him to Earth.  Lucky us!

At first, Thor's character is annoying and pompous, as if saying, "Look at me!  I'm Kevin Sorbo!"  But he's supposed to act that way.  This is a character transformation story, and it's actually well done.  Though the writers sacrificed a little action to accomplish this task, it was well worth it.  Chris Hemsworth gave a decent performance.  The women may also appreciate his "cut build."  He's like me, only fatter and with red/blond hair.

Some scenes reminded me of Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (really bad), and Superman II (not quite so bad); but fortunately the writers didn't spend too much time pointing out the differences in culture between Thor and us.  It's funny that Thor's people speak English, but not unforgivable, considering that English itself derived in large part from the Vikings.

Thor's world is awesome eye candy.  The special effects throughout the movie are also teh awesome.  I want one of those rainbow bridges!  Note that this movie was not shot in 3-D, but was rather converted, and I hear that it's not well done.  I watched it in 2-D, and I didn't miss anything.  Don't waste $3 a person to watch it in 3-D.

Be prepared for a few cameos.  One of them is the legendary J Michael Straczynski (Thor writer and creator of Babylon 5), who tries to retrieve Thor's hammer.  Also, stay tuned at the end of the credits for a sneak preview of the next movie.

Parent watch: there really isn't anything much beyond comic violence.  Bring the kids.  They'll love it.

Annoying question that doesn't get answered: If Thor was a child (or not even born) when Odin saved Earth back in the Viking times, then how did the Vikings learn of Thor's awesomeness?  Hmmm....

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys comic book movies.  This is one of the better ones.