"Thor"

****

The somewhat mighty Thor! Here we have a solid, though not exceptional, comic book movie. It opens with a huge back story that may run a little too long, and immediately had me a little worried. There were a lot of effects going on, and I think some pretty sweet battle scenes. I say I think because these scenes were very dark, and very rapidly edited, and I saw it in 3D, which just made the dark darker. I honestly wasn't sure just what was going on in these scenes! But once the movie arrives at the realm (planet) of the gods, it brightens considerably, and the design of this place is simply remarkable. I was especially impressed with the bridge that lead to the bridge. (That sentence will make sense once you've seen it.) Later darker scenes didn't give me the same problem, so that early issue clears itself up quite nicely. A last note on the 3D: the movie was stretched, not shot, in 3D, but the effect is done pretty well, better than most I've seen. And while Branagh doesn't exactly "use" the 3D to any extent, the depth is still impressive.

Once Thor is grown up and the plot really starts going we get wonderful, visually exciting action scenes; a strong undercurrent of good humor (at least on earth, Asgard seems like a deadly serious place); and, most importantly, a clear, well defined character arc for our main character. At the open Thor is a narcissistic, pompous warmonger. His father Odin (Hopkins) knows those ways can only lead to disaster, so he humbles Thor as completely as he can be humbled, and it is up to Thor to learn what leadership and heroism really mean. Hemsworth is cast perfectly. He looks every inch a Norse god, but more than that, he plays the extremes the character travels to a tee. Note the smile that fills his face as he discerns an imminent fight early on. Note how that same smile appears and softens later during a moment of levity. The movie would not have worked at all had he not played it so well. Portman, as the love interest, does perhaps the best she can with a character who's just not well developed. In fact, the biggest problem with the movie arrives right there. For all the fun on display, a linchpin element of the plot is the feelings Thor develops for her. They seem to get along well enough, but there never seems to be a moment of connection, never any real sparks. It came as a surprise to me when the movie informed us they were in love; I certainly hadn't seen any evidence of it.

Ultimately, what this movie is, is a setup for the forthcoming Avengers movie. Familiar elements of the Marvel universe abound, from SHIELD to references to Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Banner (the Hulk). Also watch for a cameo from Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner as fellow future Avenger Hawkeye, and the requisite cameo from Marvel creator Stan Lee. In that function, as set up for a future film, this is perfect. It establishes the character and furthers our understanding of the world in an awesomely fun, visually exciting way. As a stand alone film, however, it never reaches the heights it's aiming for. Nearly, but not quite.