Thor

It's not often that I get to the movies even though I love them so much. So seeing "Thor" was a special treat. A big thanks to the Fab Man for that. He's a good friend even if he got my big dog drunk.

So Thor was great fun and I deem it a success. Maybe not a best picture oscar, or the type of film you come running out of a theater saying "I want to see it again right now!!" But in baseball terms this is the type of hit that might not be out of the park but you got to home on it, and that dear readers is what matters.

So let's go over some things here. There might be "spoilers" but with the film out in the second week I'm pretty sure you folks are already up to date on all this. First, this whole deal about Kenneth Branagh being a good choice cause he's done some Shakespeare is total poppycock. I mean, there is very little even of faux Shakespearian dialog here, for which we should all be thankful of. I'm sure Kenneth could show the folks here how to work a cape, or walk in armor without looking like a dork. That's not why he was a good director for this project. The reason is that Kenneth Branagh is a good director with actors and that was what was really needed to keep folks from blending into the special effects.

Some folks seem to really dig the Earth scenes while others liked Asgard more. I think both were good and I liked how balanced the film was between the two worlds, or realms as they are called. I also liked how they really stressed that the Asgardians were really aliens. It helps avoid theological speculations over Thor's place in cosmology. The look of Asgard was great, and really harkened to Jack Kirby's work and the costumes weren't embarrassing as they could have been. Volstagg wasn't quite what I wanted, but I'm adult enough to realize the chances of finding an eight foot tall, eight hundred pound, man who can act was pretty slight.

The earth scenes were best generally with the comedy. Thor was definitely a fish out of water, one that was extremely loud and strong. He definitely didn't blend in. Unfortunately, the script failed Natalie Portman making her the usual romantic cypher. It's only her acting that gives Jane Foster some life here.

Speaking of acting, I can't give enough credit to Chris Hemsworth. It's not easy playing a character like Thor without falling into parody or a stoic nonentity. Here we have a fellow with a big heart but still has issues. Mostly with his father but that bleeds into other authority. He's brash, and doesn't think things through, but ultimately his heart and honor is in the right place. Love the guy. I hope to see him again soon.

The villains are good and dastardly. Loki was a sympathic villain but still evil enough to plan a genocide and stick it to his brother at the same time. The Destroyer, a part of old Thor stories, is a mindless machine but very nasty indeed. Sort of Thor's Gort. The Frost Giants while maybe not as gigantic as I liked were a decent threat, and even humans had a good run at Thor when he was depowered for a time. There was a lot of fighting in this film, but the action scenes never felt forced, and they all served the over all story.

Definitely this is a good film to see. It's another positive step in Marvel's grand "Avenger" plan. And remember to stick it through all of the credits. Nice easter egg at the end. Thank you all.