Huge potential, but ultimately failed

Rating: 4/10 (6 May 2011)

Thor is not a good movie, but it is not a bad one either. I don't regret paying money to see it. But the major negative thing about it, is that it had the potential to be sooo much better. I guess it has everything it needs to in order to appeal to a wider audience. There's action, drama, intrigue, comedy, love and geeky insider knowledge and cameos. But it excels in none. The action is...half-assed at best. Not really exciting except for maybe a single short battle, the climax is clumsy and sluggish, not to mention, over way too quickly. The characters...well, Thor looks the part...and sounds the part, but he just doesn't seem like a three dimensional character. He seems like an actor trying his best. His character development is awkward and cliché, not to mention how he changes from arrogant and self-serving, to protective, honorable and gentle almost overnight. Natalie Portman's character is utterly forgettable. I like her as an actor, but her character in this movie...honestly, I wouldn't care if she lived or died. Other characters seemed mostly like filler. Anthony Hopkins played...well himself, and did alright. The Loke character wasn't bad, but also very forgettable. The only truly memorable character would be Heimdal, who is pretty awesome. Thors friends - Sif and the other three guys...I face-palmed over and over again. Okay, Sif looks the part, but all in all they were pathetic. Come on! You're supposed to be Gods...throw some cars, rip up some lampposts, knock those bad boys around...but no. They can't even charge the opponent without a 'leg-up' from their friends. The comedy part has it moments where you laugh or smile a little, but at many times it's pretty awkward and lame. The romance is irrelevant and the political drama seems contrived and unimaginative. Many superhero films lately have utterly failed (Spiderman 3, The Hulk 1+2, Daredevil, Elektra, Wolverine, X-men 3 and so on), and unfortunately this one joins the list of forgettable movies that, in my opinion should not have been made. And this also brings me to the subject of The Avengers Movie that is coming soon. It seems like they just need to get all there other movies done with, so they can get to the real juicy stuff. I can't wait for that movie, but so far, having due with movies like Thor, is not really helping with my expectations.