Way To Start Thor Saga

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2020)

First write a great script - Stan the man and the 5 writers handle that. Then get an 28 year old 6' 3" hunk and put 2 very good cast people around him. This adds up to Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, & Natalie Portman . Add Tom Hiddleston 30 year young talent as Loki whose great. This one is a winner, all the way. Kenneth Branagh does a fine job directed this one too.
As for the plot, well any writer fan of Thor and Stan Lee comic should find it a labor of love. Sure enough, this script comes off that way. There's good humor all the way through and dramatic moments for Hopkins Odin plus the some special moments.
A throw back moment for me is the scene with the attack on the town. Kind of reminded me of Superman 2 though the Destroyer is much more effective than the 3 were in that movie. Lodi really designed one tough machine.
As is normal for Marvel, they introduce Shield run by the government in this one. There are other characters introduced along the way. The great thing though is the immediate talent shown by the younger male actors with the more experienced crew. The casting director hit the jack pot here. Enjoy this one and watch at the end for some extra credits. There's more to Thor than meets the eye, even though his first film is a lot calmer than you'd expect.
The effects and the 9 USA filming locations are used well in advancing the story. The cast chemistry goes along really well. It ends with the usual "well maybe I will see her again." Portman is only 2 years older than Thor, but she is more experienced than him. Here though it is rated PG for Pretty Great. Darn, it's hard to believe Portman is turning 40 soon. How did that happen?