Where *did* this come from?

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2011)

Because of his being too headstrong, Thor, the god of thunder, is banished to the worst place imaginable... Earth. He is stripped of his powers, immortality and Mjolnir. And when the mischievous Loki(a surprisingly deep role, and played to perfection with manipulation) learns a secret, more trouble comes his way. The evil Ice Giants of Jotunheim, who have had dealings with the duo's father Odin, are part of it. Perhaps I should make it clear that I'm not a fan of the comics, although I love the Norse myth. It was strange to hear that Branagh was going to make this, and I suppose what happened is really what we should all have realized would. He tried to do it as Shakespeare(hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it), and some will be surprised to find that it works out really well. The focus is on the family drama between the three aforementioned and the father/son conflict, and it's incredibly easy to relate to. In addition, this is a classic adventure tale, the young, brash boy who has to get by in the outside world before he can return home and claim his father's place. Note that we don't see a lot of the titular deity using his abilities(and thankfully he doesn't don that silly helmet much) in this, and he is mortal for the majority of it. This does a magnificent job of setting up the strength of these beings, and still making us feel scared for them. The action tends to be great(apart from the all-human martial arts, that are awkwardly shot and edited for some reason... maybe to hide the stunt performer, I don't know), if the very best of it is at the very start. You also have to wonder why we see less than a dozen Asgardians... well, no, the answer is of course that they had to juggle the two worlds(and it does well, we never lose track), and ours is the grounding factor. On that note, their realm is indeed awe-inspiring, beautifully animated and captured, and the 3D only adds to the epic scope of it(worth the price of admission in my book). Bifrost is nice, even if it is evidently made from the same material as the sidewalk from Billie Jean. While the love story is not the strongest aspect, it works OK(Hemsworth is sufficiently charming). The acting is fine, with a few standout performances(Hiddle and Hopkins, especially). We get some "fish out of water" stuff, and it's adequately balanced to not be annoying. The Marvel-verse cameos are cool. This tries to be funny *a lot*, and thankfully, it does tend to work(it is forced at other times). The script has a few hiccups, and the characters aren't as memorable as they could be. Stay after the credits, for your own sake(if you're at all into these). Since we see it really early on, I can comment on the Destroyer... it's as bland as its name(also, The Day The Earth Stood Still called, it wants Gort back), honestly, you have this cornucopia of fascinating creatures and you come up with a shiny robot with halitosis? All in all, definitely a fun ride, largely satisfying and it works well. I recommend this to anyone who likes the titular ruiner of Summer days, regardless of where you know him from. 8/10