Watch only for the SFX.... if you're into that.

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2011)

I am a huge fan of mythology, whether it's Greek, Norse, Asian, Celtic.....whatever. So that was a huge motivation for me to watch this movie. The other reasons I decided to watch it were Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Kenneth Branagh. I didn't read any reviews before watching, but still had some misgivings as I suspected it would be one of those OTT, effects driven, summer blockbuster type movies I honestly shy away from.
Most of my misgivings turned out to be true. Noisy, pull out all the stops and throw in the kitchen sink visual and sound effects, that left my temples throbbing and me nauseous; I think epileptics may not be able to watch this.
Not much in the way of character development or plot. Most of the portrayals were two dimensional or predictable (you see Loki's deceit and villainy a mile away) and even Natalie Portman, who in my book can do no wrong, was painful to watch. She came across as a giddy, too easily smitten 'teenager' who too quickly developed too deep feelings for a man she hardly knew. Anthony Hopkins as usual though, even with his limited screen time, really sunk his teeth into the role and totally convinced as an aging but still powerful Norse deity; he was the high point of the movie, for me.
It's not a terrible movie, but with names like Portman, Hopkins and Branagh involved, the eventual outcome made me feel I was set up for a fall. It would probably have come out a lot better, had they decided to camp it up instead, something that should have been considered given the rich scope for parody - different time frames, wildly divergent parallel worlds, culture shock at every turn, outré costumes etc.
You will probably like this if you're a die-hard comic book hero or SFX fan. Anyone else would probably want to give this a miss and if you're a mythology freak like me, stick to the books.