Xena, Jackie Chan, Robin Hood... and Zeus?

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2011)

First of all, I am superhero fan. I research on superheroes that interest me during my spare time. However, I never get a chance to read the comics or more likely, I am lazy. Nonetheless, I am quite acquainted with the mainstream heroes and their groups, such as, Batman, Spiderman, Hulk, Superman, X-Men, Justice League and etc. However, only was it until Iron Man came out that I took notice into The Avengers. Then came along Thor and and news of Chris Hemsworth playing the character.
I had no idea what to expect from Hemsworth, since I am not familiar with his work. In all honesty, I had no idea what to expect from this movie at all. I read some reviews and most of them were positive. And since I am a skeptical woman, I went to my Marvel encyclopedia and searched up Thor. He did not seem like an interesting character, or to be more general, none of The Avengers seemed intriguing.
I remember seeing Hulk, my first Avenger hero movie. I was not hugely astounded with Hulk. I am not talking about the movie because the recent Hulk movie (The Incredible Hulk) was entertaining, but it just didn't move me. Perhaps, Hulk is not my type of protagonist/hero.
However, the same scenario happened with Iron Man. Though, I got to say Iron Man had some witty dialogues which made it more entertaining. Nonetheless, I was unable to attach myself to Tony Stark's character for some reason.
Acting: These two previous superheroes link to Thor because oddly enough, I was able to relate to this lad. His transformation from being arrogant and stupid to noble and warm-hearted made him more endearing. I believe this fine performance and great character representation is thanks to Chris Hemsworth. Even though I do not know much about Thor, Hemsworth made the story and character seem realistic and smooth in a magical sense. Awesome acting from Hemsworth, by the way. Tom Hiddleston as Loki also left a positive impression. I liked the fact that he wasn't purely evil like most clichés, where the evil brother just makes you hate them for no reason. As a matter of fact, I actually felt sorry for him. I thought the other performances were average. They did not make the movie much better, but thanks to their believability and successful deliverance of the character, the storyline was able to flow properly. On a side note, I did not find Kat Dennings to be annoying. I thought she definitely added humor into the movie, which is a bonus. Oh and yes, Natalie Portman along with Jaimie Alexander are also eye candies for men.
9/10
Storyline: The plot was well grounded in general. The beginning really ensnared me into Asgard. The battle near the beginning against the Frostbites was thrilling and exciting. However, the story slightly went downhill after Thor was banished to Earth. After a few laughs and giggles because of Thor's naivety in the human world and the comments from Dennings, the storyline fell flat by a bit. It might ruin it for some people, but I did not mind the slow paced delivery because I thought it delved more into Thor's character. However, I must say that he transformed too quickly. Now that I have mentioned it, his relationship with Jane Foster felt rushed. Like, why were they together in the first place? I know that she was sent to him to make him become a better man, but they didn't really show how SHE made him the way he is now. Though, I must admit, I was smiling in the theater when they were exchanging conversations. Cute couple. Now, back to the storyline, it's obviously different from previous superhero films, since Thor already possess godly powers. What am I saying? He is a God. This factor made it different than most comic based movies. The way they show the Asgardians landing on Earth with their full armors on was also funny.
There were no subplots other than some scenes linking to the Avengers and Shields. I also thought the little scene with Hawkeye was unessential. For people that do not know Hawkeye, will be like, "why does that guy have a bow and not a gun?"
8/10
Special Effects: Asgard looked beautiful. It reminded me of the Final Fantasy games. I thought the armors looked goofy from the trailers, but for the most part, it turned out decorous and mighty looking. There were also major details in the background. The battle between the Frost giants and Thor and his friends at the beginning looked stunning. Kenneth Branagh executed the shots very well. However, when Thor's friends came to Earth, they looked oddly misplaced. Their armors looked fake.
9/10
Entertainment: Bottom line, I thought Thor was massively entertaining. I am also a fan of Greek mythology and it opened me up to Norse mythology which I thought was delicately incorporated. Thor actually reminded me of Zeus. This whole incorporation of Asgard and Earth made me question about science and magic also. I am a dreamer, so the fact that they touched on this binary made it more pleasing. Moreover, it is not my favorite superhero film, but definitely one of my top few. I thought it was slightly better than Iron Man, since it was better paced. However, Thor contained cheesy elements that could have been mended. Iron Man was more intellectual thanks to the script, but not eye pleasing or heart mending enough except for Stark's highly advanced suit and weapons. I also felt like Thor had more heart and not just good special effects. Nonetheless, something was missing that Spiderman and Batman had, but Thor did not. The movie Thor and not the character was just not catchy/memorable enough, especially for those who are not into superhero movies and mythology or fantasy. It still provides a load of entertainment!
9.5/10