A couple of bad casting decisions aside, not bad.

Rating: 6/10 (22 May 2011)

Thor is an interesting film, but I'm not sure whether to say its worth seeing or not. There is a lot that is good about this film and a lot that sank to the bottom of the barrel. The special effects are decent for the most part except that the Frost Giants' facial make-up looks like ass and the multiple Loki illusion scene looks like it was thrown together with a bad video editor at the last minute.
The plot revolves around Thor being banished to Earth in order to teach him humility and self-control in the face of conflict. The best parts of the film are those that derive themselves from the whole "alien in a strange land" motif that lends itself from '3rd Rock from the Sun' and 'Mork and Mindy'. Unfortunately the film lacks any kind of serious introspection that the aforementioned series each had that would bring about this kind of change that Thor needed. Instead we get emotional conflict and bonding that varies consistently between totally forced and half-assed.
The most solid performance in this film is the role of Heimdall, played by Idris Elba, because he's the only Asgardian who isn't treated like a happy-go-lucky dork. Volstagg is the only one who should really stand out as a happy-go-lucky dork because that's who he is. Loki wasn't bad either, but it was difficult to follow his emotional turmoil as his goals and manipulations change throughout the film.
Worst performance easily goes to Natalie Portman, who has absolutely NO chemistry with Chris Hemsworth and whose character does just mind-bogglingly stupid things throughout the film (think Lois Lane without the journalistic integrity). Another odd choice was Anthony Hopkins as Odin. Not that he didn't do his job relatively well, but only a few times, while watching Odin on screen, did I think to myself that I was watching a character other than Anthony Hopkins (in truth, his staff commanded more presence on screen).
Overall Grade: C+