An improvement on Iron Man 2

Rating: 7/10 (1 May 2011)

Which was, of course, Marvel's last super hero outing. That film, while not bad, felt like an extended trailer for the Avengers at times; happily Marvel have avoided such a mistake in this movie. Thor for the most part works very well; Kenneth Branagh directs with a sure hand, Chris Hemsworth is an excellent Thor, and Tom Hiddleston is equally impressive as his conniving foster brother Loki.
This is a film that could easily have been a disaster - the concept of the actual God of Thunder walking around in our world is as far out there as Marvel goes, yet it's laced with humour, largely manages to avoid camp (incredibly!) and is full of spectacular images. Asgard is marvellously conceived, particularly Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge, and the movie contains enough cosmic grandeur to satisfy Jack Kirby's legions of fans. Kirby gave the original comic a brilliant visual panache, and Thor does not disgrace its origins. The Warriors Three are fun, too.
On the minus side, Natalie Portman's Jane Foster doesn't really contribute to the story that much, and perhaps the film is a shade overlong. The post credit sequence is a little disappointing, too.
Anthony Hopkins brings his usual stature to Odin, and Jotunheim, home of the Frost Giants, is hugely impressive. And as we all know Thor will be back in The Avengers, the ending doesn't lay it on with a trowel. The music is stirring and compelling and in Loki we have a complex yet surprisingly sympathetic villain. I'd say Thor is one of Marvel's best efforts so far.