A great Marvel film

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 2011)

We just got to see this tonight at the Riverview Theater (the best $3 cinema in town, with stadium seating and great popcorn). They packed in a huge crowd, and all had a good time. I have no idea why people have called it a second-tier Marvel movie. I think it's very well done with excellent characters, a terrific sense of humor and good special effects. The plot is rather simple and could stand to be complectified in places, but the characters are complicated and interesting, especially the main antagonist, Thor's brother Loki. Tom Hiddleston (a British actor I've never seen before) plays the trickster god with a wonderful blend of sympathy, pathos and madness. He is a perfect foil to Chris Hemsworth, who does a really good job of playing Thor as a hothead who nevertheless has a heart and is not quite the dumb jock he seems to be. Anthony Hopkins adds gravitas as Odin, and the frost giants are very cool and evil. And the mythology of Asgard is very nicely presented and fleshed out along with wonderful visuals.
So while I wanted a bit more story than I got, I still came away very satisfied and hopeful that the well-constructed mythology we got in this movie will be put to good use in many sequels. Eight stars.