Earth never knew what hit it

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2012)

I have to admit, I only became interested in seeing Thor because of The Avengers. I remember sitting in the theater thinking "that Thor guy is kind of hot." Well, after the movie was over, I knew that I had to see Thor and learn more about the leading actor.
In Thor, the God of Thunder is set to inherit the throne from his father when the castle is attacked by the Frost Giants. In retaliation, Thor and his brother travel to their realm and a fight breaks out. Lives are lost on both sides. As punishment for his actions, Thor's father Odin strips the future king of his title and all honors bestowed on him. He then banishes Thor to Earth.
Thor is now mortal, wandering around Earth but still thinking he is a god. He befriends Jane Foster; a beautiful scientist who is immediately attracted to him. Thor gets into some trouble, but always makes sure to place Jane out of harm's way. When Thor's mischievous brother Loki assumes the throne and lies to Thor about their father's death, Thor sacrifices himself to keep Jane safe during a showdown. This heroic act brings his powers back and Thor returns to Asgard to battle his brother.
Chris Hemsworth stars in the title role. Did I say he was "kind of" hot? My mistake. He's incredibly hot. Not only did I enjoy the visual of him, I enjoyed his portrayal of Thor as well. Hemsworth shines as the God of Thunder. He plays him arrogant, self-obsessive and rudethen he changes. We see Thor become sweet and understand that simply killing an entire race just because you want to is wrong. This is brilliantly done as Hemsworth makes Thor likable.
Jane is portrayed by Oscar winner Natalie Portman. Jane is the reason why Thor cares for Earth; he believes there is good on the planet and swears to protect it. Portman shows much emotion as Jane, such as when she thinks Thor has died or when chasing satellites and other scientific things. While her emotions are there, Portman herself has little to do throughout the movie besides running around and drooling over Thor's body.
Tom Hiddleston is Loki, the God of Mischief. One thing that I liked about Hiddleston's portrayal is that he makes Loki sympathetic. I could tell that Loki really did care for his family and wanted his father's approval; he just went about it the wrong way. Hiddleston's descent into madness is brilliantly subtle. You see his change when he realizes he's adopted, then when he takes the throne, then drunk with power. You see even more of that descent into madness in The Avengers. And while he fights his brother, I believed that he would lay his weapon down if Thor would have treated him as his equal. Hiddleston was one of my favorites of this film.
Sir Anthony Hopkins plays the King of Asgard, Odin. This supporting part should have been bigger, but he spends half of it in "Odin sleep." However, if he hadn't been in this, Loki would have had no reason to assume the throne. Hopkins is great at trying to convince Loki that he loves him, even though Loki refuses to believe it. And I liked when Odin snapped Thor's ego back into place when he banishes him to Earth.
Darcy Lewis is played by Kat Dennings. While I have no problem with Dennings, I thought Darcy was completely pointless in the film. Her character was a bit annoying and did not move the plot at all. Had Darcy been eliminated, the story would have continued on. She was not a vital part.
The effects in this movie are alone enough of a reason to see it. Practically all of Asgard is computer generated and the Rainbow Bridge is phenomenal. I especially enjoyed the battle between Thor and Loki, seeing the different effects used with the scepter and the hammer and the effect to create multiple Lokis. Another great graphic is the castle itself; it made me believe that gods really lived there.
Thor is not a great movie; it will not win any Oscars. However, it was fun to watch and a great introduction to a character that gets screen time in The Avengers. I have heard that a sequel to Thor is in the works. I hope that the major characters return, but most especially Loki. He deserves another chance to shine.