Pleasant Surprise

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2011)

When I heard they were making a movie of the character Thor I had serious trepidations. When I heard that Kenneth Branagh was directing it I had even more trepidation not due to the fact that it was Branagh but the fact that all he's ever directed was drama's.
Going into the theater I very low expectations from this film and man was I blown away. I like the fact that Branagh didn't approach the story as a super-hero film but more of a Shakespearing epic. The fantasy elements alone were marvelous.
Anthony Hopkins IS Odin...I cannot imaging another actor portraying him. His performance as Odin captures the essence of the character and the delicate balance of ruler verses father. He exudes power with subtle touches of vulnerability.
Chris Hemsworth is outstanding as Thor. He's got such a likability about him that even at Thor's most arrogant point in the story you can see how his friends stand by him. His performance is rock solid and extremely enjoyable.
Tom Hiddleston is THE perfect Loki. He's captured the sleazy, slimy, be nice to your face but looking for a place to drive the knife in your back nature of the character.
As I had stated earlier the story plays out as more of a fantasy epic than a dyed in the wool super-hero story. The journey into Jotenheim was stunning and Asgard itself was just beautiful to behold. The set designs were excellent. The humor in the film was very organic and never seemed forced. The story itself was very well balanced and didn't leave you wondering what the heck was going on. I almost wish they'd have kept it separate from the upcoming Marvel films. It works very well as a stand alone epic.
The effect's that I was expecting to be sub-standard were in fact top notch and even Thors trademark spinning hammer from the comics didn't look as cheesy as it could have.
This movie is a gem. All parties involved should be proud of themselves for bringing such a great piece of work to the screen. I for one cannot wait to see a sequel to this film. With any luck we'll see some of the other nine realms such as Muspelheim, Alfheim or even Vanaheim.
This is definitely a MUST SEE film