Nice job! It does exactly what it's supposed to do

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2012)

I will not attempt to defend this movie as an art film; it does not provide insightful reflection upon the human condition. And it is completely preposterous in every way. However, it is fun from start to finish, true "escapism." The characters are thin as some critics have charged, but they serve their archetypal purposes. Thor is a foolish, cocky kid who "grows up" fast. Loki, like his namesake in Norse mythology, is evil and pitiful at the same time so in that sense not just "evil incarnate" like your average superhero villain. The scientist-Valley Girl lacks credibility as a character, but Natalie Portman lends the role some sincerity and gravitas. Speaking of gravitas, the gate-keeper played by the always splendid Idris Elba worked quite well in that role. Some have complained about the phoniness of the sets in the small town, and I admit at times I kept thinking "this is a set," but it didn't get in the way - it came across more as an homage to cheesy 50s sci fi flicks in which the action always manages to take place in an obscure desert town. Some of the special effects were overdone and hard to follow (i..e who's pounding whom, and with what weapon?) and looked like CGI, but the whole fairy-tale aspect of it meant that if some of the landscapes looked more dream-like than real, that was okay too. The storyline is beside the point - Will Odin survive? will Thor prevail? Will Loki's lies be exposed? Do you even have to ask? You know from the beginning how it turns out but that does not spoil the fun along the way.