Not your typical superhero movie

Rating: 8/10 (25 May 2011)

I liked how Brannagh treated this unique origin story. Most origin stories revolve around the acquisition of some super power and how the hero becomes comfortable with his/her new abilities. But with Thor, it's backwards. He already has the powers of a god and has to learn to be comfortable without then.
Overall, I felt is was a very Shakespearean treatment of the story, which makes sense given Brannagh's background. With kings banishing sons and the betrayals of (adoptive) brothers, it had all the makings of a Shakespearean tragedy, up until the relatively happy ending. I can see where people expecting the spectacular action of a "Spider-Man" or "Iron Man" might be disappointed. But, given the unique nature of Thor going from god-to-hero rather than man-to-hero, I don't think it could have been handled much better.