A Satirical Mythic Epic That Hits All the Right Notes

Rating: 9/10 (17 March 2018)

Ratings and reviews are subjective. Some prefer their coffee black. Others with cream and sugar. This adventure resonated with me on the never-a-dull-moment scale of entertainment. I have a female roommate who said it wasn't her cup of tea (to mix metaphors). For your average male, the muscular, masculine, handsome and charismatic Thor tickles our primal caveman id. For sure, he brings out the kid in us who always fantasizes about being Superman (to mix franchises). And for women ... do I really need to explain the appeal? But this is a love story between two brothers. Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki is simply mesmerizing. Most comic book characters tend to be, well, cartoony simplistic. Not here. Quite the opposite as we watch the myriad machinations of his internal struggle between good and evil. And Hemsworth's comedic turn here shows his growth as an actor, the dueling banter between Thor and Loki the magical thread that holds it all together. It is so easy to misstep the delicate balance between humor, farce and Marvel-esque SFX action plot -- here where two beguiling villains, evil sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) and the acerbic sadist Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) vie for control of the universe. Blanchett hugs her narcissist role with obvious delight, getting the chance to play the villain of a lifetime as a black-haired amazon in skin tight spandex and a headdress that puts Maleficent to shame. "Bow to your queen!" She is the empowered female counterpart to Thor for the Me generation. Please note that was meant tongue-in-cheek. I seldom if ever give 9 stars. But the test for me is I watched it the 2nd time one day after and found it equally entertaining, that time analyzing why the film holds your attention nonstop, scene to scene from start to finish.