Thor

 Photo: allmoviephoto.com

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. 103 minutes. PG

I don't know much about Thor, neither comic book hero nor mythological god. And I have to admit, although there was a lot of hype about this film, I wasn't looking forward to it much. That being said, this film did pass my expectations. Expectations which weren't too high and not by much.

According to this film, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a battle-hungry, trouble-seeking god with competitive brother issues. He's also heir to the throne until his aforementioned traits leads his father, King Odin, to banish him from the heavens, sending him powerless and hammerless to earth. Odin also deems that whoever finds and wields the hammer of Thor shall also inherit his power. Meanwhile, bro Loki (Tom Hiddleston) uncovers a dark family secret and when Odin falls into a sleep, Loki assumes the crown. However, with the discovery of this dark secret, Loki sees his brother in a different light and sets out to kill him. Of course, Thor is now a mere mortal and doesn't stand a chance. Unless he has control of his hammer again.

I didn't see this film in 3D. I'm not a fan of 3D in general, and the fact that this film was only 3D-ized after it was shot makes it even worse. Though I haven't seen the other version, I feel like the non-3D version was a better experience. Imagining this film in 3D seems kind of unnecessary as there weren't many scenes that seemed to call for it. Sure, Thor thrashes his hammer around a lot but there's a lot more to the film than just the hammer. Actually, the majority of the film is about Thor coping without his hammer.

The cast was good. Just good, with the exception of Kat Dennings who was really funny and offbeat, as she's known to be, though exceptionally so. She seems destined for something bigger. Something with a massive cult-following. Hemsworth did well too, bringing an interesting child-like quality to Thor. And yeah, Natalie Portman was in it too, but isn't she in everything these days? (I apologize for any hints of my post-Black Swan grudge.)

Though possibly one of the best parts of the film was the very end. No, I don't mean the fact that it was over, but rather the teaser after the credits. Seriously, it should be a rule for all comic-based films to have some sort of cliffhanger, ie. "In our next issue..." Honestly, I will see The Avengers thanks in huge part to these lead-ins. And because Thor wasn't so bad after all too. B