Thor

I was a big reader of Marvel Comics when I was a kid (hell, I was still reading them into my thirties), but I never took to Thor. He was just a bit too silly, and like Doctor Strange, it was just too weird for my tastes. I liked my superheroes more Earthbound.

So when I heard they were finally getting around to making a Thor movie, I didn't hold out much hope. He is pretty silly, wearing a cape and a Viking helmet, wielding a big hammer. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by the result, which is a film that has its fair share of silliness, but is also brimming with old-fashioned fun.

The director is Kenneth Branagh, one of the unlikeliest pairings of director and subject matter in recent years. A man best known for Shakespeare has given Thor a Shakespearean gloss--there's a rivalry between two brothers to succeed an aging king--but this isn't dark stuff like a Christopher Nolan Batman film. Branagh has mercifully given the film a light touch, more like the Iron Man films, but with a better flair than Jon Favreau could ever hope for.

Thor is, of course, the God of Thunder and son of Odin, who rules Asgard. The Norse gods have withdrawn from Earth, leaving themselves as myths. Instead they hold an uneasy truce with the Frost Giants, a creepy bunch who can turn people to ice (Colm Feore plays their king, with a voice reminding me of Lurch from The Addams Family). Thor, who is heir to the throne, is bellicose, and is goaded by his brother Loki to defy Odin and attack the Frost guys. This angers Odin so much that he removes Thor's powers and casts him out of the kingdom.

He lands in New Mexico, where he meets a trio of scientists, led by Natalie Portman. This middle act, with Thor acting as a fish out of water, has its moments of humor, but it dragged in spots, as I kept waiting for him to get his hammer, which also landed in New Mexico, but was surrounded by a cadre of government agents. I suppose the length of time only made the impact more powerful when Thor does get his hammer--kind of like the moment in a Popeye cartoon when he finally eats his spinach.

Thor works for several reasons, primarily the humor, but also the romance between Thor and Portman is rather sweet and genuine. Portman, who has far less to do here than in Black Swan, may have been slumming by doing a comic book movie, but at least she's convincing as an astrophysicist.

The real surprise is Chris Hemsford as the titular God. He looks like a pro wrestler, and invests his part with a WWE-style swagger. Even while wearing the cape and helmet, he looks right (as Portman says to him, "It's a good look"). His sidekicks, the Warriors 3, plus Sif (who was Thor's wife in the myths) are fun (as someone describes them, they look like Xena, Jackie Chan, and Robin Hood) and I loved Idis Elbra as the stoic gatekeeper, Helmdall.

Anthony Hopkins is Odin, and he's at his most glorious hamminess. It all fits. Thor is not on the level of Batman Begins or Spider-Man 2, but it doesn't aim to. But it's much, much better than the ridiculous Fantastic 4 films, which treated their subjects with no seriousness at all.

My grade for Thor: B