Thor: 2011 Superhero Movie #1

This year is widely viewed as "make or break" for superhero movies, with Thor, Green Lantern, and Captain America: The First Avenger all coming out in May, June, and July, respectively. None of these superheroes are that well known outside of the comic book community, so that's why these movies are seen as pretty important in cementing superhero movies as a part of cinema. The last time lesser known heroes got movies, they were Blade and Daredevil. While Blade did get 2 sequels, I personally believe it was more because it was Wesley Fucking Snipes killing vampires with a sword, not because he was a comic book character.

Thor boasts a truly impressive cast and crew with the likes of Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and director Kenneth Branagh. Relative unknown Chris Hemsworth stars as Thor; you may remember him for playing George Kirk in the opening scene of Star Trek. He does Thor well, accurately playing the spoiled son of Odin who starts out bloodthirsty for battle, uncontent that his father decided not to finish off the Jotuuns.

This movie isn't your typical superhero movie, especially since Thor only has his powers at the beginning and end of the film. Thor is stripped of his powers by his father, Odin, and sent to Midgard (Earth) as punishment until he is worthy of once again wielding Mjolnir. On Earth, Thor more or less goes on a quest to retrieve Mjolnir, now in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D., and meets people who aid him. Behind the scenes, Thor's brother Loki learns of his true origins and conspires to start a war with the Jotunns, despite being one himself.

When I say Thor has his powers at the start and end of the film, I'm not kidding. Out of the entire 110 minutes, he probably has his powers for about 40 of them. It's definitely easier to identify with Thor once he loses his powers and becomes a jerk obsessed with reclaiming his godhood than it is when he's a jerk obsessed with battle. The human characters don't really serve too much purpose other than advancing the plot, telling a few jokes, and explaining to the audience (very partially) that Odin, Thor, Loki, etc. are all Norse gods and that the ancient Vikings may have worshiped these aliens and treated them like gods.

Although I greatly enjoyed Thor, it does feel a bit too short and fast-paced, despite the lack of action during the 2nd act. That's something you never thought you'd hear, right? A fast-paced movie with limited action! The screenplay is easily the best Marvel has ever crunched out, and it's no surprise since J. Michael Stracynzki was involved. The only fault the movie really has is that some of the actors were not ready to be in a major motion picture alongside such talents like Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, and Anthony Hopkins.

I do have one nitpick not just on Thor, but for the other superhero movies coming out this year. The three hero movies will all be viewable in 3D, but the truth is that none of them were shot in 3D, they were done in post-production. What that means is that they used a normal camera to film the movies and then afterwards they superimposed the movie on top itself to create a faux 3D effect. This practice is not uncommon, unfortunately, it's been used on movies like Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Piranha 3D, The Last Airbender, and every Harry Potter film. If you want to know what films are really in 3D and not camera trickery, go to http://realorfake3d.com/ and see the list for yourself. It even previews movies coming out next year that are doing the same trick!

Final Score: 4 Mjolnir BONKS out of 5

Thor has a few flaws, but they can be largely ignored. The story will not be over this year however, since Captain America: The First Avenger will continue the story in some way. in the comics canon, Thor actually participated in World War II, so it remains to be seen if the Norse gods will still aid the Allied effort in the film.