Thor

I was convinced that I would not go see this movie, yet last Monday I found myself sitting in the theater admittedly with a bit of anticipation. This is one of the rare occurrences where reviews have actually changed my mind about seeing a movie. The first time I saw the trailer for this I was unimpressed. It seemed to me as if the movie was going to try too hard, and take itself way too seriously. I was unfamiliar with Hemsworth (aside from his brief roll as George Kirk in J.J. Abrams Star Trek), and the Thor storyline was rather unknown to me since I didn't follow it as a kid. However, before seeing any movie I check out Rottentomatoes.com out of curiosity. Most of the time the ratings and reviews play no part in my emotional attachment to seeing, or avoiding a movie, but Thor was a different story. For some reason the rave reviews it received created a sense of anticipation to see the movie. So I took my wife to see it, and we both walked away with no regrets. In fact, my wife added the movie to her top favorites list, equal with 300. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say it's THAT good, but still it was a fantastic movie. Chris Hemsworth nailed the role of Thor, and the supporting cast equally filled out their parts. The storyline was informative for those unfamiliar with Thor's character, and the special effects were astounding. Perhaps the most surprising element of the movie was the fact that the movie did NOT take itself too seriously by any means. In fact, the humor throughout the film really helped make the movie stand out from the shadow of most superhero films (though most unsuccessfully attempt to incorporate humor). One thing that Marvel studios has really done right is incorporating other heroes from the Marvel universe into each movie. Of course this is really a device setting up the Avengers film, but it's a nice touch to the film. A reference to Tony Stark (Iron Man), and cameos from Hawkeye and Nick Fury (post credits scene) makes the film that much more intriguing. This film gets....

3 out of 5 stars. Rarely do superhero films get higher than a 3 star rating in my book, so from my perspective Thor is at the top of the mountain for now. Sadly the fate of this movie is chained to 2011, and will fade with passing years, but it is an extremely enjoyable film while its shelf life lasts. Worth the price of a movie ticket? Yes, at matinee price. Worth a Bluray purchase? Absolutely.