The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
The most problematic hurdle in The Avengers’ path is cleared with ease and some style by a film that makes a virtue of its inherent silliness. You’re up, Captain America.
It has its tongue in its cheek and the fun is infectious. For all its faults, Thor's never a bore.
By no means perfect, and inferior to both Christopher Nolan's genre re-defining Batman movies and Jon Favreau's original Iron Man, Thor is nevertheless a hugely entertaining film that expertly combines an epic sense of dynastic turmoil with a knowing sense of humour.
By Odin's beard, it's a winner.
Turn off the snark-o-meter, and this is a return to form for Marvel, introducing a new hero we’ll be happy to see again in, oh, about a year or so.
Thor suggests that it is possible to make yet another expensive excursion into this genre and still come up with something fresh and entertaining. The gods could not be angry with this offering.
Just sit back and try to enjoy this story of an arrogant God and his hammer, and you probably won’t be disappointed.
This is entertaining stuff, a serviceable summer movie and Asgard to be a good thing.
It’s soul – low down the agenda of Thor’s Marvel stable-mates – that resonates here more than spectacle, and credit for that goes straight to Branagh’s skill with his actors: getting a real performance from the largely untried Hemsworth, a more intent one than Hopkins has delivered anywhere else lately, and a cracking one from Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Thor’s overshadowed brother and subtle nemesis.
Marvel’s mighty god of thunder transfers brilliantly to the big screen.
It's Thor-some.
As Marvel adaptations go, Thor is not as classy as Spider-Man or Iron Man; but it's less overwrought than the X-Men films, less cynically disposable than Fantastic Four, and far more enjoyable than Ang Lee's Hulk.
Flawed though it sometimes is, most...criticisms can be deflected by the thunder-stealing charm offensive Branagh and his cast have managed to mount.
A moderately entertaining film on which an immoderately large amount of time and money has been expended.
The special effects serve the action well, but like the best superhero stories, the quality of Thor lies in character.
Thor is, dare you say, a marvellous adventure, fit for a sequel and deserving his place in Marvel’s soon to be mega team-up.
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General release. Check local listings for show times.
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