MORGAN HALL
LAYOUT ASSISTANT

“Thor” has everything a great movie needs, 114 minutes of action, adventure, romance, betrayal, comedy and a slew of digital effects. This film has an “Iron Man-esque” quality. “Thor” has brief moments of comedy thrown together with action to make a unique film that sucks in its audience to the point where they forget that they are even in a theater. Gentlemen, this film remains true to the comic book and is loaded with intense and hard-hitting action scenes. Ladies, don’t worry about that this movie being only for the guys, there is romance and a few brief scenes with half naked, muscle bulging men to swoon over.

This Marvel comic based film hosts a powerhouse of impressive actors without the film feeling too overpowered. Academy Award winning Anthony Hopkins, twotime Golden Globe and Academy Award winner Natalie Portman and Peoples Choice Award nominee Stellan Skarsgard all give fantastic performances for a film that is outside most of their usual roles. The most impressive performance is by handsome newcomer Chris Hemsworth, who will no doubt be this year’s breakout star.

The film’s storyline is concentrated around a young and cocky warrior, Thor, (Hemsworth) stripped of his mighty hammer and banished to earth from his home planet of Asgard by his father (Hopkins) after reignited war with the Frost Giants. When sent to Earth, a small group of independent scientists (Portman and Skarsgard) researching recurring space anomalies, find Thor and realize he is the key to their years of research. If you have never read a “Thor” comic, there is no need to worry; the storyline is simple enough for everyone to understand. The film also subtly introduces the superhero Hawkeye. So subtly in fact that unless you have been following “The Avengers” on IMDb.com, you would have no idea that Jeremy Renner’s tiny role in “Thor” is setting up “The Avengers” storyline.

I say hands down this movie is fantastic and will no doubt excel in the box office the entire summer, or at least until “Captain America” comes out at the end of July, but the only thing I feel that fell short was the computerized scenery. With “Avatar” paving the way and introducing a new film future of crystal clean, realistic scenery, “Thor” could have been top notch, if only they had implemented this new technique.

A word to the wise, stay until the very end of the film. Stay glued to your seat and continue to watch past the closing credits. There is a clip exploring an alternate ending, hinting at next summer’s “Avenger” movie.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikipedia // Paramount Pictures