Thor

Thor seems like the millionth Marvel comic book turned movie over the last two decades.

With that said, I found the first 30 minutes of this film completely uninteresting and yawn-worthy. The beginning had all the symptoms of a box-office bomb: another chest beating, rah-rah superhero I couldn't care less about, slow beginning, boring dialogue, choppy editing. But once the molasses cleared, it got a little more interesting.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who is expected to be crowned as the next king, jeopardizes his chances for trying to organize a war against the evil Frost Giants.

For being recklessly tempered and hardheaded, Thor’s father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) punishes him by banishing him – and his now useless hammer – from Asgard until he learns his lesson. Thor, now powerless, plunders to Earth, leaving his mother (Renee Russo, who was mostly forgettable due to little dialogue) and rival brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Crashing into New Mexico, he’s greeted by wide-eyed astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). She and her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) – as well as most of the female audience – are mesmerized by Thor’s shirtless beach body.

The government is quite leery of Thor’s origins, and it’s not long before his hammer is confiscated as well as Jane’s equipment. Odin has put the hammer under a spell, citing that only the worthy may wield it.

So now the God of Thunder is navigating unfamiliar territory, on the hunt for his hammer, with Jane riding his coattails – or lack thereof. It becomes a humbling experience for Thor when he strains like a weak “girly man” (in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice ala Hans and Franz) unable to lift it. He’s then captured by S.H.E.I.L.D. agents.

Luki returns to kick Thor while he’s down, upping his status from the sibling rival to arch nemesis.     

Honestly, Thor is better than I expected. Hensworth has funny and “human” moments as a fish-out-of-water god once he reaches earthly territory.

For comic book and shirtless dude enthusiasts it’s a winner. The film doesn’t rely heavily on major action scenes and focuses more on character dynamic. It also gets props for avoiding the predictable cheese ball ending that most super hero movies are known for.    

It’s clear this film serves as sort of filler for upcoming films, X-Men: First Class and The Avengers, which also stars Chris Hensworth. But it’s not bad filler. It's not great either though. Thor doesn’t bring the thunder of its contemporaries but it will cause a rumble before the summer, earning it 2.5 out of 4 stars.