Paperaxle Reviews "Thor"

Pretty historic weekend... the Royal Wedding on Friday, I turned 50 on Saturday and Osama bin Laden lost his left eye and his life on Sunday.

But I only celebrated one of these events. On Saturday, I was allowed to see an advanced screening of "Thor". And while it's not as good as "Iron Man", it is better than either the "Hulk" or "Fantastic Four" movies.

It's a complicated plot, but in short, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a Norse god who lives with his half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and mother Frigga (played by Rene Russo... when have we seen her last?). Thor, being the oldest, is about to ascend to the title of King, and Loki is very jealous of this. The ceremony is interrupted by the Frost Giants, who were in a battle with Odin several hundred years before. The Frost Giants have been trying to conquer the Nine Realms (including Earth), however Odin and the Asgardians defeated the Frost Giants and took their source of power (the Casket of Ancient Winters) and now both sides have been living under a truce for nearly a thousand years.

Thor, accompanied by Loki, Sif (a childhood friend) and the Warriors Three, against Odin's order, journey to confront Laufey (king of the Frost Giants) and wind up doing battle, whereupon Odin is forced to intervene to save their lives, and in return Odin strips Thor of his power and exiles him to Earth along with Thor's hammer (Mjolnir) in order to teach Thor humility and respect.

Now the movie really begins. Reading the above, it sounds like a boring movie, and your butt might get "thor", and you'll be in search for an "Asgard", but believe me, all that happened so far takes up about a half hour of screen time.

Landing in New Mexico, Thor is found by the scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and he finds out that his hammer has been discovered by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a top secret military organization seen in the Iron Man movies. (That's the organization led by Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, so you can see how these movies all tie together.) Thor has to break into the military outpost where they are keeping Mjolnir, and once Thor retrieves the hammer, he finds that he is no longer worthy of wielding it.

Meanwhile, back on Asgard, Loki has become King. Odin, overcome with stress, has fallen into the "Odinsleep". This sleep allows Odin to recuperate and recharge his powers, and can last for many years. We find out Loki's true father is Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin. And to keep Thor out of the way forever, a Destroyer (which is like a giant robot) is dispatched to Earth to kill Thor. Sif and the Warriors Three head to Earth to help Thor tackle this robot, and Thor... dies.

The movie has some humor, very good humor, and even Stan Lee (the creator of Thor) joins in the fun as a truck driver, trying to lift the hammer with chains and a pickup truck. And be sure to stay past the credits for an after scene (the only time Nick Fury makes an appearance) that sets up next year's "Avengers" movie.

Even though the movie is in 3-D, there is really no reason for this. None of the special effects are enhanced in 3-D. I kept thinking that Thor will, at some point, throw the hammer at the screen, but the technology appears to be wasted. Doesn't happen.

In short, I'd give this movie four hammers and a nail. I recommend it, but the movie could have been improved with a better first half. I'll probably see it again before the regular run starts on Friday, May 6th. It's 119 minutes long, and could have 10 to 15 minutes shaved off to make a tighter story.