Perhaps to avoid controversy with powerful religious right lobbyists, the superhero character Thor in this new comic book adaptation is no longer an actual Norse god. Instead, he is one of the powerful beings from the mystical realm Asgard, whose presence on Earth in ancient times has seen them labelled by us humans as gods. So a bit like Superman, Thor is god-like without literally being a god. Unlike Superman, he is arrogant, bad tempered and impatient. During the film’s lengthy prologue in Asgard, Thor’s headstrong attitude results in him getting banished to Earth. Thor explores many fundamental archetypal stories from various strands of classical mythology involving banished sons, sibling rivalries and the hero’s journey from disgrace to redemption.
Thor is not a groundbreaking film but it’s a satisfying and entertaining spectacle that facilitates decent character and narrative development over its running time. The special effects used to create Asgard and the various action scenes are mostly very exciting and engaging even if there is a slight by-the-numbers feel to a lot of it. Having Earth-bound Thor stripped of his powers means that while he is still a strong and skilled warrior, he is not invincible. The hand-to-hand fight sequences are therefore effectively engaging and provide a good contrast to the more magical sequences at the beginning and end of the film.
Chris Hemsworth is well cast as Thor, not just for his looks and almost comically perfect physique, but for the charisma he brings to the character. His transition from hot-headedness to humility is convincing and he’s able to play both the hero and the bewildered (and bewildering) oddity from another world. In fact, the inherent ridiculousness of the film’s whole premise is often incorporated to provide some fun chuckles without becoming full-blown parody. Thor’s ye olde speaking mannerisms and old-fashioned gallantry make him not unlike the Groosalugg character from the television series Angel. This bodes well for Thor’s next cinematic appearance in the 2012 film The Avengers, which is being directed and co-written by Angel co-creator Joss Whedon.
The most interesting point about Thor is how the villains are constructed and what actions make them villainous. While the deadly Frost Giants who threaten Asgard are the most obvious bad guys, the real enemy in the film are the forces within Asgard that want to destroy any opportunities for a truce and diplomacy. Indeed, Thor’s hostile act of war mongering during a fragile situation is what sees him initially declared unfit to be king. Similar to 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Thor is very much a post-Bush Administration and post-Iraq Invasion film where popular culture is used to suggest that military provocation and aggression is immoral and ineffective. Combined with a respect for the work done by scientists, Thor is a very progressive film. Wisdom and humility are the ultimate prizes in Thor, but not at the expense of a lot of fun battle sequences on Earth and in Asgard.
Thomas Caldwell, 2011
CINEMA AUTOPSY 
Really? Must we interject politics into EVERYTHING?
What’s the problem James? That there were political implications in the film or that I discussed them? Or is it that you didn’t detect any politics and resent the fact that I did and chose to discuss them?
Discussing cinema in this way is what interests me and my regular readers. My article “Critical thoughts” should give you an idea of what to expect from my approach to film criticism. Sorry if what I do upsets you.
LOL JanesArmstrong … you have been Educated …
Nice review Tom… I Would have to agree that you review of Thor was good.
I have been a Thor fan for a very long time, I was happy with how Marvel ultimately decided to introduce my main man to us. I a so happy that not only is Thor getting mostly positive reviews by Users but also Critics seem to be enjoying this “Popcorn n Fun” movie. I cant watit to see the next instalments of the Marvel franchise, Captain America: The First Avenger and the Avenger to follow. And I certainly can almost guarantee that this movie will have so much more Political implications than Thor… He’s “Cap” for cyring out loud.
Thor for me is a Solid Builder and cant wait to see his next role and Roles…..
FOR ASGARD!!
The first 10 minutes were pretty bad, not done well at all, but then it picked up some. There was some good action and special effects but the movie was very predictable. The acting was average to poor even for Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman so you know the director was at fault there. The military handling was very cheesy and not done well. The ending was not so good and setup for a sequel obviously. At best this movie might rate a 5 out of 10, AT BEST, and certainly isn’t better than the X-Men series or even Iron Man for that matter. So it was watchable but I would toot anyone’s horn over it.