Thor

After embarrassing trailers and 3D conversion, I avoided watching Thor in the movie theater. Now, in retrospect, I feel that was a mistake because Branagh has delivered a terrific comic book movie that bucks the fashionable trend of machine psychoanalyses of the heroic mind, and instead has a sympathetic man land on Earth who tackles everything with a disarming combination of unearthly naivety and muscularity. The characters are as flat as ever, but the actors are excellent, it moves along nicely, and it's full of humor (or Asgard) and proper pomposity. A sequel, please! (29/08/2011)

"I would give everything in the world for a trip to Asgard. What the camera (and special effects) showcase in conjunction with the epic soundtrack surpasses everything I have seen in a long time, and each shot showing me a piece of Thor's homeland almost moves me with its grandeur. Branagh ultimately succeeded in everything he touched. The actors are all fantastic (Tom Hiddleston unexpectedly shines), the dramatic storyline doesn't give a moment of rest, the action is flawless, and the romantic subtext is not just a subtext. In short, it is a captivating comic book adaptation that confidently presents a treacherous subject in a Marvel light, and it intensifies the desire for The Avengers to an almost breathless maximum." (04/05/2011)

By the whiskers of Odin, that was superb. Despite its fantasy atmosphere, Thor doesn’t disturb the Marvel universe as much as I had feared. On the contrary, now I have the feeling that it would be worse without him. And the mass of references (beautifully complementing the action) form an excellent foundation for the story and prepare the ground for the biggest event of next summer. Chris Hemsworth is excellent, and considering he isn’t well-known, he did an excellent job, carrying the entire movie on his shoulders without needing his hand to be held by the better-known stars who paradoxically are given much less room. Astrophysicist Natalie is here basically just so that the main protagonist someone to fall in love with and Hopkins to cast our hero out of his home. What I liked was that Branagh exploited the spectacular world of Asgard to the maximum. Midgard (alias New Mexico) serves just as a bridge to the Avengers, but for this story it’s important only to teach Thor (big and powerful) to obey orders. All in all, this is an excellent story just a drop short of perfection. A very little drop. (30/04/2011)

If it wasn't part of the MCU, I would have missed out on it. The comic book adventures of this thunder god aren't my cup of tea either, so I'm not even disappointed. Yet I'm almost surprised that the acting trio of Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, and Kat Dennings was weak. Kenneth Branagh also used to be a much more definite safe bet. But I've already started watching it, so I'll survive every episode this one time. (04/05/2015)

A beautiful fairy tale that manages to illustrate both worlds (based on Thor's realm). I was a little bothered that Thor knew everything. On the other hand, there have been plenty of aliens amazed at cars and so on. I laughed at the scene where Thor walks into the Pet Center and says: "Give me a horse." The film certainly has more positives than negatives, but I'm still a little short of a full count. The 3D was completely unnecessary. (06/05/2011)