Originally I was kind of skeptical when I saw that Kenneth Branagh. I really just wasn't sure what I thought about him directing a superhero action movie. Branagh has only directed his Shakespearean stuff and a version of The Magic Flute. Not exactly a the kind of resume that makes me think he can deliver on a high budget, action heavy, special effects smorgasboard. Then it hit me. Branagh is the perfect guy to direct Thor. Thor is Shakespearean. You have father/son issues, you have a jealous brother, you have treachery. Thor really is something like Hamlet with super powers. Lots of directors can get action right, but it takes a special kinda director to see those elements in a film and know how to bring them out WITH the action.
I really liked the Thor movie, despite the fact it had Natalie Portman in it. (just not a fan, I just don't see her as very talented, and I don't think she is attractive either) The casting was excellent. Anthony Hopkins as Odin is just freaking awesome, but where the casting really shines is with Thor and Loki. Chris Hemsworth was perfect for Thor. Much like Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, I just completely bought him lock, stock, and barrel as the god of thunder. He just looks and acts the part. He SHOULD be a huge action star, but he wouldn't have been such a success in this film if the role of Loki wasn't cast just as well. Tom Hiddleston is fantastic. He is everything that Thor is not, dark to his blond, slender to his muscular, crafty and wily to Thor's brute strength. Hiddleston plays this incredibly well. Loki is a reason why Branagh was perfect for this movie. He sells him as a somewhat oily, but not evil character in the beginning that has a tragic twist that plunges him into the throes of despair. He sells Loki as a tragic character, rather than one of pure malignant evil. At times, I felt sorry for him, I could see how he made the decisions he made, even if I didn't agree with them. That is an indication that a villain has been done well, we know why he is the villain, rather than just being told he is the villain.
All in all, I can't recommend Thor enough. It looks great, is well acted, and is as entertaining a summer movie as you will find.
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