Big spoilers here…I mean the film has been out for five years now

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first began watching Thor. Thor is a bit of an outsider when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as he, unlike the others (up until this point) isn’t an Earth-based being. He’s a god set to become King of Asgard, his home planet. And that’s how our story starts. Thor is just about to be bestowed the kingship before Asgard is attacked by the Frost Giants of of Jotunheim, a enemy of Asgard that had lost a war to Thor’s father years ago.

Sounds like a far cry from Iron Man or even the Hulk right? Well, it still works. Thor shows that he isn’t worthy to the crown (I actually don’t understand why his father, Odin, thought he was worthy of it in the first place) by attacking Jotunheim and disobeying his father in doing so. So Odin banished him to Earth and throws the Mjolnir (Thor’s Hammer) there too. It’s up to Thor to learn humility and become worthy to wield the Mjolnir. During all this, Thor’s brother Loki has been plotting behind the scenes to obtain the crown of Asgard himself and looks to keep Thor on Earth forever.

The opening 30 minutes, with Thor disobeying his father and battling the Frost Giants does feel out of place with the rest of the MCU so far, but it’s still entertaining enough. The film really picks up though when Thor is sent to Earth. He meets Dr. Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis and Dr. Jane Foster and they both want to know what they just discovered.  While Lewis and Selvig dismiss him as a crazy man, Foster doesn’t give up on him and tries to learn more about him. S.H.I.E.L.D. is also out to find out more about Thor as they’ve found the Mjolnir. Everything from Thor landing on Earth to him finally reaching the Mjolnir but not being able to lift it is really good.

Unfortunately after that the film suffers a bit as it tries to tie up too many stories. After Thor fails to lift the hammer, his transition from crazy man pretending to be a god to normal good man is a bit off, and his love relationship with Jane is rushed. I wouldn’t say any of it is bad, it just isn’t as good as the hour proceeding it. There’s also the matter of Loki telling Thor that his father’s dead (a lie) and that he wants Thor banished forever (also a lie). Loki says he’s king now but can’t unbanish Thor, which really should have rang alarm bells in Thor’s head. We also learn that Loki is a child of the Frost Giants, which is a bit unnecessary as a story element but works just fine.

The film does hit another high point after that, as Thor proves he’s worthy and regains use of the Mjolnir. While the final battles are disappointing, everything works well enough that I can still say I enjoyed the film and wasn’t let down.

Most of the performances were good as I liked Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins. Refreshingly, Tom Hiddleston gives us a memorable MCU villain, and his presence in the end credits scene assures we see more of him in the future.

It’s worth noting that Asgard looks great as well.

Pros:

+Good performances from the main characters.

+Thor as a crazy man works really well.

+Story is solid.

+Loki is our first memorable MCU villain.

+S.H.I.E.L.D. tie-in works a lot better than in Iron Man 2.

Cons:

-Film drags a bit after Thor learns he isn’t worthy.

-Jane Foster-Thor relationship rather lacking.

A good film here. While nothing mind blowingly special, it works well enough to establish Thor and Loki in the MCU.

Grade: B