Unlike director Kenneth Branagh, I am no diehard fan of comic books. But moviegoers like me can say one thing after seeing the mighty "Thor": Say hello to the big daddy of summer blockbuster season.
In a year that's been so devoid of Hollywood spectacle, Branagh's rousing take on the hammer-wielding god of thunder gets it right on all counts.
"Thor" is big. It's bombastic. It sparkles with humour and great humanity, even when Asgard's gods show their ungodly faults.
But the real star here is Thor's presence, not 3D effects. Played by Aussie newcomer Chris Hemsworth, this would-be Asgard king transcends Hollywood convention and genres.
Thor's charming and funny. He's also built for big, bad trouble.
Think of Errol Flynn on steroids. That's how Hemsworth plays it here, boasting a pair of biceps that look forged in some ancient Nordic furnace and a twinkle in the eye that made Flynn so watchable in "Captain Blood" and "Robin Hood."
"Thor" begins in the deserts of New Mexico, where scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her colleagues (Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings) scour the night sky from their speeding truck.
Foster is desperate to explain the strange clouds and lights that have appeared in recent months. The answer literally lands onto her truck when a deadly tornado hurls a body onto the vehicle.
The trio rushes out. They find a strapping mystery man lying unconscious in the dust.
Foster blushes at the sight of him. Her snarky assistant (Dennings) offers to give CPR -- that's before she Tasers the god of thunder into a veritable coma.
As Thor sleeps, his past unfolds before us.
We learn of the golden city of Asgard and Thor's father, King Odin (Anthony Hopkins), who rules this gleaming Mecca with a strong, just hand.
We learn of Asgard's enemies in the neighbouring realm of Jotunheim, where scaly blue frost giants plot to kill good King Odin.
We also learn that Thor, not his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleson), is to succeed Odin on the throne. But fate intervenes and earns hot-head Thor a one-way ticket to earth as punishment.
Branagh's ‘Thor' has right kind of muscle
From that moment on, Branagh takes this 2D Marvel Comics superhero and gives him all the foibles of any human trying to make his or her way in a strange, new world.
Stripped of all his powers, one of the film's funniest moments comes when Thor barges into Jane's quarters and tosses her drunk colleague onto her bed.
"Is he okay?" Jane wheezes.
"He drank. We fought. He made his ancestors proud," the good-natured stranger beams.
Hemsworth gives it his all here, balancing humorous moments like these with the tragedy in Thor's story.
Hopkins is spot on as an immortal father who must bear the tragedy of his sons' actions with the burdens of his throne.
Hiddleston, too, shines as the quiet, scheming Loki -- a figure who will do anything to be free of Thor's shadow.
But the movie's real "Pow!" is its fun factor.
That's sure to vex Branagh's critics, who never believed the "highbrow" Shakespearean director could do "Thor" justice. But Branagh pulls it off, delivering an exuberant popcorn-guzzler that kicks off summer blockbuster season with a bang.
Four stars out of four.
