Thor opens in the mythical city of Asgard. There, we meet Odin (Anthony Hopkins), the king of the realm and his two sons, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The day that Thor is to be named king, three Frost Giants, enemies of Asgard, make their way into the city, stopping the ceremony. Although the threat is thwarted, Thor spoils to go to war, despite Loki's arguments against this. Thor is able to convince his three friends, Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Fandral (Josh Dallas), and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), to invade the Frost Giants' homeland. This assault goes awry and Odin must intercede. Infuriated by his son's arrogance and poor judgment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. Scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), along with her associates Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy (Kat Dennings), has been studying bizarre meteorological events in the New Mexico desert. So, Jane is surprised when a man -- Thor -- falls from the sky. Thor is taken to a hospital and then released into Jane's custody. She doesn't believe his story, of course, but she can't help but be intrigued by this odd, large man. Meanwhile, Loki has seized power in Asgard and hatches to plan to ensure that Thor never returns.

Thor is the latest entry into the library of movies based on Marvel Comics characters which has been released in the new millennium. The nice thing about these movies is that they stick fairly closely to the comic book source material. This pleases long-time fans while offering new viewers a complex story. However, Thor strays from this trend. The story from the original comic series begins in much the same fashion, with Thor being banished to Earth, but he's sent into the body of mortal Dr. Donald Blake, who can become Thor -- thus, giving him a secret identity. The movie includes Blake's name as an inside joke, but the setting is changed from New York City to New Mexico, and Thor is simply himself, but stripped of his hammer and his godlike powers. This change, from the script by Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne, based on a story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich, takes Thor out of the normal New York Marvel Universe and puts him in a new place. This seems like an odd choice, but it's interesting how the barren landscape of New Mexico contrasts the golden spires of Asgard.

Another interesting thing about Thor is who is in the driver's seat. While some respected directors have helmed Marvel adaptations, none have four Oscar and three Golden Globe nominations like Kenneth Branagh. As Branagh built his reputation on his Shakespearian adaptations, he may seem like an odd choice for the job. However, the power struggle in Thor between Odin, Thor, and Loki is just like something out of Shakespeare, so, in that way, it makes sense. Thus Branagh brings majesty and pageantry to the Asgard scenes, but he also does a very good job with the action scenes as well.

So, we've established that Thor is different from other Marvel films, but how does it work as a movie? Given my dislike for Thor, surprisingly well. The movie strikes a good balance between the Asgard and Earth, and the action between the two are nicely contrasted. The scenes in Asgard, most notably the opening sequence against the Frost Giants, give us the kind of big, bombastic comic book action that we are expecting. The scenes on Earth are more character driven, although there is a nice fight scene between Thor and some federal agents. The finale features fights on both Earth and in Asgard and provides more of the action we are craving. The special effects are nicely done and it's nice to see movie combine CG with latex and elaborate costumes. Sure, Loki's horn look a bit silly in a "real world" setting, but they stay true to the comics. I must question how Hemsworth has decided to play Thor. In the comics, Thor is brash and arrogant, looking down on mortals, as we see him in the opening of the film. Once on Earth, Thor should be bitter and angry. However, Hemsworth plays him as jovial, often laughing and smiling. This works in a way, as it makes Thor a more likeable and accessible character, but it also doesn't make any sense.

The one element of Thor which doesn't work is Natalie Portman as Jane. I felt no chemistry between Thor and Jane, and one would have to wonder why he falls for her, especially since comic fans know that Thor has a relationship with the far more attractive Sif. Also, as with many of these films, Thor feels very much like an origin story, especially if the viewer is aware of the fact that this film is simply setting up yet another character for The Avengers film. The last scene is decidedly anti-climactic and leaves the film on an odd note. Still, it's hard to quibble with a movie which looks this good and has such a good cast. Thor takes the best elements of the comics and blends it with a movie that offers satisfying action.

Thor wants you to be sure to watch the scene after the closing credits on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 30 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no overt grain and no defects from the source material. The picture has a very satisfying crispness which brings us great depth in the landscape scenes. Even in this 2D version, the actors are nicely separated from the background. The level of detail is satisfying as well, as we can see textures on objects. The colors look very good, but things do get a bit dark during the opening fight. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 6.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a very impressive track which more than lives up to the movie. The subwoofer effects are bone-rattling and, unlike some other tracks, you won't be wondering where the bass is. The same goes for the surround effects, which really lend depth to the action scenes, as we feel that we are surrounded by chaos. The stereo effects are nicely detailed, essaying sounds coming from the left or right of the action.

The Thor Blu-ray Disc contains an assortment of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Kenneth Branagh. "Marvel One-Shot: the Consultant" (4 minutes) is a mini-movie which features Clark Gregg, Maximilano Hernandez and what looks like a deleted scene from The Incredible Hulk. This is just another piece that plays into The Avengers. "From Asgard to Earth" (20 minutes) focuses on the look of the film in both sets and costumes. Through interviews, on-set footage, and concept art, we get a detailed view of the work that went into everything we see in the movie. "Our Fearless Leader" (3 minutes) has the actors talking about what it was like to work with Branagh, and we get to see the director at work. "Assembling the Troupe" (5 minutes) examines the casting of the film, and we hear the actors talk about their characters. We see how Mjolnir was designed and created fro the film in "Hammer Time" (6 minutes). "Creating Laufey" (6 minutes) goes behind the visual effects and special effects makeup which was used to make the Frost Giants. "Music of the Gods" (2 minutes) has an interview with composer Patrick Doyle. "A Conversation" (2 minutes) shows Stan Lee and comic writer J. Michael Straczynski on-set. "Road to The Avengers" (3 minutes) is a short promo for the movie which offers comments from Joss Whedon and has footage from Comic Con. The Disc contains eleven DELETED SCENES which run about 25 minutes and can be viewed with optional commentary from Branagh. Some of these are truly deleted scenes, while others are extended versions of scene from the finished film. Most of these moments echo ideas seen in the film, so it's easy to understand why they were cut. But, they should have left in the scene with Thor and Loki before the coronation. Finally, we get the TEASER TRAILER and the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.