THOR

I needed sustenance, and Thor brought it. Who knew one of Marvel’s last ditch efforts to establish the founding chronicles of its array of supers, who will soon be appearing in the Avengers, would turn out to be quite possibly one of the best movies of the year. I imagine Kenneth Branagh did. A veteran of royalty interrupted, Branagh’s Shakespearean experience certainly shone through in this Marvel-ous visual event. Expecting to be mesmerized by mythical creatures and Thor’s might alone, I was pleasantly impressed at the amount of depth found in such a superficial myth about a boy and his hammer. Chris Hemmingway’s brawn would, as it should, take backstage to his heartfelt humor and convincing emotion. Played by Hemmingway, Thor is cast out of his home realm Asgard, and stripped of his powers to be found on the measly planet of Earth. But while Thor comes to terms with the mistakes he’s made and what it means to be a man, trouble brews across the galaxy. Hemmingway simply nails the mighty Thunder God. And Natalie Portman didn’t hurt either. :) Hand in hand with Branagh, Thor’s supporting cast lifts its near flawless script to a level of production that’s unprecedented in any Marvel film thus far, and action films in general. All quips and praise aside, Thor’s hammer Mjornir certainly brought the rain as I loved every last minute of Kenneth Branagh’s first, and hopefully far from last, Hollywood effort.  At the request of a close friend, I will summarize my feelings for the magnificence of this film by the less-than-eloquent battle cry of Thor himself: GRAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!  A