Rating: 3.5 of 5  

Thor is pretty and big and fun which is good for a summer movie.

There’s some attempt at depth and you’ve definitely got great actors who are capable of it. But it doesn’t really resonate powerfully.

And the romance isn’t developed at all. First of all, Chris Hemsworth is delicious and Natalie Portman is beautiful and super talented and they have absolutely no chemistry together. Then it’s kind of just by default that they end up together without having to invest anything in making us fall in love with these characters as they fall in love with each other.

The production values are all pretty good, because it’s supposed to be a giant summer cgi-fest and Asgard looks great and all the fights work. Especially the big fight of him storming the complex – that’s some top notch stunt work and very impressive.

It’s definitely a good summer movie but not spectacular. Unless you like Chris Hemsworth and then it’s fantastic.

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See how Thor ranks with the other Marvel movies.

ETA: I disagree with most of this review, but do like this point:

Thor is only worthy of regaining his power when he starts to understand that a king is more than a warrior — a king is a protector, among other things.

Not necessarily in the context of Thor (though it certainly fits) but in general because it’s a very insightful and true distinction. Though, you could also make the point that that distinction isn’t limited to king/warrior and make it a distinction of honor or it could be used to differentiate a good guy and the villain. It’s an interesting line that could cut across a lot of different roles. It also ties in to what Agent Booth tells his son in Bones about the times when it’s ok to get into a fight and when it’s not which is when you’re defending someone else and when you’re defending yourself.