Yep. Saw THOR last night.

Not something I was expecting much from to be honest. I was eager to get Branagh freed up to do more Wallander, but that was about it. I think the only Thor story that I’ve really enjoyed was Garth Ennis’ Vikings. Thor’s not in it much and gets the crap beaten out of him when he does show up. Highly recommended.

As is THOR, surprisingly enough.

Let’s get the weak parts out of the way. The post film conversion to 3D is bollocks so please don’t be tempted to pay more over worry you’re missing something spectacular hitting you in the frontal lobe. I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it hadn’t resembled a cheap pop up birthday card so much.

The Asgard stuff I could take or leave – they seemed to spend a tad too much time there and while it’s all very shiny and epic looking it was also very empty and lacked the drive of what was happening on Earth. Idris Elba was great though and it was nice to see Rene Russo again.

The opening is bit too LOTR and the first mention of ‘frost giants’ just pulled me out of the film completely, but when it gets going it really delivers.

There’s actual chemistry between Portman and Hemsworth and their supporting cast helps keep everything light and genuinely funny so that you don’t get hammered (sorry) by the mythology. Hemsworth is a real find. He steps into movie star status effortlessly and I’m looking forward to seeing him outside of the comic book stuff.

The plot is what you expect and that’s fine. It’s all about that hammer and that’s as it should be. But the script has a truly smart moment that actually made me think an Avengers movie is possible and all the little nods to IRON MAN are not forced down your throat. And yes, there’s a coda worth sitting through the credits for.

I’m honestly shocked that at this stage I’d much rather see a THOR 2 than an IRON MAN 3, but go see it for yourselves and tell me I’m wrong.

Tonight I’m off to see this:

Can’t go wrong really…