Thor - B-

On DVD and Blu-ray
PG-13, 114 minutes

Through an interspace portal, the arrogant Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and friends start a war with some ice creatures (Frost Giants) which upsets his father (Anthony Hopkins), the king who then banishes his son to Earth (through another portal). There, Thor meet some scientists (Including Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, and Kat Dennings) who are trying to understand the portal. During his brief stay on Earth, Thor will learn humility and altruism which makes him worthy in his father's eyes . . .

The unusual choice of Kenneth Branagh to direct turned out to be wise since he has enough Shakespearean history to keep the dramatic, political scenes afloat while family members try to out-scheme each other. Branagh's smart sense of humor frequently shines through, too. The action scenes (something new for Branagh) actually make sense but are hardly groundbreaking. The experienced, talented cast are good enough to make the audience believe all the nonsense (they sell it well, so it's easier to buy).

What keeps this in the mid-tier range of comic book movies is the choice of style-over-substance with respect to the title character. The camera loves Hemsworth, but he just isn't interesting enough to draw you in (like Robert Downey, Jr. in the original Iron Man, for instance). The film also doesn't have anything else on its mind other than a young man maturing and gaining his father's acceptance. B-

The Wire alumnus: Idris Elba (as a loyal gatekeeper for Thor) - quite the drop-off from the iconic Stringer Bell.