the Dalaverse

Just got back from "Thor," or, How Papa Kirk Learns How to Be an Awesome God-Hero Instead of a Royal Douche. And I must say, Chris Hemsworth acquitted himself very well. He nailed all the shades called for by the script - charm, arrogance, humor, gravitas, nobility, etc. While looking fine as hell, GODDAMN. There could've been more gratuitous fanservice, though. If the whole movie had just been Chris Hemsworth wandering around the desert shirtless, it would still be worth the price of admission. (But not 3D, because seriously, fuck 3D).

More on the acting - as always, I find it difficult to judge Natalie Portman objectively because I can feel Megan's burning hatred from ten miles down the road. While I wouldn't say she was bad, she did feel a little...out of place, I guess? Not as much as that stoner medieval thing with James Franco, but still. And the romance with Thor was definitely lacking. That was some combination of tepid chemistry between the actors and obvious cuts to the storyline, and it did cause the climax to lose impact. I wish that just once they could do a superhero movie without a romantic subplot, and with all the Asgard family drama this would've been a good opportunity.

Aside from that, it was...pretty good. Not my favorite Marvel adaptation, but Thor's not my favorite Marvel canon(s) either, so I wasn't expecting that. There were places where I suddenly remembered oh yeah, this is a Kenneth Branaugh film, but the action wasn't poorly directed. The effects were nice, especially the rainbow bridge. Didn't care much for the score - it was generic at best and actually distracted from a couple of key scenes for me.

Oh! I almost forgot - so nice to see a girl as the comic relief sidekick for a change. Kat Dennings was perfectly cast and needs to be in more things. Ray Stevenson was also delightful as always.

In conclusion: good star vehicle for Hemsworth, enjoyable start to the blockbuster season. Now I'm building excitement for "Captain America," which I'm certain will hit more of my kinks, and the new X-Men which looks amaaaaazing even if it fucks with actual time. And then Avengers! Yay Marvel!

ETA: Posting this for sail_aweigh - her friends lost their beagle Sassafrass on April 8th. If you're in the DC area, please keep an eye out; more details in the vid.