Thor

The mighty god Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been cast from Asgard by his despondent father (Anthony Hopkins as Odin) after having behaved recklessly, thereby derailing his people's age old truce with the unfortunately named Frost Giants (of Jotunheim). Sent to Earth to learn what it means to lead, Thor struggles with both his mortal form and newfound feelings for resilient scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).

I may be exaggerating the struggle somewhat.

Back in Asgard, the jealous and deceitful Loki (Tom Hiddleston) takes advantage of both his brother's absence and father's collapse to place himself upon the unoccupied throne.

Thor's hammer Mjolnir has also been sent to Earth but a spell has been cast upon it which ensures that it can only be retrieved by one who is pure of heart.

Can Thor make the necessary sacrifices in order to be able to wield his hammer once again, or will Loki's pact with the Frost Giants bring about a chilling end to centuries of uninterrupted peace?

The introduction of S.H.E.I.L.D works well to establish a terrestrial dimension within Thor's divine ambitions, but watching as slick and cool government organizations commandeer a scientist's life work in the interests of the greater good gave me somewhat of a stomach ache.

Out of all of Thor's secondary characters, Foster's assistant and mentor forge the most lasting impression due to the ways in which they juxtapose cheeky disengaged spontaneity with shrewd weathered experience, Foster charging confidently and prudently through their generational centre (Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis and Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig). Heimdall's (Idris Elba) embodiment of vigilance and loyalty, made all the more durable by his formidable intelligence and strength, like a domesticated Grizzly Bear, also works well.

The scenes wherein Loki enacts his treason do not work well and their development pales in comparison to those within which Thor comes of age.

Which aren't that great either.

Cain and Able meets Superman II in order to dislodge the Hammer in the Stone?

Thor entertains but lacks the depth of Iron Man or even Iron Man 2. The plot is generally predictable and there are few scenes which inspire even the slightest misgivings about what will happen next. Generating such misgivings is tough to do, but exceptional films find a way to make their universe so enthralling that they briefly transport us to another realm within which we sincerely care about what will happen due to its captivating multidimensional focus (this is where manufactured randomness and bizarre observations can work well if they don't seem manufactured).

I liked Thor's principal message and it is deep, but it lacks the fantastic lightning strike required to generate thunderous applause.

I guess the difference between Thor and a film like Fast Five is that while watching Fast Five I wasn't expecting to encounter such a strike. Hence I was content to just sit back and be entertained.