Thor
Thor, directed by Kenneth Brannagh, starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Anthony Hopkins. Based on the comic book by the same title.
Okay, let me start out by saying that I already knew the backstory. Having read about a hundred of these comic books, I knew pretty much what was coming. That being said, the trailer does a pretty good job itself. Somewhere, in an Alternate Dimension (I think), there dwelleth a race of beings whom Mankind worshipped as Gods way back in the day when Mankind worshipped just about anything that wasn't trying to eat them. However, they seem to have pretty good taste in deities here.
The Supreme Muck-a-muck is Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins, a fierce but wise leader. He has two sons, Thor (who has a big hammer) and Loki (who wears big horns). Thor is your stereotypical bored prince-to-be-king, tetchy and always looking for a fight, while Loki has that evil hair-slicked-back look that promises trouble from his first scene.
We first see the two brothers as small children, being shown a Mysterious Casket that their father took from the giants and their own Alternate Reality in a bygone war. Thor is eager for battle, but his father explains to him that there is a truce in effect that keeps everyone bored. Just what the Gods have been doing for the past fifteen centuries if not fighting Frost Giants is not explained, but we can assume that there are more Evil Creatures, each within their own Alternate Realities (don't you love those?) that has kept Thor and his friends busy for the last few centuries. Either that, or each year of Asguard time equals one century of ours. We don't care.
Somehow, on the day of Thor's confirmation of his Birthright (i.e. everyone agrees that he will be king when Odin dies), Frost Giants slip into the vaults and attempt to make off with their Mysterious Casket. They are stopped by a massive, living suit of armor called the Destroyer, a rather unimaginative term. Again, who cares? It looks cool!
With his Special Day ruined, Thor decides to take his friends to attack the Frost Giant Realm. While in transit, we are introduced to Heimdall, a really cool dude with these burning-orange eyes that he can supposedly see anything with. He's stuck guarding the entrance to Asguard, but when you've got super-peeping-tom vision that can supposedly span dimensions, people assume you can entertain yourself. He still seems bored, though. Maybe he's gotten stiff with standing there for the last millenium.
Thor and his friends enter Jotunheim (the Frost Giant's Personal Space), pick a fight, and cause a massive diplomatic incident. Odin pulls their fish out of the ice and grounds Thor for an indeterminate length of time by banishing him to Earth. There he meets Natalie Portman's character, and the rest you can watch yourself.
Well, little graphic violence. Less cussing. Did I mention this was a beautiful movie? It cost a hundred and fifty million bucks to make, and it looks like two hundred and fifty million. Reminds me of 'Avatar', though with no blue freaks. Should have been as long as 'Avatar', though. Poor Kenneth Brannagh built a lovely universe with a nice story that demanded equal parts action and reflection, but was forced to butcher it into a two-hour quickie because Modern Children will get bored if it's too long (Bah). Thank God, he chose to sacrifice Action for Story, unlike the Fantastic Fails. Man, I can't wait for the Directer's Cut.
Let me mention the acting, too. Chris Hemsworth plays a Norse God in the 21st century, and plays it straight. He does a wonderful job of making Quotes out of lines that, when read deadpan, are cornier than Iowa. Every Venusian I know who's seen it is in love with him. Even Natalie Portman shows unusually good taste in men (remember Anakin and V?), and Tom Hiddleston plays a God of Mischief whose greatest gift is sublty and wiles, who slips into evil almost as easily as donning his massive horns, while making it look like the only logical thing he could have done. And Anthony Hopkins? Wonderful performance. He completely captures the essence of Odin. You don't see Anthony Hopkins, you see the All-Father of Asguard.
I recommend this as a family movie, a guys-night movie, and a date movie. Especially a date movie, but you'd better be prepared to kiss her hand afterwards.