Dredd

(2012, Dir. by Pete Travis.)

When I heard that a new Judge Dredd film was on the way a while back, my initial reaction was something along the lines of "That's freakin' weird, man!"  The British comic icon has been around since 1977, but remains relatively unknown to most.  In America, the character is most recognizable from a poorly received film from 1995, in which Sylvester Stallone took on the lead role and growled about being the law.  To be honest, there are some people who were teenagers in the mid-90s (myself included) who will argue that the Stallone film is a blast for all the wrong reasons.  But fans of the character wanted more, and now they have it.

A new story with no ties to the previous film, Dredd lets Karl Urban - whose face would be recognizable from The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek if the film would show it - put on the trademark uniform of the Judge and re-introduce viewers to the world of Mega-City One.  Opening narration explains how most of the United States has been eradicated and now exists only as "The Cursed Earth", while hundreds of millions of people are literally stacked into these mega-cities.  Dredd and a rookie Judge - the less scary-named Anderson, played by Juno's Olivia Thirlby - end up traveling into one of the mega-structures in the mega-city when some drugged-up bodies get thrown down 200 stories and splatter in a courtyard, and the fun picks up from there.

(I suppose this is the point where I should point out that the premise is eerily similar to this year's new action sensation, The Raid: Redemption.  Many have cried foul - or harsher things - as they see two movies about high rise buildings and a gauntlet of battles released months apart, but there's no rip off here in my eyes.  I loved The Raid, but I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying a movie that happens to have a similar set. OK?)

Inside the building we find a pretty standard future gang, filled with miscreants and dirty faced people (at least by sci-fi movie standards) and led by a disfigured ex-prostitute/drug lord known simply as Ma-Ma.  She's played by Lena Headey, of 300 and The Sarah Conner Chronicles, and her drug of choice is a new future concoction called "Slo-Mo".  This drug, administered through a simple inhaler, slows the user's body down to 1% of real-time - that's not a joke, the movie actually says it - which allows for several annoying shots of things moving really slow and sparkling and looking incredibly goofy when compared to the rest of the gritty action film.  These slow-motion scenes are overused early in the story and hurt the film's charm, but the director smartly pumps the brakes on this until the right moment in the final act.  In fact, that final moment of Slo-Mo action kind of made the whole thing worthwhile.

The rest of the film is Urban and Thirlby making their way through the 200 story tower, which means a lot of Urban growling one word sentences from beneath his trademark helmet - unlike Stallone, the actor stays true to Dredd lore and never removes his headpiece - and a lot of Thirlby being the unsure and human piece of the puzzle. The rookie judge - helmetless due to some psychic "powers" that the film uses to escape from plot holes - doesn't feel like an add-on, and actually overshadows the mostly-silent title character in regard to the film's plot.  The performance won't win many awards, but it's noteworthy that this miniature girl stands tall in a brutal movie about the future's Dirty Harry.

If you're just here to see a guy dressed as Judge Dredd being snarky and blowing people up, you're going to get that too.  Urban never wavers as he portrays the antihero with a one-note tone of cynicism. He also carries his Lawgiver weapon - a cool future tool that the film plays with wonderfully - with poise, and he fills the costume quite well.  This isn't the most demanding role from a physical standpoint - unlike many modern action films, hand-to-hand combat is almost nonexistent - but Dredd still looks and acts like someone I'd be scared to meet in a back alley if I'd done something naughty.  And it's nice to see a film that still relies on good old fashioned guns instead of choreographed dance fighting.

Fans of blood splatter should find everything they desire when it comes to the action.  Shot in 3D - though I, out of spite for the gimmick, watched the 2D version - there's plenty of computer generated arterial spray that is designed for a full "in your face" effect.  There's still plenty to see without the 3D, with the most impressive sequence coming near the finale as Anderson and Dredd shoot their way through a lot of nameless assailants.  The film moves at a manic pace, and if you blink you might miss some of the carnage. I commented after the film that it felt like the shortest movie I've ever seen, and I was surprised to find that it ran 95 minutes when I checked after the showing.

Dredd meets its simple goals, staying true to the established character while providing a modern edge to the gritty action plot.  I wished that there was more of a focus on the science fiction aspects of the story, but at the same time I realize that more exposition would have killed the pace the film was going for.  While the story could have focused on being an origin story, like we've seen so many times before in the comic adaptation world, it seems like director Pete Travis and writer Alex Garland decided to throw caution to the wind and put everything on the line for one high-octane bullet storm.  It worked for me, and I think anyone looking for a bit of popcorn violence should enjoy this Judge Dredd tale.

The Avengers

(2012, Dir. by Joss Whedon.)

My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to convince you that you should see The Avengers.  It's one of the easiest missions I've ever had, and one of the most difficult missions I've ever accepted.  I'm sure most folks out there see ads for a movie that throws a bunch of super heroes who have won big screen acclaim into a blockbuster-building-blender and think something to the effect of "Well, duh, I'll see that." Those people have my eternal respect.  But there are some other folks out there who look at The Avengers and see a comic book cinema vending machine and think something like "Man, there can't be anything substantial in such a convoluted concept". I dig those folks too - the skeptic always has something good to say, no matter how crazy - but I aim to convince them that they are dead wrong.

I have to admit, I was almost one of them skeptics.  I adore comic book mythology to a fault, and have dug at least 87% of the Marvel adaptations to come down the pipeline in the past decade. (Even Daredevil. I regret nothing.)  But I was really unsure that The Avengers could hold the weight of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, and friends without falling apart and slipping away from the filmmakers.  Really, the whole project needed its own hero. When cult icon Joss Whedon - the dude behind Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and plenty of other nerdy favorites (Like The Cabin in the Woods, which is now my second favorite thing I've seen in theater this year) - took over the project, I should have put my doubts to bed.  But I had to see it to believe it.

Now that I have seen it, it is certain in my mind that Joss Whedon is the true hero of The Avengers.  His script, which is filled to the brim with scenes that are honestly hilarious, is also incredibly faithful to the heroes as they've appeared in the comics and films that led to this point.  I really didn't know how someone could make all these characters fit together in one place - you are mixing Asgardian demi-god with 1940s soldiers and billionaires with fancy toys, after all - and anyone with a passing knowledge of Avengers comics knows that personality clashes are par for the course with Earth's greatest heroes.  Whedon deftly handled each character with this in mind, using the differing personalities to create a lot of humorous interactions that build the characters while keeping the audience engaged in a lighthearted manner.  In a great way, Whedon even manages to turn some jokes, like a modern SHIELD agent's "fanboy" love of Captain America, into dramatic events that advance the plot.  And he does all this comedic styling - I honestly can't remember the last time I've laughed so much in a theater - while keeping the action going and making a 140 minute film fly by the viewer's eyes in a flash.

Whedon's masterful ability to bring a bunch of legendary heroes together in one film wouldn't work if the cast didn't meet or exceed the viewers expectations, and pretty much everyone in the film is on top of their game.  Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson all reprise the roles they held in Marvel's latest wave of superhero films (Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: the First Avenger), as does Jeremy Renner, who expands his Thor cameo as Clint Barton (Does the film ever actually call him Hawkeye? I don't think it did.) into a pivotal role in the plot here.  Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg return on the SHIELD side, alongside newcomer Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother, on the side of SHIELD, the agency who brings the group of heroes together.  Everyone is right back on track, picking up where they left off in the previous films, which means Downey chews up the scenery, Evans looks heroic, Hemsworth hams it up with a chiseled jaw, and so on.  But none of them are the most impressive returning cast member.

That honor has to go to Tom Hiddleston, who returns as Loki to play villain to not just his half-brother Thor - but to all six Avengers.  It's a gigantic task that worried me as I watched the film coming from a distance.  I wasn't that impressed by Hiddleston's Loki in Thor - the best thing I had to say about him in my Thor review was that he was "serviceable" - but his power-hungry turn as the man who may destroy Earth here is really fantastic.  The London born actor manages to be physically imposing, despite his diminutive stature, and it's pretty easy to buy into him as the God of Mischief (with a Zod complex) from his first appearance in the opening scenes.  He's aided by an alien force - make sure you stay through the end credits for more info, as is common for Marvel films - but the film doesn't feel like it needs anything more than this one well-drawn villain to make us feel like the world needs heroes.

The biggest winner in the film, however, is the hero who's played by a new face to the Marvel universe.  Dr. Bruce Banner and The Hulk - formerly represented by Eric Bana and Edward Norton and a bunch of CGI creations - are now represented by Mark Ruffalo (and some more CGI) and are better than we've ever seen them on the big screen.  Ruffalo plays the scientist Banner with a nerdy charm that's kinda pitiful, but kinda charming, and interacts very well with his peers, particularly in some science lab interactions with Downey's Tony Stark.  Though Ruffalo's banner is sufficiently nerdy - this is the closest anyone's been to recreating the beloved/pathetic Banner character that Bill Bixby portrayed on the famous TV show of the late '70s (I so wanted to hear the lonely man theme with Ruffalo's character) - it's his Hulk form that really steals the film.  Once "the other guy" is released in this universe there is no turning back, and a combination of breathtaking choreography and fantastic special effects make this Hulk the best visualization of the character that's ever been seen.  Though the film's final battle sequence showcases all of these heroes, everything really boils down to Hulk smashing things - and he does so in an incredible manner.  This is his movie, the rest of our heroes are just living in it.  (Also living in it, and making my nerd face smile? Harry Dean Stanton.  You'll see why.)

With very few missteps - I wanted a little more Thor because I didn't feel he was used as well as he was in his own film, that's about the only quibble I had with the film - and so much humor and action and so many general awe-inspiring moments, I can't complain at all about The Avengers.  Heck, I want to see it again right now.  It's the prototype for what a summer blockbuster should be, because it's written for nerds by nerds and is still incredibly accessible to any filmgoer.  Heck, this is more than what summer movies should be....this is what movies should be.  Don't miss it.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

(2012, Dir. by Neveldine/Taylor.)

In a sequel almost nobody - save Nic Cage and some dudes at Marvel who like money - wanted, Johnny Blaze returns to the big screen for another fiery ride.  This time it's called Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and it's a sequel that wants nothing to do with its big budget predecessor.  It brings back Cage - mostly because Cage is the biggest Ghost Rider fan alive AND likes money because he has to pay for his burial pyramid - but cuts all other ties to Mark Steven Johnson's bland film.

This time the skullfire-on-wheels action is framed by the duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who previously brought their hyperactive flair to the Crank films and the muddled, yet strangely captivating Gamer (don't hate, I dig it!).   The filmmakers left their mark on those films by featuring "balls-to-the-wall" action that feature no restraint, which made nudity, blood, random psychedelic cutscenes, and other acts of depravity the norm in their worlds.  A lot of people didn't like that about them, but I thought it was a blast - their films are basically video games that were filmed instead of rendered - which makes it slightly frustrating when you realize that Ghost Rider 2 has been edited down for a PG-13 rating.

Without the ability to go all the way, Neveldine/Taylor's film feels a little neutered.  It's particularly baffling too, as this is the second film released under the Marvel Knights banner that previously accompanied the uberviolent, R-rated Punisher: War Zone - a film that featured more arterial spray than most horror movies made in the new millennium.  This Marvel Knights production features a lot more dark moments than the first film did, but there are moments when the film cuts away from what could have been a brutal moment.  Perhaps the studio was worried that the first film pandered to children - which is a strange truth despite the devil-based plot - but I don't think this sequel will sell as well to the young crowd.

There's certainly more grit to this film, as the Rider looks a bit darker and a lot less cartoon-y than he did in the 2007 film.  The action takes on a supernatural tone again - especially when that Ciaran Hinds dude turns one of the bad guys into a creepy undead thing who's supposed to find a kid that might become the Antichrist - and there's plenty of night time battling with the flaming headed antihero doing his thing.  Oh yeah, and you get to see Ghost Rider urinating a stream of flame - if you're in to that kind of thing.

If there's a reason to see Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, it's certainly the star.  A lot of people are down on the overdramatic Mr. Cage, but he's pretty much my favorite thing Hollywood could do to any movie.  Heck, I once kind of defended that piece of excrement Wicker Man remake because of Cage's overacting.  Truthfully, I was a little disappointed by the lack of Cage Rage in this film.  There was one glorious mid-film scene that allowed Cage to go fully crazy, but there weren't enough moments like it.  In fact, I kinda thought the film was a little backward - the early part of the film featured a lot of Rider and not enough Cage, while the final scenes feature a ton of subdued Cage and not enough Rider.

With the directors' hands tied and Cage somewhat restrained, the whole movie just seems kinda pointless.  It was a fun ride - I'll watch it again before I watch the first Ghost Rider film again - but it doesn't have much going for it outside of the good-looking Eastern European setting and a decent cast (Idris Elba is a fun addition in a pivotal side role, and Violante Placido is nice to look at).  I'm not sure if it will please fans of the comic - I know next to nothing about Ghost Rider, except that Cage loves him - but it's little more than a passable diversion in what is generally blockbuster cinema's offseason.  You shouldn't waste your money on a 3D ticket price, but if you're interested you might have fun with the film as a rental if you really dig Cage Rage.  Even then, you're probably better off watching the more violent and more ballistic Drive Angry anyway.

FMWL's Best of Summer 2011 (Part One)

List time!  With the temperatures dropping and the leaves getting ready to change into their Halloween costumes, I figure it's time to stop and smell this summer's midnight roses one more time.  This is gonna be a blitz style couple of posts, as I take a gander at a lot of films - I count  25 right now, and I might think of more as I type - that made The Mike smile this summer.  Ready? Let's Go!

Best Of: The Summer Cineplex 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: What looked like a cash-in reboot at first turned out to be a fresh and original addition to the 1968 classic.  A great film in its own right, thanks to great effects, good acting from James Franco and John Lithgow, and a ridiculously well-done script.  (Read The Mike's Review)

Super 8: I saw Super 8 three times this summer, and I never was able to come up with anything to write about it.  To me, it's one of those movies that isn't worth analyzing, because I'm having too much fun with it to turn on the critical part of my mind.  J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg craft a fantastic sci-fi tale that made me feel like a kid again - which is the best you can ask for from escapist summer cinema.

X-Men: First Class: I'm a nerd about almost any movie based on a comic book, but the four X-Men movies of the '00s were a mixed bag for me.  And it's not even that I only liked some of the movies, it's more that I liked and disliked different parts of each movie.  Enter another prequel, X-Men: First Class, which tells a new tale of the young mutants, led by young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender).  The action is well done throughout the film, but it's the performances of Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence (as the shape-shifting Mystique) that really sold the film to me.  For the first time ever, I really cared about the characters in the X-Verse.

Captain America: The First Avenger/Thor: Speaking of comic book flicks, I gotta give props to a couple of fun diversions that made me smile this summer.  Both of these films - which exist primarily to tie everything together for next summer's The Avengers - felt like what I'd expect a comic book movie to feel like.  Thor charmed mostly with its acting, led by a starmaking performance by Chris Hemsworth, while Cap's film won me over with its pulpy World War II/science fiction hybrid tone.  On their own, I find myself looking forward to revisiting each film often. (Read The Mike's Thor Review)

Best of: New Releases to DVD/Blu-Ray

Hobo With a Shotgun: To those of us who missed this film's VOD and theatrical run, it seemed impossible that this grindhouse throwback could live up to the hype.  But I quickly realized I was wrong to doubt the film, because this Hobo provides unmatched thrills and gore.  The film's mean side is complemented by a varied sense of humor that uses gross out gags and quirky characters, and the end result is what should become a true cult classic. (Read The Mike's Review)

Super: A vicious comedy that seems slightly inspired by last year's indie hit Kick-Ass, Super is another truly unique film, featuring plenty of uncomfortable and inappropriate moments (such as Juno's Ellen Page commenting on the interior of her lady parts with a choice adjective).  I wasn't wild about the movie while watching it - even though I admired the lead performance of Rainn Wilson much - but the final act really pushed the film to a powerful place.  Many kudos to James Gunn (who was also behind the raunchy recent horror Slither) for continuing to push boundaries and make us love him for it.

Drive Angry: Todd Farmer is a screenwriter cut from the same cloth as Super's Gunn; he's also unafraid to do unpopular things to win over lovers of cheese.  With Drive Angry, he gives us cheesy special effects, Amber Heard's loveliness, cool cars, good gore, sinister satanists, an over-the-top Nic Cage, AND (last but not least) a wonderfully funny comedic turn from William Fichtner.  As fun as any movie I've seen this year. (Read The Mike's Review)

Rubber: I get the complains about Rubber.  It's a completely irreverent film that doesn't really say anything or mean anything about a killer tire.  But I couldn't help feeling respect for the crazy little film, because it (and I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, I know) was unlike anything I'd ever seen.  I mean, it's a movie about a killer tire that just rolls around and makes people spontaneously combust.  I'm for that.

The Perfect Host: Just saw this flick this weekend, and had a ton of fun thanks to a sharp performance by David Hyde Pierce as a scene stealing psychopath who hosts the best dinner parties - for his victims and imaginary friends.  It's an incredibly smart thriller with some interesting twists, and great work from Hyde Pierce and Clayne Crawford.  It's a psychological winner that's worth finding.

Best of: Upgrades to Blu-Ray

Conan The Barbarian: While Jason Momoa and company were bringing Conan back to the big screen for Lionsgate, Universal had a perfect excuse to remaster and re-release Arnold Schwarzenegger's two turns as the Cimmerian.  The first film has long been a fantasy favorite of mine, and the upgraded video and audio are fantastic on blu-ray.  It's slightly disappointing that only the theatrical version of the film appears on this version - an 80 second dialogue scene in the directors cut is one of my favorite Conan moments - but that's a small concern compared to this fantastic presentation.

The Stunt Man: OK, I haven't watched my copy of this one yet - I watched the DVD shortly before its release because I was too excited to wait - but everything about it existing makes me REALLY HAPPY.  This is one of the best movies about movies ever made, featuring superb performances from Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, and (most importantly) my beloved Barbara Hershey.  The images I have peeked at look great, and it's got plenty of features on the awesome flick.  If you buy one new blu this summer, I recommend this one.

Nowhere to Run: I might be the biggest fan of this cheesy Jean Claude Van Damme film, but I don't regret my love one bit.  An extremely loose reimagining of  the classic western Shane (one of my favorite films), Nowhere to Run offers Van Damme on a motorcycle, making awkward humor with a Culkin kid, facing off with Ted "Buffalo Bill" Levine, and wooing Rosanna Arquette on a farm.  It was a teenage favorite of mine, and I was tickled pink to see it looking shinier than ever - even if it is an extra-free blu-ray offering.

Cobra: One of Stallone's biggest bombs, but this excessive action film is a cult classic in its own way.  Warner's blu-ray disc gives us Marion Cobretti in all his match-chomping glory, and is incredibly crisp for a film of its age.  This certainly isn't one of the best films I've seen this summer, but the blu-ray did a great job of reminding me that there's a lot to love about '80s Stallone, even when he's in the middle of one of the silliest cop movies of the silly decade.

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I'm gonna break this post up for now.  Apologies to all my horror lovin' readers - because this summer apparently didn't grab me when it came to new horror in theaters or on home video.  Did I miss something?  Do you have favorites I skipped?  Please, for the love of everything awesome, let me know in the comments below, because this realization makes me sad.  

In the meantime, rest assured that I'll be back soon with FMWL's best indie horrors of the summer, as well as my favorite category: the best genre films I fell in love with for the first time this summer!  Be well, Midnight Warriors!

Thor

(2011, Dir. by Kenneth Branagh.)

You guys, I'm just gonna say it up front. I could watch this Thor movie for days.  It could have just kept going, and going, and going, and I'd have been like "We're up to 87 hours man? Eff it, just keep on goin' with it."  I'm a little surprised by this development, but I'm more than willing to give that surprise a big ol' hug and roll forth as a lover of Thor on film.

I've probably told y'all about my history as a comic book hero geek, but if I haven't, here's a recap.  I sooooooooo wish I had grown up a comic book geek.  I tried when I could by buying up six or seven comics that I kept re-reading, not to mention spending some of my time at the local library studying the origin of the Fantastic 4.  That quartet was my favorite of the heroes at the time (along with Iron Man, who had Iowa State Cyclone colors on his suit), but the thing is that I didn't really know the heroes, I just knew of the heroes.  I knew of Thor, but Hulk Hogan and the WWF were a little more shiny and required less reading, so little The Mike took that road instead.  It wasn't long before his Thor action figure was rebranded as a professional wrestler named Cool Daddy Lovin' by little The Mike's best friend and was engaged in a vicious plastic feud with Ravishing Rick Rude. (I wish I was making this up, but here's photographic proof.)

In his college years and beyond, as superhero movies became mainstream blockbusters, The Mike fought to reverse this curse that he had placed upon himself.  Being a Real American like the Hulkster certainly had inspired The Mike greatly, but the stories he kept hearing about these heroes as he moved back into comic hero land were a ton of fun when put on screen.  He soon was immersed in movies and video games about Marvel's heroes while studying Wikipedia pages to learn where these characters came from, but he still....STILL!....never gave much thought to Thor.  He was just the guy Vincent D'Onofrio played in Adventures in Babysitting. (I'm obliged to follow up any reference to Adventures in Babysitting by reminding you that NOBODY gets out of here without singin' the blues.)

Fast forward to 2011, when Thor finally makes his non-Elisabeth Shue film debut on the big screen.  Despite my new found love for all the comic heroes I skipped as a youngling, I just wasn't feeling Thor.  Maybe it was the Norse God stuff, or maybe it was just the fact that I didn't know crud about Thor except that he had a cool helmet and a hammer I couldn't pronounce.  But in the days before the film's premiere, I suddenly realized I needed to see Thor as soon as possible.  If I'm gonna be a whore for the rest of the Marvel hero films - I'll even defend Daredevil, yo! - I couldn't miss one.

If you don't know the background of Thor, Kenneth Branagh's film will give you plenty of chances to catch up.  The first act of the film spends plenty of time showing us the world of Asgard, where King Odin (Anthony Hopkins, hamming it up in his usual manner) and Queen Frigga (Rene Russo, who barely gets a chance to speak) rule in peace despite an ancient war with some Frost Giants.  We also learn about Odin's two sons, the warrior Thor and the manipulative Loki, one of whom shall soon be king.  While Thor - along with his band of friends including the female warrior Sif (Jamie Alexander) and a few other dudes (one of whom is played by former Punisher Ray Stevenson) - like to run off and start battles of their own, Loki is involved in more mischievous games.  In a convoluted turn of events, Thor's temper gets him banished to Earth, Odin falls into a coma-like sleep, and Loki is revealed to be a)the new king and b) kind of evil. Meanwhile, Thor bumbles about Earth under the identity of Dr. Donald Blake, having humorous adventures with a bunch of scientists and trying to find a way to reunite with his trusty hammer Mjolnir.

The Punisher - Now with Thor powers!

All of that sounds pretty silly, and it certainly is.  But the people behind Thor have found the keys to making such a fantastic story interesting to the masses, starting with a fantastic cast.  Chris Hemsworth - formerly a supporting piece in the Star Trek reboot and the criminally cool A Perfect Getaway - gives a star-making performance as the eponymous God, and is one of the few actors to come along in recent years who can appear both imposing and endearing at the same time.  His over-the-top antics - which include some extreme chivalry and the shouting of loud commands - provide for a lot of laughs throughout the film, most notably in a scene where he enters a pet shop looking for transportation.  At the same time, Hemsworth can still turn it up a notch and become the warrior hero who can dominate a scene, and I have to think his combination of size and talent will take him to great heights in Hollywood.

The supporting cast also shines.  Natalie Portman gets the most publicity as the Earth-bound scientist who is Thor's eventual love interest, but Stellan Skarsgard (whose son Alexander was most internet folks' pick to play Thor as casting was occuring) and Kat Dennings provide a lot of fun scenes as the other two-thirds of her team.  Tom Hiddleston is very serviceable as Loki (who promises to have an even bigger role in next summer's The Avengers), and Russo and Hopkins' presence is welcome - even if they are basically there to add to the name factor of the cast. I must also mention how happy I always am to see Clark Gregg show up as Agent Coulson, because he's both a fun actor and the guy who showed up in the final two episodes of Sports Night to save the day.  It tickles me pink to think about the fact that this guy is working with the Universe's greatest heroes AND the best cable sports show in the history of fake television. You go Clark Gregg!

La Forza del Destino....Clark Gregg is a true hero.

With three different "realms" containing the action and so many characters to introduce, it's very possible that Thor could have run for at least three hours under the supervision of Shakespeare-specialist Kenneth Branagh.  But the film makes its trips from one world to another quite easily, and I never found myself lost in the film's complex universe.  Branagh is known for long adaptations - like a 242 minute version of Hamlet - but this 114 minute version of Thor moves quite briskly while covering a lot of ground.  Like I said - I could have watched the story of this Thor go on for some time - but I think mainstream audiences will appreciate how easy it is to get caught up in this escapist origin story.

If I had to quibble a bit about Thor, I do feel like the final 20 minutes were handled a little foolishly.  We've got a main character who has been banished by his father - who takes away all his powers and strips him from his presumed glory - and is betrayed by his brother - who then convinces him his father is dead.  It's quite literally a tale in which the hero has had everything taken from him (Can you see why they'd give the story to a Shakespearean director now?), so when his primary motvation for revenge becomes his budding romance with the Earthly Natalie Portman who he met two days ago, I have to wonder if there aren't bigger issues the film could have tackled.  I know that every movie has to have romance in Hollywood, but there's really no reason the relationship between Thor and this Earth woman couldn't have remained platonic and led to a more epic reason for a final battle.

Still, I'm just nitpicking there, because I really enjoyed the heck out of Thor.  I'm almost sorry for allowing him to be rebranded as Cool Daddy Lovin' in my youth, even though CDL did hold multiple Plastic Wrestling Figures And Friends Federation Championships and went on to become our high school band's mascot on our trip to Disney World.  This has quickly become one of my favorites of the many Marvel adaptations of recent years, and it leaves me with a renewed faith that The Avengers should provide a lot of fun as it brings all these heroes - including one who makes a cameo in the middle of Thor and another who makes a returning cameo after the credits - together.  In the meantime, I'm sure I'll return to this Thor film as soon as possible, because it's a fantastic bit of entertainment that I want to experience again and again.