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THOR, Marvel’s first movie of this busy summer, had its world premiere in Australia this weekend (it opens in the US on May 6) and so far, critics are hitting the like button. THR has a reaction roundup:

The consensus among early reviewers is praise for Hemsworth and director Kenneth Branagh, while earning minus-points for the brevity of the Earth sequence and the action scene involving a metal-being called the Destroyer (seen in the commercials).

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Jonah Weiland gave it an expert’s thumbs up:

Director Kenneth Branagh does well with what is essentially a pretty simple origin story – powerful son disappoints father, struggles to learn the lessons his father imparts, yet finally overcomes his own arrogance and over confidence to grow as both a man and hero. We’ve seen this story played out in literature and film numerous times, but Branagh skillfully manages his cast and brings out performances that make the somewhat mechanical storyline feel both new and engaging.


Reuters had a similar view:

It’s a noisy, universe-rattling spectacle full of sound and fury with a suitably epic design, solid digital effects and a healthy respect for the comic-book lore that turned a mythological Norse god into a founding member of the superhero team known as The Avengers. The arrogant warrior Thor’s great conversion, central to the plot, is unrealistically lightning-quick and the movie’s dramatic arc falters amid the constant shifts between earthly and celestial realms. But execs at Marvel Studios, gambling heavily on the success of “Thor” and the upcoming “Captain America: The First Avenger” to set up next summer’s ensemble behemoth “The Avengers,” can rest easy: You’ve built it and they will come. They may even bring a date.


As the cast makes their way around the world for various premieres and interviews, they are being tested on their comic book bona fides. Star Chris Hemsworth confesses to having to play catch up (but of course spent six months reading comics to get a handle on that hammer), while Tom “Loki” Hiddleston has more authentic geek cred:

“As a child I actually had a deck of Marvel top trump cards. You can get cards with racing cars or football players and I had all the Marvel superheroes and super villains in a deck. “I used to play it with my friends so literally every character you can think of are all listed according to their height and weight and agility and superpowers and Thor and Loki are in there so that was my memory.”

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