In this addition to the ever-expanding Marvel movie universe, Thor (a.k.a. The God of Thunder) is ousted from Asgard and banished to Earth without his powers. Chris Hemsworth seems born to play Thor, conveying power, humor, and the ability to wield both hammer and god-like aura with equal flair. Natalie Portman (who’s been very busy lately; she also appears in Hesher this week) gets in on the superhero fun, as does Anthony Hopkins as Thor’s tough-love father Odin. The action and effects look much better in 2D on Blu-ray than they did in 3D at the theater, where they tended to be coated in darkness. Even though in the long run Thor might amount to little more than backstory for the upcoming The Avengers film, it does manage to stand on its own thanks to great casting and skilled direction from Kenneth Branagh.
Video: 1080p 2.35:1; Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD MA; Special Features: Commentary by director Kenneth Branagh, “Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant,” “From Asgard to Earth,” “Our Fearless Leader,” “Assembling the Troupe,” “Hammer Time,” “Creating Laufey,” “Music of the Gods,” “A Conversation” featuring Stan Lee, "Road to the Avengers,” deleted Scenes with optional commentary, teaser and theatrical trailers, 3D, DVD, and digital copy of the film.
