Film Review: Thor [dir: Kenneth Branagh; 2011]

Everyone has their weaknesses and one of mine – at least in the realms of cinema – is comic book super hero movies. Give me two hours’ worth of ridiculous costumes, decent special effects and an intelligent story which sticks to the rules of its own world, and I’m happy. Thor doesn’t fare too badly on the first two counts, but it fails on the all-important third. It isn’t a complete disaster. There are some well-played moments of comedy, the visuals are suitably glossy and the casting is generally impressive (Archipelago’s Tom Hiddleston proves yet again that his star is most definitely rising) but the plot - which centres around the eponymous god's banishment to earth - relies too heavily on convenient twists and irritating coincidences. Never mind. I’m holding out for X-Men: First Class.