Thor

Thor (2011) is the 4th installment of "Phase 1" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I have to admit, this was easily the hardest concept for Marvel Studios to nail down early on in the MCU, and I think they've done a fairly good job here. It has a much less sporadic plot than Iron Man 2, it's more entertaining and engaging than The Incredible Hulk, but unfortunately, it is a bit incoherent tonally, which does impact the overall flow of the movie. Chris Hemsworth is a good lead for the film, although I don't think they quite had a clear vision towards what they wanted the character of Thor to be, he is represented as stoic, prideful, and quick to anger, but then when he goes to earth he is a sensitive, fish-out-of-water, goofball type of character. Now, of course, some of that is attributed to the obvious character growth that the character endures during the movie, but it flip-flops in overall tone between the two worlds so often and so aggressively that the personality of the film's lead follows it all over the movie. Anthony Hopkins (Odin) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) carry the film's dramatic and emotional depth (Hiddleston to a much higher degree), which not only develops the family dynamic but also, secondarily, strengthens Thor's character in a way that the writing, while he is on earth, does not. Overall, the film, while offering a little bit of everything for everyone (action, comedy, drama, fantasy) and doing most of those fairly well, tends to struggle with blending those elements together in a seamless fashion. A fun, solid introductory movie, but flawed nonetheless.