Thunderstruck

Whew! Well, midterms have come and gone and finals are just three weeks away. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so my brothers and I started off the summer movie season by watching Thor last Sunday.

Like most big budget summer blockbusters, the visuals of Marvel's latest movie are absolutely stunning. From the aerial shots of magnificent Asgard to the rampaging automaton in the New Mexican town, the audience certainly gets their moneys worth of computer-generated delights (although I still wouldn't pay more to see it in 3D).

The most satisfying scene of the movie is when a girl points a taser at Thor. "You dare point such a puny weapon at me?" He demands, forgetting that Odin took away all his powers when he was banished from Asgard. The girl then pulls the trigger and the god of thunder goes down like a sack of bricks (oh, the irony!).

There's not much else to say about this movie. The action scenes are big and explosive, Loki runs around and lies to everyone because daddy didn't love him enough, Thor goes through a quest for redemption, and Stan Lee makes another cameo appearance. Sometimes looking for Stan the Man in Marvel movies has become more entertaining than the movie itself; it's like playing Where's Waldo, but with robots, superheroes, and explosions.

Some people thought of this movie as absolute garbage. Well, to be sure, it's not the next Godfather or Gone With the Wind. It was built to introduce the uninitiated to Thor and entice them to see the god of thunder again in the coming Avengers movie (you hear that? that's the sound of dollar signs flashing in the eyes of Hollywood producers). The acting is, admittedly, sort of bland and the plot kind of simple. I'm not sure why there is an Asian dude in the Norse pantheon. Oh, wait, that's right, they're not gods but space aliens. Got it.

My attitude coming into the theater was the same when I saw Suckerpunch. I was not expecting to be blown away by superb acting or a deep story; I wanted to see Thor hit things with his hammer. I find it hilarious when people come out of movies like this and complain that Hollywood ripped them off. Really? You are surprised? Did you not pay attention to the trailers? Perhaps you should have gone to the Cannes film festival or (gasp!) read the comics for better stories.

Next up on my summer movie list: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Savvy?