Saw Thor (in 2D - I refuse to see any movie in 3D unless it's shot that way) yesterday evening.

I absolutely loved it. I mean, at its core, it's a superhero movie, so it wasn't too terribly different from what's come before. And the scenes on Earth were kind of boring, saved only by Chris Hemsworth's great work as Thor and his rather charming chemistry with Natalie Portman (who is awesome in this, as usual).

What makes it particularly successful is Asgard and the other, non-Earth realms. It just looks fantastic, and Kenneth Branagh's background in directing Shakespeare really helps to sell the grandiosity necessary for the scenes to work. And man, do they work - I found myself, once the movie was over, wishing the entire movie had taken place on Asgard entirely.

Loki is easily one of the best of the Marvel movie universe villains, thanks primarily to a great, nuanced performance by Tom Hiddleston. You actually feel sympathy for him, and you kind of wouldn't mind if he won in the end. The film would not have been nearly as successful without him, and I'm eagerly awaiting his return in The Avengers.

Speaking of which, the presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson in Thor is nowhere near as distracting as his/Nick Fury's presence in Iron Man 2. My only problem with it was the inclusion of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye (from the upcoming Captain America) in one scene - his scenes were very clearly added in after the fact, and they're kind of distracting.

Bottom line - while it may not be the best of the Marvel flicks, Thor is certainly up there. I'd say it's better than Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk, but not as good as Iron Man.

I'm definitely a lot more excited for The Avengers now. Still don't care much about Captain America, but I'll give it a shot.

Interestingly, I just realized that I've seen all of the new Marvel movies in the theater on opening day. Guess that means I have to do the same for Captain America to keep the streak going...