Thor

<---- This is Thor. He's the Norse god of thunder and the son of Odin. Thor has a new movie, appropriately named Thor. This is the screen adaption of the Marvel Comics comic book series Thor, and while I've never read, or even heard of, this story, I thought the movie was fantastic. It was action-packed (and there was some serious action), just the right amount of sweet romance, some creepy red-eyed giants, and an unexpected villian (ok, I suspected it, but I don't think I was supposed to), and it had a very good message of right and wrong, which was a refreshing departure from some of the other movies I've heard/seen where the line between good and evil is seriously blurred *coughTWILIGHTcough*
     Thor is the young, fiesty son of Odin, who reigns from the far-off kingdom of Asgard, one of the nine realms of the universe. He desperately wants to be king, but on his big day, Thor's ceremony is interrupted by a break-in by the Asgardians' mortal enemies, the Frost Giants (or Jotuns). Enrage by the fact that his father is not going to declare war on the Giants for this crime, and supported by his brother Loki, Thor and his five friends (Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and Loki) head to Jotunheim (the home of the Frost Giants) to 'teach them a lesson'. However, things don't go exactly as planned, and Thor and his friends end up nearly getting slaughtered by the Jotun king Laufey, his buddies, and a massive, slobbering Jotun beast. Odin beams them back to Asgard before they are killed, but not, however, before one of them is stabbed with a deadly icicle and another is frostbitten by a Jotun's touch. Bad day for Thor.
     His father subsequently banishes Thor to Earth to teach him a lesson, and Odin also sends Thor's mighty hammer Mjolnir to Earth, but only someone who is worthy to bear the power of Thor can wield it. After being hit by the car of a young scientist and her colleagues, Thor is taken to the hospital, as he is greatly disoriented from his landing on Earth. A government agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. soon comes to investigate the place that Mjolnir has landed, and they also catch wind of Thor. The conviently pretty young scientist, Jane Foster, eventually helps him find Mjolnir, but he cannot pull it from the stone its been encased in, much to his anger. He is then captured by the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where Loki his brother comes to visit him and tells him that their father Odin is dead, having died from the strain of Thor's banishment and disobedience. Thor is devastated. Back in Asgard, Loki crowns himself king (Odin is not dead, but merely in a trance-like, rejuvenating state known as 'Odin-sleep') and strikes a deal with the Jotuns. He sends a huge, seemingly invincible automaton that he controls from Asgard to Earth to get Thor out of the way, so that his brother cannot take the throne from him. After the automaton terrorises the New Mexico town that Thor has landed in, he willingly agrees to let the robot kill him in order to save the innocent people that Loki is killing. Loki seems to decide not to kill Thor, but changes his mind and deals Thor a killing blow. Just when all hope seems to be dead, the hammer Mjolnir returns to Thor, as his sacrifice and change of character seems to have made him worthy of repossessing the mighty weapon. He then defeats the automaton and returns to Asgard, where he duels Loki.
    I'll let you go see the movie yourself to find out what happens, but I can tell you that it's pretty fantastic, especially with the music, wowing special effects, and the redeeming plot line, one that encourages sacrifice for those you care about, realising that you don't know everything, and knowing that you don't have to be a great hero to change the world. It's a fantastic movie, well worth your $9-11. I recommend it to all (be warned of the violence, however; children under 14-15 probably shouldn't see it) and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I give Thor 4.7 stars out of 5.