Comic book fans should be smote with Mjolnir if they don't see 'Thor'

The recent film version of “Thor” was a lot better than I thought it would be, and I highly recommend it to readers who have a taste for action and fantasy.

Released in the U.S. on May 6, this movie is based on the Marvel Comics character, which is based on the hero from Norse mythology. In the movie, Thor’s brother, Loki, has launched a misguided plot to seize control of their home world, Asgard. Their father, King Odin, exiles Thor to Earth to teach him a lesson, and then Odin falls into a deep, coma-like sleep, which allows Loki to take the throne.

On Earth, Thor is stripped of his super powers and begins his quest to find his magical hammer, called "Mjolnir," so that he can return home. He meets a group of scientists and falls for researcher, Jane Foster. They, in turn, butt heads with government agents, who have been dispatched to the New Mexico desert to investigate something unusual in a crater there, i.e., Thor’s legendary, magical hammer.

Before all is said and done, a group of Thor’s friends from Asgard travel to Earth to tell Thor about his father’s condition. Loki sends a seemingly invincible robot called “The Destroyer” after them with instructions to wipe them out. What follows is an epic, fantasy-action battle that is more than a little satisfying.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this movie features an all-star cast of well known actors and actresses, including Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Anthony Hopkins (Odin) and Rene Russo (Odin’s wife).

Being an adaptation of a Marvel Comics hero, this movie also includes the obligatory cameo of comic book legend, Stan Lee, who created the Thor comic character along with Larry Liebert and Jack Kirby. Lee makes his appearance as a truck driver, who snatches the bed off of his pick-up truck in an ill-advised attempt to uproot Thor’s hammer from the desert floor.

To say that this movie was a blockbuster would be an understatement. Filmed on a budget of $150 million, it posted box offices totals of over $448.5 million. It’s too early to tell how many awards this movie will bring in, but it’s already been nominated for several, including this year’s Teen Choice Awards and Scream Awards.

For those of you who enjoyed “Thor,” you’ll be interested to hear that there’s already a sequel in the works. “Thor 2” is supposed to hit theatres in July 2013, and Hemsworth will return in his role as Thor.

Watching this movie made me want to delve back into the comic book series and brush up on my Norse mythology. Thor made his first Marvel Comics appearance in August 1962, when he graced the pages of “Journey Into Mystery” No. 83. He would go on to appear in several series of his own, and you can buy trade paperback editions of these early appearances inexpensively today through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In the end, how many of you have seen the movie “Thor”? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Why? Let us know in the comments section below.