I think Thor was pretty successful. I have no prior investment in the character, just general familiarity of how Asgard fits into Marvel, and have seen him in a few guest shots.

But I got pretty caught up in the movie considering I'm still convinced Johann should be Thor over Chris (although for a moment there Idris won out over all). The love interest part was largely mumbo jumbo, although Natalie Portman was just fine. Kat Dennings was cooler.

Oh, and STAY PAST THE CREDITS. That's probably the most post-credit action I've seen in a while, and it definitely looks like it has plot in it for the Avengers movie.

One thing I don't understand. Obviously Loki had another way to get to Earth--he visits Thor that way, and who knows how he gets there for the post-credit sequence--I'm not entirely sure what that was all about. He told Heimdall there were other ways. Why didn't Heimdall tell Thor?

Well, you guys have decided me; I'm going to see Thor for Mother's Day tomorrow. But not in 3D.

Wonderella takes on Thor: [link] (I didn't even see the movie, and yet my favorite part of the comic is the mouseover text.)

It's been over ayear, but we finally saw Kick-Ass.

I love that movie and want to marry it and have it's little purple-haired babies.

Thor: AWESOME. My goodness, that man is attractive.

Also, ita, re: your whitefont -- I was thinking the same thing: if Loki had a different way to Earth, then obviously Thor could use the same way to get there, too.

And I have NO IDEA what that thing ("power source") was in the post-credits sequence. But I was thrilled to see Samuel L. Jackson nonetheless.

Remember in the 3rd LotR movie, how some of the green-screen (wait -- is it blue-screen? now I can't remember) shots were really obvious? (I'm thinking of a nighttime shot with Legolas and someone else in Rohan.) There were many scenes in Asgard that struck me the same way -- really obvious green- (or blue-) screen.

But, honestly? I wasn't really looking for incredible filmmaking. I was looking for the god of thunder, damn it. And I by god got him in blue jeans and no shirt OH MY GOD ILIAC CREST.

They do green screen now, Tep.

I don't know why they don't just put out a movie shot on green screen of iliac crests and big hands and barefoot wet guys in glasses.

Because women don't go see movies, of course.

Steph, I liked his arms. Yes. Also, the post-credits thing is the Cosmic Cube, which is kind a mcguffin, even in the comics. It's an all-powerful box of something that's been retconned about a hundred times at this point I think. Lots of different people have built it and its had all sorts of powers, so they could really go anywhere with it.

But yeah, arms.

Oh! I was wondering something about Thor, and Jess's DH mentioned it in his review -- he says that there is a reference to Bruce Banner, as well as Tony Stark. Now, I caught the latter, because it was an obvious namecheck, but was Banner mentioned by name?

Tim was thinking it was when Man Physicist from Good Will Hunting said that he had a friend who had dealt with S.H.I.E.L.D. before, and he would get in touch with him. Was *that* the reference to Bruce Banner? (Also, it's possible that he was namechecked and I didn't hear it; I have lousy hearing, apparently. This troubles me.)

Steph, I'm pretty sure that was the reference.