Metacritic reviews

It's not art, but it's mighty fun.

Turn off the snark-o-meter, and this is a return to form for Marvel, introducing a new hero we'll be happy to see again in, oh, about a year or so.

Chris Hemsworth gives a breakout performance as fallen Norse god.

Humor is the most powerful weapon deployed by director Kenneth Branagh in Thor, his rollicking take on the comic.

Has a lot of that winking wit we've come to expect from our post-"Spider Man" Marvel movies. It has a hunky, self-mocking young star, solid support from a couple of Oscar winners and the slick sheen that state-of-the-art effects can give you.

There is nothing in this surprisingly funny, exciting film that feels like homework, and Branagh even dares to end the film on, if not quite a cliffhanger, then a daring "To Be Continued" note.

Thor delivers the goods so long as butt is being kicked and family conflict is playing out in celestial dimensions, but is less thrilling during the Norse warrior god's rather brief banishment on Earth.

All that director Kenneth Branagh must do with Thor is not mess it up, and he succeeds. But that isn't enough. The results aren't as exhilarating as the first "Iron Man," but Downey can't play every superhero.

Unfortunately, the committee-designed script never finds a consistent balance between building characters, delivering action and pushing the story forward.

Thor accomplishes its essential goal and little else, which is to introduce the mighty warrior to the Marvel screen universe.