Oh, yeah, and I happen to be a fairly decent writer, too, so storytelling is pretty darn important to me.

Nonetheless, when something really appeals to me and entertains me, I do have a tendency to gush. And gush is what I’m about to do here, so brace yourselves.

Last evening I went to see Thor, the latest instalment in Marvel Studio’s vast campaign to bring their cinematic heroes home. It began with Iron Man and will culminate with The Avengers. In between, we’ve had The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2. And now, Thor.

This was an absolutely amazing film. I’ll say that right at the outset. Quite honestly, I had no idea what to expect going in. I didn’t want to hope too hard, but with Kenneth Branagh at the helm, my expectations were certainly not low. But you know how it is with superhero movies. It can be hit or miss. And this one had the added element of Norse mythology. I really didn’t know how the filmmakers were going to reconcile the gods of Asgard with the slam-bang, hi-tech world that Tony Stark and his ilk have made almost commonplace. So, I took a deep breath and entered the theatre.

Well, I needn’t have worried. Branagh certainly brings his Shakespearean sensibilities to bear in the Asgard scenes, but without the self-conscious awkwardness that one might expect in a movie that attempts to bridge two very different worlds. The dialogue is certainly more formal than in the scenes on Earth, but there’s enough contemporary phrasing thrown in to keep us comfortable.

Oh, and the acting is pretty damn good, too.

I almost don’t know where to begin with this movie. There was just so much about it that was right. It was at various points, dramatic, exhilarating, awe-inspiring, emotional, cool, or just plain funny.

Yes, funny.

Yes, you read that right. The epic Shakespearean-style Norse-mythology superhero film was funny. A lot.

When Thor is on Earth, he’s a fish out of water. And fish-out-of-water stories can be gold mines for humor. The juxtaposition of Thor’s kingly demeanour against his homeless-man appearance is used to great effect, and there are some remarkably funny lines, but the filmmakers don’t milk the absurd situation to death. Thor quickly regains his regal bearing (even in plaid flannel shirts), and the adventure starts to build steam.

I have to take my hat off to the casting and the actors’ performances. I didn’t spot a sour note in the bunch. Chris Hemsworth is excellent as Thor. He’s tall, muscular, regal of bearing, and he delivered his lines like a Norse god should. He was kingly, but not over the top. Well, he did get to chew up the scenery a couple of times, but it was appropriate for those particular moments.

And let me just get this out of the way right now. Natalie Portman is one of the most beautiful actresses on the screen today. She’s absolutely stunning, even as an astrophysicist working out in the desert of New Mexico. Her performance as Jane Foster was completely believable, and she and Chris Hemsworth had great on-screen chemistry. Their characters’ attraction to one another was almost tangible.

Kat Dennings, who plays Darcy Lewis, a co-worker of Jane Foster’s, is an absolute delight. She’s the everyman of the piece, grounding us with pop culture references and her complete obliviousness to the import of the situation. She focusses on what’s important to her, and that makes the whole film infinitely more relatable.

Seeing Anthony Hopkins as Odin was a treat as well. You know you’re in for some good entertainment when you’ve got a veteran actor like Hopkins in an epic film directed by Kenneth Branagh. Hopkins is completely reliable. You never have to doubt that he’ll put in a great performance. And with Odin’s armour, eye-patch, and sceptre, and with the shining panorama of Asgard in the background, he was magnificent.

Tom Hiddleston was also well cast as Loki, though I was mildly distracted at times because of his resemblance to a young Brent Spiner. I always enjoy it when an evil character is slightly sympathetic. You understand the reasons for his disillusionment and feel slightly sorry for him. He’s misguided, but his demons come from a place we can all understand. Again, his performance was not over the top, even though the material and the milieu both lent themselves to excess. He was believable in an unbelievable setting.

The supporting cast were all excellent as well, though I thought Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, one of Thor’s close friends, was a bit too reminiscent of a large version of Gimli from Lord of the Rings (even being tossed by one of his fellows at one point). He did provide some comic relief in the much-more-serious Asgard sequences, however.

The other three companions were also entertaining, and different enough from each other to be memorable. Jaime Alexander as Sif added a nice bit of female kick-assery to the mix. It seems the sisters are doin’ for themselves in just about every movie put out these days, whether it be Angelina Jolie in Salt and Tomb Raider or Zoe Saldana in the upcoming Columbiana. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have strong female characters; it just seems that it’s almost become a requirement for Hollywood to include them in action films these days. When something becomes formulaic, it’s time to give it a cold, hard look and ask: “Are we doing this for the right reasons?”

But that’s another blog entry entirely.

And I can’t leave without mentioning the wonder that is Clark Gregg as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson. I liked him in Iron Man, loved him in Iron Man 2, and I love him even more in Thor. I’m really glad that Marvel Studios is developing a consistent, unified movie world for the film versions of their heroes’ stories, and having a recurring supporting character like Coulson goes a long way towards developing the needed cohesiveness. And it’s not just the fact of Coulson’s appearance in multiple films that I like. It’s Coulson himself. Clark Gregg portrays him as just an average guy doing his job, but in that doing he presents a tremendous quiet authority. He’s soft-spoken, but he is not to be messed with. He’s a guy who’s seen it all, and every new wrinkle is just another day’s work. This is a character I will anticipate seeing in as many Marvel films as they’ll put him in.

But let’s go back to Asgard for a moment. That world was created almost entirely with CGI, and the effect is astounding. When the battle scenes in Asgard were on the screen, my jaw was literally hanging open. It was incredible. Not since Lord of the Rings have I seen such magnificent computer-generated vistas.

Oh, and did I mention the whole thing’s in 3D? Frickin’ awesome.

Overall, I was absolutely blown away by Thor. It was a helluva ride, and it included so many different cinematic themes, story elements, and genres that it’s hard to pin it down. Yes, it’s a superhero movie. Yes, it’s an action movie. But it’s also an epic tale of a son who would be king and a brother who feels overlooked and out of place. It’s a war story, it’s a tale of discovery, and it’s a story of love between distant worlds. It packs a wallop, and it does it with class, imagination, humor, and style.

I’ve always been a fan of Kenneth Branagh, both as actor and director, and I have to say that this film absolutely cements his place in the pantheon of talented and versatile Hollywood luminaries.

Let’s keep it real out there. Well, as real as possible, anyway.

(Here’s the trailer. It’s cool.)