Thor - SPOILER ALERT

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better than Iron Man, along comes swooping in, the mighty, yet down-to-earth and oh-so-lovable, Thor. This movie grabbed my attention right from the very beginning, held me to the end, and had me wanting more when it was over, so much so that I watched it twice.

When I ponder what makes a great movie, I think of a well-executed, captivating story line. You can have a captivating story line that isn't well-executed, but when the two join forces, a masterpiece, in this case, named Thor, is born.

There are so many things that make Thor a masterpiece, in my humble opinion - the depth of the characters, character development throughout the movie, visual effects, action scenes with a purpose, a captivating story line, a clever script, believable acting, just right humor, and sincere emotion. Did I miss anything?

Although the entire cast did a phenomenal job portraying their roles, I felt the most connected to Thor. As I'm just now becoming familiar with the Marvel Universe (late to the party, I know), I knew nothing about Thor before watching this movie, and to be honest, I didn't have high hopes. It just didn't seem like "my kind of movie".

However, it didn't take long for me to be drawn to it, and especially to the character of Thor. As he prepared for what he thought was going to be the moment he took to the throne, how could you not smile with him and root for the guy...errr..the god? His character in the beginning has been described as arrogant, but what I saw was a fun-loving, naive young man, with a kind and well-meaning heart...who had a lot of growing up to do.  Maybe that's just a different way of describing the same trait, but I tend to be turned off by arrogance. With Thor, it was different. I felt connected to him. I saw potential in him and I wanted him to succeed.

You know what I loved most about his comical side? He had no idea just how funny he was. He wasn't putting on an act (ummm...well I know Chris Hemsworth was acting...but you know what I mean, I hope). Thor was just being himself. And that made his funny side even funnier to me.

I could go on and on about what I loved about this movie, but I'll mention just one more thing for now - the rainbow bridge. I loved the whole concept of such a bridge and I couldn't help being reminded of the personal connection I have to rainbows. Most powerful to me about this was in the final scene.

In the wise words of Heimdall as he stood there with Thor on the broken bridge, "There is always hope."

Even in a broken state, there is always hope.