"CAN I HAVE MY SHOE BACK?"

I'm just back from seeing THOR: THE DARK WORLD (in 3-D!) and I loved every minute of it.

As stated in my last post, I started reading THOR comics in 1964 on a hit-and-miss basis. I liked the character a lot and in September 1966, I began buying THOR every month (along with every other Marvel comic then published). I liked Thor's adventures on Earth well enough, especially when he duked it out with The Absorbing Man but it was always the scenes set in Asgard that really blew me away. Over the years I came to feel that Thor, as a character, worked better in Asgard (and other cosmic locales) than on Earth. Asgard, as drawn at the time by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta, was a fantastic realm of the imagination where Thor and his supporting cast worked best and where The King could cut loose with his incredible artwork.

That's a big reason why I enjoyed THOR: THE DARK WORLD so much. Three-quarters of the film takes place either in Asgard or the titular Dark World. The climax takes place both on Earth and throughout the Nine Realms. We see more of Asgard than in the previous THOR film and it's all good. The eight-year-old kid in me was practically giddy with joy at seeing the work of Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson brought to life on the big screen.

The action is fast and furious, the special effects breathtaking and the comic relief is doled out in just the right amount. Two Asgardians die (one gets better), the fate of another Asgardian is a mystery at the end of the film and two Asgardians figure prominently in the now standard after credits teaser sequence.

About that sequence: By Odin's Beard! I never thought I'd see the day when Marvel villain *** ********* would appear on a movie screen. Fantastic! And the plot thickens regarding some certain gems.

Natalie Portman is lovely as Jane Foster and she shares a lot of screen time with Chris Hemsworth's thunder god but I wish Sif (Jaimie Alexander) had a bigger part. I know the producers are playing up the god/human love affair between Thor and Jane Foster but I always preferred Sif as Thor's true love and would love to see the two come together eventually.

On top of all of the Asgardian goodness to behold, there was a terrific trailer for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. I cannot wait for April 4th!

Face it True Believers, this is the Marvel Age of Movies!

 'Nuff Said!