First Look: ‘Thor' comes out swinging

Part Norse mythology, part Shakespearean tragedy and part Marvel marketing wizardry, "Thor" puts the hammer down in North American multiplexes starting Friday, a monster superhero movie franchise-in-the-making.

Director Kenneth Branagh tells the source story of two heirs to the throne of Asgard, occupied by fading Odin (Anthony Hopkins): mule-stubborn Thor (Chris Hemsworth, a younger, pumped-up version of Brad Pitt), whose magic hammer turns him into a fierce warrior, and his slim, vaguely slimy younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The edgy truce that Odin established with Laufey (Colm Feore), vile ruler of frozen Jotunheim, is endangered by the actions of both sons just as Thor is about to ascend to the throne.

Paramount recently screened the film for Atlanta media and enthusiastic metro fanboys and fangirls invited by the website Cinematic Happenings Under Development (www.chud.com). Here's what moviegoers will likely be talking about when "Thor" opens:

• The cast: As the one-eyed, heavily burdened king, Hopkins lends "Thor" rare Bard-worthy weight for a genre film. Portraying Heimdall, who guards the rainbow bridge and portal that protects Asgard from visitors from less-godly realms, Idris Elba is powerful as a seer who can look across time and space. Aussie hunk Hemsworth is more believable while at battle than he is in an undercooked romance with an astrophysicist (Natalie Portman) after Odin banishes him to earth.

• Hammer time: Thor's magic weapon is the star of the best action sequence, when our hero battles scores of way-cool ice monsters while seeking ill-considered revenge on Jotunheim's frozen tundra. When Odin dispatches Thor from the godly realm, he strips his son of his hammer, sending it separately to Earth. It becomes locked in the desert floor, a powerful symbol of his fallen status.

• Stan Lee sighting: The comics creator gets his de rigueur cameo as a desert rat who tries to yank out Thor's hammer by chaining it to his pickup. Good for a laugh and fanboy cheers.