Thor (2011) Dir: Kenneth Branagh

You know, I really thought this would be awful.
The plot:
Having angered his father, Odin, by defying clear instructions not to wage war with the Frost Giants of the Jotunheim, Thor has imperiled the idyllic, peaceful domain of Asgard, as well as the other nine realms and, as punishment, is banished from his home, sent to present day Earth, stripped of his powers and separated from his mighty hammer (no, that's not a euphemism).
A trio of astrologers investigating astral phenomena bump into him, quite literally, and try to assist him, but are puzzled by his odd behaviour. He insists that he is Thor, son of Odin, speaks in a strangely dramatic manner and seems not to know how everyday things work. Convinced that he is who he claims, mainly on account of catching a glimpse of his Mighty Thor pecs' Natalie Portman's Jane Foster attempts to assist him in reclaiming his hammer but, to his horror, it does not awaken to his touch (still not a euphemism, people. Settle down at the back).
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Thor's father is taken ill, and his brother Loki sees the chance to seize the throne. Intent on betraying both his family and his people, Loki sends a terrible metallic giant to destroy Thor and also opens a gateway to allow the Jotunheim access to Odin, that he may be slain.....
It's hokum.
Of course it is.
And theatrical hokum at that, what with Anthony Hopkins positively chewing up the scenery with gusto when given licence by his Shakespearean brother in arms Branagh behind the camera.
The plot is ludicrous.
The costumes preposterously over the top.
The action set pieces nonsensically overblown.
But, I beseech thee, go check this out if you haven't yet because it is riotously entertaining.
Laugh out loud funny in places - far funnier than any 'comedy' movie I've seen in years - pulse-poundingly action packed with fantastic CGI work and a genuinely engaging lead character in the shape of man mountain Kim Hyde.
The first blockbuster of the year this most certainly is, and the bar has already been set uncommonly high.
By all of Heaven's Thunder, I liked it.

4 out of 5

NOTE - Version reviewed is the 2D print.

Inception (2010) Dir: Christopher Nolan

Inception is the best movie ever made.
Inception is the most intelligent movie ever made.
Inception is the most ambitious concept ever to be committed to celluloid.
I have read all of the above sentiments with regards Christopher Nolan's latest offering and, whilst it is a very, very good film, don't be fooled by the hype machine.
The plot:
Leonardo plays Cobb, a man haunted by a traumatic event in his life, an event that means he is never allowed to return home to see his children. Cobb is also an Extractor, a man with the ability, through training not supernature, to enter people's dreams to 'extract' information. He does this with the aid of an Architect, a person adept at sculpting dreamscapes that fool the sleeping victim into revealing the information, no matter the secrecy.
When Cobb is given the opportunity to do 'one last job' at first he resists, but when the carrot is dangled before him that on successful completion he will, at last, be able to return home, he agrees.
The job?
Inception.
Instead of stealing an idea, can he place one within the mind of another and fool them into thinking that they thought of the idea themselves, independently.
Clever, no?
And it is clever.
This is a clever movie.
This is a movie that is chock full of smarts, and no mistakin'.
But that does not make it quite as awesome as everyone else seems to be claiming for, along with the IQ, come flaws:
It's too long by about twenty minutes, with many scenes stretched to breaking point.
The Cobb 'haunted by his past' dynamic I could have done without, thanks all the same.
The ending was a bit predictable, with most of the revelations flagged up well in advance.
I'll balance that out with the plus points:
The physical special effects were a real breath of fresh air in these sterile days of CGI overkill.
The performances all round are superb.
The action sequences were deftly handled.
But it is certainly not a masterclass.
In fact, if you want the truth, I think this movie is actually indicative of just how far we have allowed our standards to fall, of just what we have allowed Hollywood to get away with for too many long years.
Movies should challenge us, movies should stretch us, as this one surely does, but the fact that it feels so rare, so strange is in itself a savage indictment of the movie industry as a whole.
Heh, I'm not slating Nolan here: he's done his job consistently brilliantly for the best part of a decade now, it's just a shame we have allowed the situation where others feel they don't have to follow suit.
So, before you bemoan the lack of other quality, intelligent big budget movies take a look at your DVD collection, or Netflix queue. If a single McG or Michael Bay movie is present, ask yourself this simple question:
Am I partially to blame?

4 out of 5