Thor

Thor is Marvel's 4th film in their build up to The Avengers, which finally comes out next May.

In many ways, Thor is a bit of a make or break film for Marvel. Unlike Iron Man or The Incredible Hulk, Thor's powers aren't created by science or experimental mishaps which not only gave Tony Stark and Bruce Banner new abilities, but also kept them human and therefor more relatable from an audience standpoint. Thor however, is a God whose powers are based on magic, something that most superhero films have strayed from, instead trying to somewhat ground themselves in a more recognizable reality.

But it's that decision to really embrace the magic and mythology of Thor that really makes it work. It gives the film a unique, epic feel that no superhero movie before has had. Not only do does it blend the magical aspects in with the more "realistic" tone of the previous Marvel films, but Thor also continues to lay the ground work that leads to The Avengers. I'm genuinely excited to see what Marvel is going to do with that film now that they have successfully introduced the magical quality that is so prominent in the comics.

One thing that really surprised me about the film though, was the humor. The Marvel films have wisely never taken themselves too seriously, but there is a lightheartedness to Thor's humor that really makes it stand out. It's that particular aspect that also has a huge hand in being able to convincingly sell the audience on the more mythical tone of the film.

Overall, Thor is an extremely entertaining and confident superhero movie that not only builds on the ever growing Marvel movie universe, but also has no trouble standing on its own.