When the words ‘super hero movie’ are uttered thoughts naturally turn to the big guns of the genre with characters like Batman, Superman and Spider-Man and their respective successful film franchises – the latter two of which are currently being rebooted, as it happens. So what about Thor, Marvel’s latest entry into that increasingly crowded pool? While its source material, The Mighty Thor from Marvel’s veteran architects Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is an indelible part of the Marvel universe, Thor lacks the brand-name recognition of some of his Marvel cousins, probably sitting somewhere in between Daredevil and Black Panther in terms of immediate identification with the non comic reading public. To turn the Norse god into box office gold is a rather unenviable task but credit to Marvel for handling it as well as they have as Thor hits cinemas in Australia this week.

In the same vein of Marvel’s first big studio success with Iron Man, Thor is a thoroughly entertaining and also successful origin story. In fact, Thor borrows a similar opening structure from Iron Man, with an introductory action scene coming straight out of the gates before we rewind to the events that lead up that point. In this case it’s Thor’s – Chris Hemsworth – arrival on earth which we see through the perspective of Thor’s future ally and love interest Jane Foster – Natalie Portman -, an astrophysicist who – along with her scientific team played by Stellan Skarsgård and Kat Dennings – is researching anomalies in the New Mexico desert. In the eye of a freak storm Foster and here crew run into Thor – and I do mean that literally as they crash their van into his hulking frame.

From that murky midnight desert location we’re thrown skyward into the mythic realm of Asgard, home to the Norse gods of legend and governed by Odin – played with old school cool by Anthony Hopkins. As we’re introduced to Odin’s offspring Thor and Loki and the other important figures of the Asgardian community, Brannagh uses Hopkins’ husky expository narration to lay some serious pipe, rolling through Asgard’s history, it’s previous battles with the race of Frost Giants and setting up Thor’s ascent to the throne after Odin – all while the digital effects team go all out on the realm’s eye-popping utopian environment.

The action kick starts again with a killer battle scene against the Frost Giants where we get the full effect of just how much power Thor possesses, bringing the figurative and literal thunder with his enchanted hammer Mjollnir. After that Thor is banished to Midgard (Earth) for recklessly inciting war with the Frost Giants, and we’re back to the opening scene where Thor collides with Foster, beginning his quest for redemption as a mortal.

I’ll kill the plot spoilers there as I don’t want to ruin the fun, and besides, you can probably figure out the skeleton of how it moves forward from looking at the trailer below.

Praise needs to be given to the interesting directorial choice of Kenneth Bannagh, the English screen veteran famous for his many Shakespeare adaptations. While Branagh can often be one for the dramatics, he shows his adventurous side throughout Thor. Really, this couldn’t (and shouldn’t) have ever been a gritty or overly-serious film. Sure there are some moments of squinting intensity, slow motion running and acting gravitas from the startlingly beefy cast but Branagh handles the whole package with an energetic spirit ensuring Thor is never on the same note for too long. Indeed, there’s some winning moments of broad comedy in the film, from the physical gags of Thor’s first mortal experiences, to Kat Dennings’ snappy dialogue as Darcy and the repartee of the Warriors Three. What’s more, Branagh is able to control the tone of some of the more ridiculous aspects of the source mythology as can be seen in the clever rendering of the otherwise fruity rainbow bridge that connects Asgard to its neighbouring realms.

As far as casting goes, Thor has one of the most impressive casts assembled in super hero movie history and pretty much everyone hits their marks. Hopkins was a great choice for Odin, the patriach of Asgard, lending his usual gravitas to a role that demands it, while Portman finds her most likable role of the year (already we’ve seen her in Black Swan and No Strings Attached with more to come) and in the titular role Australian export Chris Hemsworth does particularly well, his blonde locks and shredded physique ideal for the character’s royal arrogance. While the big names definitely shine, it’s Tom Hiddleston’s performance as Loki that stands as the highlight of the bunch. Tweaked from his trickster personality in the comics, Hiddleston’s Loki has more pronounced motives than just stirring trouble and becomes increasingly unhinged and desperate as the film develops and his grab at power is threatened. Special mentions go out to Clark Gregg as the bothersome Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Jeremy Renner cameo-ing as super hero sharpshooter Hawkeye, a lead-in for Marvel’s forthcoming Avengers mega-movie.

On that point there are plenty of other Avengers Easter eggs throughout Thor – make sure you stay past the credits for a teaser scene involving one of the Marvel Universe’s integral artifacts – and while last year’s Iron Man 2 suffered from such references being so artlessly crammed into the script, Branagh handles it with far more precision in Thor, hinting at what’s ahead while still keeping focus on the story at hand. That’s a successful approach as by the film’s finish (on a slightly unconventional note, actually) there is a lot left open. And after Branagh’s skillful handling of a character with plenty of unwanted baggage, it’s a story that I at least would like to see more of.

Thor is released through Marvel Studios/Paramount Australia on Thursday, April 21st.