Thor is heir to the throne of Asgard, a planet so advanced the inhabitants are mistaken for gods by the folk of other planets, such as the humans of Midgard or the frost giants of Jutonheim. On the day of his ascension, frost giants invade his home, so he invades their planet, breaking a hard won truce and bringing the seven realms to the brink of war. For this, he is stripped of his powers and exiled to Earth.

Marvel Studios are not building their cinematic legacy the easy way. After the hard technology of Iron Man and the genetics of The Incredible Hulk, the mystical excesses of the Viking gods are a hard left turn. Matching those together was no easy task, but the writers have come up with a smart solution by recognising the inherent silliness and leaning into it. By pitching the main part of the story as a fish out of water story, they allow themselves to wink to the audience through the jokes of the other characters who see the inherent humour of the situation without essentially undermining what has gone before. Allied to that is the smart move of hiring Shakespearean director Kenneth Branagh as director. Having successfully mastered the works of the bard, he understands what makes them timeless and is able to create depth behind the grandeur and grandiosity of this world of gods.

The set designs and costuming also smash together the mythological and the technological. The rainbow bridge between the worlds is an Einstein-Rosen wormhole generated from Asgard, Thor's hammer was forged in the heart of a dying star, the Destroyer is a giant robot powered by fire worked on remote control by the king or capable of taking voice commands. This could all be mistaken for magic or technology, take your pick. The sweeping CGI vistas of golden Asgard are artfully constructed so as impress rather than appear flat and dull. All in all, the look of the film is amazing, despite how dangerously close aspects of it come to cartoonery.

What really helps get THOR over its bumpy bits are its script, which is sharp and witty and lots of fun, and the actors who deliver it. Chris Hemsworth is delightful as Thor, pitching his performance on just the right side of buffoon, allowing himself the space to grow and emerge as the real hero he is meant to be. This is not so much an origin story as a coming of age story, as he learns what it means to be weak and at the mercy of those more powerful than himself. And when it comes to adding dramatic heft to your production, you can't go wrong with the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba. They both give their characters a depth and character that was not there on the page, making the most of thier limited screen time. Natalie Portman is less lucky as the love interest scientist, who ends up being there solely to bat her eyes at the thunder god and be won over by his charm and biceps. Fortunately, she is backed up by a couple of funny sidekicks who play every line for laughs. The real revelation, however, is Tom Hiddleston as Thor's brother Loki, the god of mischief. Charming, witty, urbane, backstabbing and manipulative, he is the very essence of what you expect from the god of lies and deception. It is genuinely hard to tell whose side he is really on.

THOR was a risky move for Marvel Studios. There were other heroes who could be more easily brought to the screen without the potential for disaster, but the film is effortlessly entertaining at all times, though it lacks a proper climax by its nature as, at heart, a family drama.

The end credits say that Thor will return in The Avengers. With Iron Man, Black Widow, the Hulk, and now Thor and (in a barely there cameo) Hawkeye safely in play, this seems less a bold claim and more a worthy promise.