THOR: TALES OF ASGARD (2011)

Don’t judge this DVD by its cover: the movie might as well be called Young Thor or I Was a Teenaged Norse Deity as it follows the adventures of a teenaged Marvel god of thunder instead of the rugged adult Thor we know from the comics and of course the DVD box.

While the above may make it sound as if this Thor is aimed strictly at the kiddies, this isn’t entirely true. Sure, unlike some of the recent feature length DC animated movies, Thor: Tales of Asgard is something you can safely let your kids watch and, more importantly, watch it with them if you want to pass some collective TV watching time off as quality family time. (There are a few mild double entendres that will go over the heads of young ‘uns – but that’s about it.)

The plot involves young Thor being rebellious and leaving the safety of Asgard (where all the Viking gods hang out) against the wishes of his father Odin to seek a mythical sword. In the process he inadvertently causes friction between Asgard and its neighboring countries and finds that there is more to being king than simply being a good warrior. (Sometimes you have to marry Kate Middleton too.)

The story is slight – the whole affair clocks it at a mere 77 minutes if you add in the end credits. Like most Marvel cartoons the animation style borrows from Japanese anime and is decent though it never rises above standard breakfast TV fare. The tale might be predictable, but there are some nice characterization touches.

WORTH IT? A much, much better cash-in on the recent Thor big screen blockbuster than Syfy’s dreadful Almighty Thor, although that isn’t saying much.

RECOMMENDATION: Kids will dig it and adult animation fans will find it passable entertainment. It is reasonable true to the spirit of the original Marvel Thor comics even though there is no pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue or one of the characters feels as if it wandered off the planned World of Warcraft movie instead of a comic based on ancient Norse legends . . .