Thor has hit theaters, and another Avenger is ready to be part of Marvel’s team in what could be the biggest victory or most spectacular failure in comic book movie history. But I’m not one of the Nords and I can’t see the future, so let’s instead look at the movie itself.

Thor is a fun comic book movie. It’s a good comic book movie. It’s an enjoyable comic book movie. It’s not a great comic book movie. The genre has become so poisoned in the past that any remotely accurate film is considered a success, and that’s exactly what Thor is: a bland, fun film that stays true to the Mighty Thor.

The story is simple. Thor. God of thunder. Loki. God of lies. Odin. God of running things and fucking up just enough for there to be a plot. Thor gets kicked out of Asgard and sent to Earth, there’s fighting, some humor, S.H.I.E.L.D. solidifies as an even more oppressive yet ineffectual organization, and Vikings from beyond the stars fight each other. If you’re expecting strange and wonderous tales lifted from Walt Simsonson, you’ll be disappointed. The movie is mindless and direct. The important thing is that the movie stays true to the idea of Thor: a Norse god with a hammer who rights wrongs in the modern Marvel universe.

The acting shines through, but not where you’d expect. Chris Hemsworth shines as Thor, bringing tons of bravado and just enough heroism to the role. Tom Hiddleson’s Loki is excellent, with a subtlety in both his acting and writing that really shows off his status as a master maniupulator. Natalie Portman’s Jill, surprisingly, is bland and forgettable. The very role seems like it was written with the expectation that they weren’t going to get a remotely talented actress. Natalie Portman’s great with the right material, but her performance in Thor is about on par with her performance in Attack of the Clones. The writing just wasn’t there. Finally, Anthony Hopkins is a fantastic Odin. While I originally hoped that BRIAN BLESSED would be cast, I realize that his unique voice wouldn’t have been good in that role. He really should have been cast as Volstagg, though.

Some of the movie falls flat. Thor’s metamorphosis from dickbag to selfless hero is bizarrely sudden, S.H.E.I.L.D. seems to have no actual game plan when dealing with bizarre artifacts, and most of the Asgard action (especially with the frost giants) feels very silver age in its simple characterization. Still, it’s fun, full of action and some good comedy moments, and is overall satisfying.

However, do not see this film in 3D. The 3D goes absolutely nothing to make the movie more enjoyable, and in fact makes the experience worse.The movie was filmed in 2D and converted to 3D when very few scenes remotely lend themselves to 3D.

Also, stay through the credits for the typical Marvel movie Avengers preview coda. It might just tie in with Captain America. Also, it’s freaking awesome.