Thor

Before getting into this, I should say that I had almost no knowledge of this character prior to seeing the film. I knew he throws his hammer at stuff, but that was it. In all honesty, I found the lack of knowledge refreshing. For once, I didn't worry about how they were handling a beloved character, or whether or not some small detail from the comics would be handled properly. I was able to sit back and enjoy the film for what it was. And I did.
Here's a brief plot summary: Thor, the God of thunder, is banished from his home after a dispute with his father. His dad's the king, and Thor is almost ready to take his place on the throne. Before he does, he has to go to Earth to learn how not to be such a dick. Why Earth you ask? Because, duh, we have Facebook.
The film had a similar effect that Iron Man did. I wasn't expecting to like it so much, and it caught me off guard. (It caught me off Asgaurd, you might say.) There's nothing quite as enjoyable as when a film exceeds your expectations. I was most worried about whether or not the "alternate realm" stuff would work. It did. Asgard (the realm where Thor is from) looks fantastic. It's a place I wanted to know more about, and hopefully gets explored more in later films. I actually felt the film only slowed down during the Earth sequences. Not that they were bad, but, come on. We know Earth. I wanna see more Asgard.
Another thing that worked well was the casting. Chris Hemsworth does a fine job playing the title deity. He holds the movie together, despite all the talent around him (like Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Rene Russo). Special mention goes out to Tom Hiddleston. He plays Thor's brother, Loki. *SPOILER* He ends up becoming the film's villain. However, he's written so well that you actually sympathize with the poor bastard. Hiddleston is great here, chewing up scenes as though they were candy. I actually found myself even agreeing with him a few times. The thing that works about it is that the characters aren't clear cut good guys or bad guys. This makes them more, well, human.
The action scenes were well filmed. My only complaint is Thor's arc. Or, "I have to learn some responsibility and not be such a douche." It's a storyline we've seen many, many times before. With all the things this movie does right though, I'm willing to let this one cliche slide. I like that Marvel is now tying its films together for The Avengers. I'm interested to see how they'll make it all work, like with this summer's Captain America. I recommend this one. As a former non Thor fan who knew nothing of the material before tonight, you can take my word for it.