This weekend, two movies based on the hammer-wielding warrior of Norse mythology and Marvel Comics thunder onto screens. First, of course, is Thor, the big-budget sure-to-be-blockbuster starring Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and the relative-unknown Chris Hemsworth in the title role (channelling a bit of Brad Pitt from Troy). Like the previous Marvel Studios adaptations, Thor offers a relatively believable take on a subject that would otherwise be too far fetched to be anything more than big-screen escapism. That’s not to say some suspension of disbelief isn’t required here, but there’s a lot more going on than hammering fight scenes and dumbed-down action.

The story begins when the ceremony to anoint Thor the new king of Asgard is interrupted by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, who had been defeated centuries earlier by Thor’s father (and current king) Odin (Hopkins). Thor, an arrogant and headstrong warrior, proves he is not yet worthy of being king when he and his band of warrior friends seek revenge on the Frost Giants for preventing him from becoming king, all but ensuring that war will be

waged on Asgard and the other Nine Realms (including Earth). As punishment, Odin strips Thor of his powers (including his war hammer) and banishes him to this strange Earth realm, where he finds himself in a small New Mexico town.

With the help of scientist Jane Foster (Portman) and her friends, Thor soon gets himself into trouble with government agents when he tries to retrieve his hammer, which now has a The Sword in the Stone-like spell on it until a worthy weilder comes along. While Thor continues to be humbled on Earth, his brother Loki (slitheringly portrayed by Tom Hiddleston) manipulates his way into power back in Asgard, sending one of its most powerful beings to Earth to try and prevent Thor’s return. This battle, of course, eventually spills over between realms, culminating in a final showdown between Thor and Loki (to be continued in next year’s The Avengers movie).

Thor‘s more fantasy-based elements give it a different feel from Marvel’s other superhero movies, with some obvious Shakespearean elements courtesy director Kenneth Branagh, Hopkins and writers J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich. But with the obligatory Stan Lee cameo and other fanboy inside jokes, it is still clearly a fun fantasy-come-true just to see these characters go from page to screen.

While Thor looks to hammer the competition at box offices starting today, Syfy presents its own take on the legend with Almighty Thor, a much lower budget film with an even lesser-known Cody Deal as Thor, airing at 9 p.m. May 7. Based more on the Norse legends than the comic books, Almighty Thor stars Richard Grieco as Loki, who is immediately established here as an evil sorcerer bent on obtaining Thor’s powerful hammer. WWE legend Kevin Nash gets a good deal of screentime as Odin, obviously opting more for a grizzled warrior persona than Hopkins’ noble thespian take on the character.

With the hammer being the focal point of this story, Thor and Loki again end up fighting their way to Earth (this time Los Angeles), bringing all sorts of CGI mayhem along with them. While Almighty Thor is clearly not intended to outdo Thor‘s huge production and talent pool, it should obviously get at least a few extra views thanks to its bigger theatrical counterpart. And Almighty Thor worth a viewing just to see Nash kicking ass outside the wrestling ring.

Thor. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins. Rated PG-13. thor.marvel.com.  

Almighty Thor. Directed by Christopher Ray. Starring Patricia Velasquez, Cody Deal, Kevin Nash and Richard Grieco. www.syfy.com.