Movie Review: Thor: The Dark World
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
With Thor: The Dark World, Marvel continues their movie domination over rival DC Comics, and at this point, I don’t think there’s anything DC can do to catch up. Chronologically, Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) latest appearance takes place one year after the events of Marvel’s The Avengers. The mighty one has spent his time away from Earth working on restoring peace within the nine realms. This absence initially upsets Earth girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), but when she inadvertently gets poisoned with an ancient weapon, she’s glad to see the he came back to Earth to rescue her.
The only problem is that we know this weapon is extremely dangerous and could bring about the complete darkness of all nine realms. We know this because director Alan Taylor decides to stuff the first ten or so minutes setting up the film’s villain (Dark Elf Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston) and his plans for world domination. When he’s defeated by the hands of Thor’s ancestors, his return and second attempt to accomplish his task is telegraphed to be the main conflict in the movie. That last sentence sums up my biggest issue with Thor: The Dark World. It’s a bit too predictable at times, making portions of the film tedious. Thankfully, Hemsworth’s charm and sincerity as Thor makes it easier to stay focused for the big payoff scenes.
The major players from the first Thor movie reprise their roles, with the exception of Zachary Levi taking over the role of Fandral. The Warriors Three (Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun) and Sif are more effective in this film as Thor’s allies, and because of that I wanted more from all of them. Speaking of allies, Thor’s mischievous half brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) even joins in on the fun to stop Malekith. After watching the progression of the Loki character across three films, I think it’s safe to put Tom Hiddleston right up there with Heath Ledger for most intriguing and inspired villain adaptations. Loki commands the screen every time he appears with a clever balance of wit, charm, and humor. So much so, I started to want more Loki and less Thor.
As obvious as this movie was and how much it dragged in times, it was still fun to watch. Thor: The Dark World is a popcorn flick through and through. If you expect a realistic narrative from a movie about a superhero and his sidekicks trying to stop an ancient race of dark elves who are trying to submerge every dimension into eternal darkness, then this movie isn’t for you. To temper the outlandish Asgardian angle, Kat Dennings returns as Jane Foster’s intern as well as the film’s comic relief. She had more hits than misses in the comedy arena, but her increased screen time started to get on my nerves.
Anthony Hopkins and Chris Hemsworth in “Thor: The Dark World.” Photo by Jay Maidment – © 2012 MVLFFLLC. TM &2012 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.
The sets of Asgard are as breathtaking as they were in the original Thor, and I’m happy to report that Idris Elba’s Heimdall is able to spend some time off of the Bifrost and involve himself in the movie’s plot. Stylistically, the otherworldly sets and happenings felt reminiscent of something I’d see in Star Wars, Star Trek, or Flash Gordon. The only thing I really questioned were the Asgardian’s insistence on taking knives, swords, and the like to laser gunfights. Doesn’t seem like a fair fight to me.
When Alan Taylor was announced as the director, I questioned his lack of experience, but he did well. Part of that is due to the star-studded cast I’m sure, but with the exception of some muddled long-form action sequences, he was able to keep my attention for two hours. The two things that kept popping in my head throughout the whole movie, especially the more tedious portions, were the Stan Lee cameo and the Easter eggs during the credits. Both happen, and both are worth mentioning.
If you like the previous entries into the connected Marvel cinematic universe, chances are you’ll like Thor: The Dark World. It keeps the connected story going, makes promises for the future, and is ultimately a lot of fun. My one word of caution is to avoid the 3D conversion completely. Not only was it one of the worst looking conversions I’ve seen, it also the makes the film look murky and clouded.
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