Earlier this year Marvel fans gathered in theaters around the world to watch Iron Man 3, some loved it, others hated it, but that was only the first sequel to hit theaters in 2013. This weekend sees the release of Thor: The Dark World, the sequel to the 2011’s mediocre original that re-introduced the character to fans worldwide. Directed by regular Game of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor, Thor: The Dark World is an improvement on the original, one that’s much more entertaining but has a few issues that throws it off the tracks from being a standout film.
Thor: The Dark World takes place after the events that occurred in New York, but the films opens up with a bit of back story of a war that raged during the time of the dark elves, a race of powerful elves that existed before Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) time. They were a race, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who tried to bring darkness to the universe using a powerful force called the Aether but were stopped by Thor’s grandfather. Fast forward thousands of years to present day and an event called the convergence is set occur, where all the planets align but also aligning portals, changing the gravitational pull in certain areas on a planet, Earth for example, and allowing people to enter different realms if they happen to find one of these zones. Thor’s lover, Jane foster (Natalie Portman), finds one of these portals and eventually consumes the Aether, waking Malekith up from his sleep and putting Asgard at risk of being destroyed. It’s up to Thor (Chris Hemsworth), his comrades, and even Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who he distrusts with a passion, to stop Malekith from controlling the Aether and allowing the universe to enter a new age of darkness.
The first thing you’ll notice when watching Thor is that most of the film doesn’t take place on Earth, instead the film focuses on other realms, including Asgard, giving it a more mythological and fantastical feel, which it should have since it is about a Norse God. Secondly, it’s a movie that gets to the point a lot quicker since we don’t have to worry about a God trying to find his place, he knows what he wants and knows what he needs to do. There are some father, son, and brother issues scattered throughout and rest assured they are addressed, but for the most part the story is straightforward with a couple of good twists thrown in.
If you’ve seen the trailer you know Thor eventually asks help from Loki on a mission and while he is always cautious around Loki, there is a scene that unites the two briefly. This leads me to my favorite line in the movie, Thor says to him, I wish I could trust you and Loki simply replies, “trust my rage.” It’s such a great line and leads to a really great moment between the brothers something the other Avengers can never have since they don’t have powerful siblings.
While the above is my favorite line, the battle between Malekith and Thor is probably one of the cooler battles I’ve seen on a screen and my favorite part of the film. It involves a ton of teleportation between realms and even a little bit of very funny humor but, humor aside, there is a ton of appropriate destruction that solidifies why no one should ever mess with Thor and his hammer. This scene, along with the attack on Asgard, is why this film is a much more badass one than its predecessor. It gives Thor a chance to really shine, something he didn’t get to do too much in The Avengers.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, it isn’t Marvel’s strongest effort to date but at le
ast it’s better than the first. One of my main issues with the film is the forced inclusion of Kat Dennings into scenes where she isn’t needed. During the climax, the screenwriters and director Alan Taylor found it necessary to include, what seemed to be, constant comedic relief into the battle, something which becomes distracting after a while since Earth is on the brink of being destroyed. From the perspective of the character I understand why the events happened but from the context of an audience member, I don’t need to see people kissing as two all powerful beings are trying to destroy/save the universe.
What I am happy with is the way the film ended (before the credits rolled) because it leaves two major questions unanswered and sets up either The Avengers 2 and/or Thor 3 wonderfully. It’ll leave those with an interest in the characters in deep suspense for the next two years. As for the credits, there are two sequences one in the middle of the credits, which is the important one, and one at the end so be sure to stick around.
Thor: The Dark World will be another winner for Marvel even if it isn’t their best. It’s a very entertaining film that’s sure to make you laugh and tense up with excitement while surprising you once or twice as well. It’s a movie that paces itself and builds up the suspense with only a few fight scenes until the major climax rather than making the feature an all out action film and ignoring the concept of a plot. If you’re already on board the Marvel train don’t bother getting off just yet as this next stop shows you why Thor is a badass character that’s not to be reckoned with.
Rating: A well rounded feature that’s an improvement upon the original and has a couple of great twists to keep you sucked in (6.9/10)
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