Review 202: Thor: The Dark World
The plot is simple but effective, one of its main strengths is how it expands the world that was introduced in the first film, we get to explore more the Nine Realms and get to see them as a prosperous intergalactic kingdom. This is good not great Marvel Entertainment
Apart from expanding the world and the mythos of the first film, many of Thor's relationships are expanded namely the one with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who is now serving time in Asgard's dungeons due to his actions in The Avengers and will ultimately have to take responsibility for what he's done. In this film Thor really gets to ask Loki what he really wants? "What's this about? Why? How did we get here? He also gets to apologise and "maybe I played a part."
But ultimately he's able to confront Loki and tell him it's about time he recognises his role in the chain of events that have occurred and that it wasn't everyone else's fault. That family feud and their sense of indifference is pretty much brought front and centre in this film and is very compelling to explore and against this epic backdrop the film has to offer.
Another the dynamic between Thor & Loki is how they're forced to work to confront the Dark Elves and the threat they pose to the Universe.
After the Dark Elves invade Asgard and practically sack it, Thor and his comrades turn to Loki for help. They all recognise the risk that poses given Loki's prior crimes and that he could turn on them at any given moment and give them the slip
The film also explores Thor's relationship with Jane, even though he loves and cares about her but they technically can't be together because Thor is taking on great responsibilities being king and stuff like that. Ultimately Thor and Jane's story is a Romeo and Juliet esque love story as they're two people from different world who want to be together and everyone else thinks it's rediculous. We care for Thor and Jane and hope they'll find some way to make their relationship work.
Also Jane is a lot more involved in the action, she's not just the inquisitive scientist we saw in the first film.
Director Alan Taylor's direction is unobtrusive, it's fast paced, the special effects are tremendous, the action is exciting and well choreographed, the score by Brian Tyler is epic and matches the films grand tone & scope, the cinematography is beautiful.
The production design is immaculate, the melding of Ancient Medieval Viking & futuristic alien tech is just seamless, beautiful and inspired.
I also want to give praise for the look of Dark Elves world, Svartalfheim, it's made clear from the scenery and art direction that this is a broken world and a once proud race has been reduced to only a few surviving members. It just looks like a place that hasn't been lived on for a thousand years.
The costumes are majestic, the make up is rich, the sound effects are terrific, the scenery is breathtaking and the ending was superb.
The acting is superb, Chris Hemsworth is way better in this film than he was in the first film.
At the start of the film, Thor has bought all the rebellions in the Nine Realms to heel yet he’s no longer the cocky, arrogant warrior he once was. For the first time in his exceptionalities long life, winning isn’t enough. All of Asgard is ready for him to be King, but Thor is experiencing another human rite of passage like he did in the first Thor film.
Thor is beginning to take on greater responsibilities with the possibility of being king of Asgard so he has to decide were his aligence lies. Is it with Jane or with Asgard. It's two balls he's juggling.
He’s a much more thoughtful and open person than he’s been in perhaps a millennium. Up until this point, he’s been a party boy. Now, he’s pinning for Jane is a sign of his newfound maturity. After 1500 years, he’s finally ready to settle down and build a future with someone.
Natalie Portman is once again fabulous as Jane Foster. She's really matured since the first movie, her experiences with Thor have really opened her eyes to this much larger world and she's really inquisitive, clever, intelligent, fiesty and it's easy to see why Thor is attrachted to her. She's also understandably a bit frustrated that he hasn't called her for two years.
Tom Hiddleston is also terrific again as Loki, now that he has become such a breakout character, he's essentially been upgraded to what ultimately amounts to the Littlefinger of Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's one of those characters whom you're not quite sure who's side he's on and someone who never does anything for anyone unless he can see what's in it for him. Because of his morally ambiguous nature, this makes a unique case when it comes to MCU antagonists as there are so many different direction you can go with him.
In this film, we find a Loki who has reached rock bottom following the events of The Avengers and him being forced to face the consequences of his actions. He's gone from someone who considers himself a king to a helpless prisoner in the dungeons of Asgard. But when the Dark Elf Conflict becomes seemingly dire,
Kat Dennings playing Darcy Lewis, she's expanded from just the comic relief she was in the first film. Whereas in that she was really bad at real science whereas now she's more interested even though she still has no idea what it means. She also really loves and admires Jane and wants her and Thor to be together. Dennings has described them as her own little soap opera that she watches.
Some characters do get an upgrade from first film like Rene Russo & Idris Elba as Frigga, Thor's mother & Heimdall, the guard to Bifrost Bridge.
Russo has a such a warm, kind, fair, not to mention wise screen presence that was perfect for playing Queen of Asgard. She's kinda the emotional centre of the family and tries to keep the peace in a family crisis and deeply and dearly loves both of her children including Loki despite his true heritage.
In the first film, Heimdall's role was kinda small and functional. That is not the case here as more than once, this film gives Heimdall a chance to really get his hands dirty.
With Elba in the role, you strongly get the sense that he is this strong, powerful & loyal warrior who has a high sense of honour. However it's clear that his loyalties lie to the throne of Asgard rather than to the actual king, Odin in this case. Which is why he is prepared to commit treason (or as he calls it treachery) if it means protecting the Nine Realms. This is why Thor has him around him and considers him a friend and ally.
On the slight downside, some of Thor's friends such as the Warriors Three go shamelessly underused. While Tadanobu Asano, Zachery Levi (replacing Josh Dallas due to the latter having scheduling conflicts with ABC's Once Upon a Time) & Ray Stevenson slip into their roles as Hogun, Fandral & Volstagg and play their respective roles very well.
Volstagg is very comical, loves to eat and has a big heart which he wears on his sleeve and Fandral is a total ladies man/Lothario, Errol Flyn like character. They're given very little to do mostly battling the Dark Elves and helping Thor, Loki & Jane escape Asgard. Show us what makes them so special Marvel!
Sif is also relatively underused but thanks to Jaimie Alexander's talents, she leaves a strong impact albeit along with something to be desired.
The relationship between Thor and Sif is that of unrequited love, Sif is very much in love with Thor and very much cares for his well being as well as her fellow Asgardian's well being.
So knowing that Thor is now in charge of that she appeals to his softer side.
But Thor looks at her more as companion than a lover and his mind is still on Jane. Their moments together are very touching and emotionally effecting as a result. She also serves as Thor's conscience in a way. She gives advice at times, but he rarely listens.
Despite a committed performance from Christopher Eccleston, Malekith the Accursed comes across as something of a bland villain, especially when compared to Loki from the first film.
He is just the most expressionless wet blanket of an antagonist we've had up to this point and his dullness is only amplified by Loki's presence. There's even a scene where he invades Asgard, destroys Odin's throne and he takes no sadistic pleasure in it whatsoever. He just destroyed the symbol of power of one of his greatest enemies and he just keeps on walking completely indifferent to what he just did like a a robot. And just to add fuel to the fire, his motivations are never made clear: He wants to use the Aether to plunge the universe into darkness - eh - why exactly?
According to Eccleston, Malekith is supposed to be a tragic figure - because he's lost his wife, he's lost his children, he's lost everything dear to him and so he wants to end it all and get his revenge - and presumably create a new heaven for his surviving people - and his agent for that revenge is the Aether. If he gets hold of it, he's practically omnipotent.
However director Taylor has stated that a lot of the scenes explaining Malekith's backstory and motivations were left on the cutting room floor, unfortunately, to make the film flow more efficiently and while I can understand that, I strongly feel that keeping a few of those scenes wouldn't have hurt the film to badly - as a matter of fact, I strongly feel that it would have improved the film greatly.
But beggars can't be choosers as they say. That lack of a compelling villain single-handedly weighs this film down. As a result, he only appeared in a handful of scenes and regretably came across as something of a one-note character.
He just doesn’t appear to have much of a personality outside of being the cruel & malevolent ruler of the Dark Elves, as a result of these creative choices he ends up being just a monster-of-the-week villain otherwise.
On paper there should be a number of things that Malekith genuinely does care about in order to make him a sympathetic or, at the very least, a compelling villain: His wife, his children (at least according to Eccleston), his people and preserving his species and ensuring their survival yet we're never given the slightest bit of evidence that he has any such attachments. He remains so stoic and emotionless that it's pretty much impossible feel sympathy for him.
What a wasted opportunity. And really, that sums up Malekith the Accursed in a nutshell: A wasted opportunity. Now if this was any other film such as a 1970's James Bond film this would be fine.
But this is Marvel Studios, we expect a bit more depth from our villains.
Anthony Hopkins, as always, delivers a fine performance as Odin, playing a very powerful figure like a normal human being. Because of the conflict the Dark Elves bring to the Asgardians doorstep, the dynamic & relationship between him and his son Thor is furthered here. Once again the two conflicting views - the older generation and the younger generation - are very powerful.
This time however, it's not there's a greater respect for each other and there's more at stake this time. It's not just their individual egos, the whole universe is at stake this time.
Thor: The Dark World is a solid sequel and look out for the rest of Marvels offerings coming out soon, 4/5
The Anonymous Critic.
I also want to give praise for the look of Dark Elves world, Svartalfheim, it's made clear from the scenery and art direction that this is a broken world and a once proud race has been reduced to only a few surviving members. It just looks like a place that hasn't been lived on for a thousand years.
The costumes are majestic, the make up is rich, the sound effects are terrific, the scenery is breathtaking and the ending was superb.
The acting is superb, Chris Hemsworth is way better in this film than he was in the first film.
At the start of the film, Thor has bought all the rebellions in the Nine Realms to heel yet he’s no longer the cocky, arrogant warrior he once was. For the first time in his exceptionalities long life, winning isn’t enough. All of Asgard is ready for him to be King, but Thor is experiencing another human rite of passage like he did in the first Thor film.
Thor is beginning to take on greater responsibilities with the possibility of being king of Asgard so he has to decide were his aligence lies. Is it with Jane or with Asgard. It's two balls he's juggling.
He’s a much more thoughtful and open person than he’s been in perhaps a millennium. Up until this point, he’s been a party boy. Now, he’s pinning for Jane is a sign of his newfound maturity. After 1500 years, he’s finally ready to settle down and build a future with someone.
Natalie Portman is once again fabulous as Jane Foster. She's really matured since the first movie, her experiences with Thor have really opened her eyes to this much larger world and she's really inquisitive, clever, intelligent, fiesty and it's easy to see why Thor is attrachted to her. She's also understandably a bit frustrated that he hasn't called her for two years.
Tom Hiddleston is also terrific again as Loki, now that he has become such a breakout character, he's essentially been upgraded to what ultimately amounts to the Littlefinger of Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's one of those characters whom you're not quite sure who's side he's on and someone who never does anything for anyone unless he can see what's in it for him. Because of his morally ambiguous nature, this makes a unique case when it comes to MCU antagonists as there are so many different direction you can go with him.
In this film, we find a Loki who has reached rock bottom following the events of The Avengers and him being forced to face the consequences of his actions. He's gone from someone who considers himself a king to a helpless prisoner in the dungeons of Asgard. But when the Dark Elf Conflict becomes seemingly dire,
Kat Dennings playing Darcy Lewis, she's expanded from just the comic relief she was in the first film. Whereas in that she was really bad at real science whereas now she's more interested even though she still has no idea what it means. She also really loves and admires Jane and wants her and Thor to be together. Dennings has described them as her own little soap opera that she watches.
Some characters do get an upgrade from first film like Rene Russo & Idris Elba as Frigga, Thor's mother & Heimdall, the guard to Bifrost Bridge.
Russo has a such a warm, kind, fair, not to mention wise screen presence that was perfect for playing Queen of Asgard. She's kinda the emotional centre of the family and tries to keep the peace in a family crisis and deeply and dearly loves both of her children including Loki despite his true heritage.
In the first film, Heimdall's role was kinda small and functional. That is not the case here as more than once, this film gives Heimdall a chance to really get his hands dirty.
With Elba in the role, you strongly get the sense that he is this strong, powerful & loyal warrior who has a high sense of honour. However it's clear that his loyalties lie to the throne of Asgard rather than to the actual king, Odin in this case. Which is why he is prepared to commit treason (or as he calls it treachery) if it means protecting the Nine Realms. This is why Thor has him around him and considers him a friend and ally.
On the slight downside, some of Thor's friends such as the Warriors Three go shamelessly underused. While Tadanobu Asano, Zachery Levi (replacing Josh Dallas due to the latter having scheduling conflicts with ABC's Once Upon a Time) & Ray Stevenson slip into their roles as Hogun, Fandral & Volstagg and play their respective roles very well.
Volstagg is very comical, loves to eat and has a big heart which he wears on his sleeve and Fandral is a total ladies man/Lothario, Errol Flyn like character. They're given very little to do mostly battling the Dark Elves and helping Thor, Loki & Jane escape Asgard. Show us what makes them so special Marvel!
Sif is also relatively underused but thanks to Jaimie Alexander's talents, she leaves a strong impact albeit along with something to be desired.
The relationship between Thor and Sif is that of unrequited love, Sif is very much in love with Thor and very much cares for his well being as well as her fellow Asgardian's well being.
So knowing that Thor is now in charge of that she appeals to his softer side.
But Thor looks at her more as companion than a lover and his mind is still on Jane. Their moments together are very touching and emotionally effecting as a result. She also serves as Thor's conscience in a way. She gives advice at times, but he rarely listens.
Despite a committed performance from Christopher Eccleston, Malekith the Accursed comes across as something of a bland villain, especially when compared to Loki from the first film.
He is just the most expressionless wet blanket of an antagonist we've had up to this point and his dullness is only amplified by Loki's presence. There's even a scene where he invades Asgard, destroys Odin's throne and he takes no sadistic pleasure in it whatsoever. He just destroyed the symbol of power of one of his greatest enemies and he just keeps on walking completely indifferent to what he just did like a a robot. And just to add fuel to the fire, his motivations are never made clear: He wants to use the Aether to plunge the universe into darkness - eh - why exactly?
According to Eccleston, Malekith is supposed to be a tragic figure - because he's lost his wife, he's lost his children, he's lost everything dear to him and so he wants to end it all and get his revenge - and presumably create a new heaven for his surviving people - and his agent for that revenge is the Aether. If he gets hold of it, he's practically omnipotent.
However director Taylor has stated that a lot of the scenes explaining Malekith's backstory and motivations were left on the cutting room floor, unfortunately, to make the film flow more efficiently and while I can understand that, I strongly feel that keeping a few of those scenes wouldn't have hurt the film to badly - as a matter of fact, I strongly feel that it would have improved the film greatly.
But beggars can't be choosers as they say. That lack of a compelling villain single-handedly weighs this film down. As a result, he only appeared in a handful of scenes and regretably came across as something of a one-note character.
He just doesn’t appear to have much of a personality outside of being the cruel & malevolent ruler of the Dark Elves, as a result of these creative choices he ends up being just a monster-of-the-week villain otherwise.
On paper there should be a number of things that Malekith genuinely does care about in order to make him a sympathetic or, at the very least, a compelling villain: His wife, his children (at least according to Eccleston), his people and preserving his species and ensuring their survival yet we're never given the slightest bit of evidence that he has any such attachments. He remains so stoic and emotionless that it's pretty much impossible feel sympathy for him.
What a wasted opportunity. And really, that sums up Malekith the Accursed in a nutshell: A wasted opportunity. Now if this was any other film such as a 1970's James Bond film this would be fine.
But this is Marvel Studios, we expect a bit more depth from our villains.
Anthony Hopkins, as always, delivers a fine performance as Odin, playing a very powerful figure like a normal human being. Because of the conflict the Dark Elves bring to the Asgardians doorstep, the dynamic & relationship between him and his son Thor is furthered here. Once again the two conflicting views - the older generation and the younger generation - are very powerful.
This time however, it's not there's a greater respect for each other and there's more at stake this time. It's not just their individual egos, the whole universe is at stake this time.
Thor: The Dark World is a solid sequel and look out for the rest of Marvels offerings coming out soon, 4/5
The Anonymous Critic.
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