Grade: C+
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgaard, Idris Elba and Rene Russo
Premise: Thor teams up with his disgraced brother Loki to try and stop the Dark Elves from unleashing an ancient, destructive power on the universe.
Rated PG-13 for intense action and violence, some bloody/disturbing images, and some language
I wanted to like Thor: The Dark World. I really did. I know all it’s supposed to be is stylized, easily-digestible popcorn movie hokum, but, as 2011’s Thor proved, this particular material can’t help but have a certain charm. With a whole host of game, likeable actors (Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba) playing larger-than-life characters built on old-fashioned morals and drive, and an entire universe (make that multiple universes) to play with, Thor has an intriguing mythological aspect the modern Iron Man and Spiderman movies can’t. But the filmmakers clearly don’t care for any real complexity (probably assuming their fanboy target audience doesn't, either), so, despite the actors’ best efforts, the movie’s really about the quips, the storyline gimmicks, the celeb cameos, and the Marvel Comics in-jokes. The result is a film that has its moments but is also unmistakably packaged to be nothing more than marketable, to simply tide people over until the next Avengers can come out. Which is a shame.
Plot
It’s been two years since astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) met and fell in love with Asgardian warrior prince Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in the New Mexico London
While Odin dutifully prepares for a long war, Thor, desperate to free Jane from the Aether, turns to an old adversary for help: Loki (Tom Hiddleston). After his failed conquest of Earth (in The Avengers), Loki was spared execution at Odin’s hands only by his adopted mother’s love, so he spends his days whiling away time in a dungeon. Despite their adversarial relationship, Thor has never completely given up on his adopted brother, and, though he warns Loki he’ll kill him if he betrays him, he admits he knows Loki must know ways off Asgard that aren’t being watched, as he has dabbled in dark magic. Thor’s plan is to get Jane to The Dark World—the Dark Elves’ home planet—and find a way to free the Aether in that environment, where it can’t damage anything of real value. Loki agrees to help, but they both know they’re in a race against time—a rare cosmic alignment of all Nine Realms is approaching, and, if he regains possession of the Aether at the right moment, Malekith will find it all too easy to destroy them.
What Works?
Hemsworth remains a manly hunk who’s fun to watch in a fight, but the fact remains the most interesting thing about Thor is his hammer. He’s a thinly-written character on the page. The heart and soul of this film is really Loki. Indeed, after two Thor movies--plus his appearance in The Avengers--I think it's clear Hiddleston's sharp-tongued ne'er-do-well is the MVP of this part of the Marvel Universe. You can feel the audience's interest increase with Loki's every appearance, because, even if all he's doing is speaking from behind the glass of a prison cell, Hiddleston makes him intriguing, suggesting a depth, unpredictability, and realness of emotion the other characters don't. All of The Dark World's best scenes revolve around Loki--he supplies most of the film's humor and a good portion of the energy--thanks to Hiddleston's knack for delivering his lines like they're Shakespeare, no matter how lame they really are. And Hemsworth can thank Hiddleston: all of Thor's best scenes come in Loki's presence, because the characters' portrayed bond gives both the chance to dig a little deeper, which keeps Thor from being just a guy swinging a hammer.
As before, the city and landscapes set on these invented worlds are gorgeous, and the campy, half Lord of the Rings/half Star Wars theology/mythology makes for intriguing background stories and epic battles. You could undoubtedly set a whole franchise in these Realms, and just leave Earth out of the picture. A quietly-gorgeous Asgard-set funeral highlights the promise of the aesthetic, other-worldly pleasures of this franchise. And I’ll admit The Dark World’s constant twists and turns do make for some pleasant surprises.
As before, the city and landscapes set on these invented worlds are gorgeous, and the campy, half Lord of the Rings/half Star Wars theology/mythology makes for intriguing background stories and epic battles. You could undoubtedly set a whole franchise in these Realms, and just leave Earth out of the picture. A quietly-gorgeous Asgard-set funeral highlights the promise of the aesthetic, other-worldly pleasures of this franchise. And I’ll admit The Dark World’s constant twists and turns do make for some pleasant surprises.
What Doesn’t Work?
Yeah, the ‘What Works’ section wasn’t very long for a reason. I didn’t hate Thor: The Dark World, I just grew frustrated with it. Too many things weren’t done right. Natalie Portman’s Jane is here stripped of all conviction/depth; she’s basically a wide-eyed fangirl. Her sidekick Darcy is an irritating motormouth. Stellan Skarsgaard’s pseudo-father figure scientist has somehow morphed into a grating, gibberish-spouting nutcase. Some of the special effects are corny (a scene where Dark Elf spacecraft face anti-aircraft laser fire from Asgardian towers screams Star Wars rip-off) and the film’s conclusion makes little sense and is dragged out way too long. Oh, and the next conclusion (we’ve learned by now: Marvel comics movies never have just one) essentially throws out the best five minutes of the movie, leaving fanboys cheering but leaving serious moviegoers groaning.
The movie’s also littered with small self-contradictory details (how come cops and Asgardian nurses can’t touch Jane without getting blasted by the Aether, but Thor can? How can Thor hang his hammer on a coat rack without it causing any damage when it’s supposed to be so heavy even the Hulk can’t lift it? And really—a guy who survived laser gun blasts and a whack upside the head with Thor’s hammer dies by getting crushed by a falling spaceship? Seriously?) Oh, and I always knew Thor would pick Jane, but I can’t help thinking the writers missed out (or maybe I just think Thor himself missed out) by giving an early hint that Thor’s sexy ally Sif (Jaimie Alexander) has eyes for him, and then dropping it and forgetting about it. Thor: The Dark World probably doesn’t need anything else crammed into its nonstop-busy two hours, but a love triangle might’ve added a little something extra, don’t you think?
Content
It’s your typical Marvel movie. There are some intense moments and some nasty baddies and the main characters occasionally find themselves in dire situations, but everything works out, there’s no blood, and no one (except bad guys) gets all that hurt. There’s definitely an Earth-bound cuss word or two, but the only nudity is a shot of Thor’s muscular torso, and all the violence is largely cartoonish. Not saying kiddies won’t find The Dark World intense, but it shouldn’t give them nightmares.
The Bottom Line
A little too long, too crowded, and too obviously aiming to be a crowd-pleaser rather than a movie of any real merit, Thor: The Dark World is a decent blockbuster, but not more than that. That flying hammer sure is cool, though.
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