Review of Thor: The Dark World (2013) by Alasdair B — 26 Feb 2015

It should be said right away I am a fan of Marvel. They are doing some great stuff with movies, comics, and so forth. However, to suggest that they can never have a misstep is illogical. I will not sugar coat anything in this review. Iron Man 2 and Thor 2 were the only Marvel films I hadnâ(TM)t seen. Mostly because I heard allot of bad things about them. Some will argue that this is a great film, but I wonâ(TM)t pretend like it is. This is the honest truth. âThor: The Dark Worldâ? is directed by Alan Taylor and stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, and Natalie Portman.

Long ago, Odinâ(TM)s (Hopkins) father Bor and his forces battled against Malekith, the dark elf. Winning the battle, they locked Malekithâ(TM)s dark power known as the Aether in a column of stone. Hundreds of years later, Jane Foster (Portman) discovers a real life portal game portal in a ramshackle building. She enters into the world where the Aether is kept. For some reason, she goes near the column. The result is Jane gets filled up with dark magic liquid, much like Pepper pots stupid fire powers. When Jane reenters Earth, Thor (Hemsworth) is waiting for her. Thor sees that a darkness is in her, so he takes her to Asgard. Eventually, the dark elves wake from their slumber. and they sense the Aetherâ(TM)s power. This leads them to Asgard. Once again, the fate of Earth and the universe is threatened.

Anthony Hopkins as always kills it as Odin. Despite the fact that he behaves very cold for some reason. Tom Hiddleston is a fantastic actor. He is very good in this filmâ"for the brief time we see himâ"as Loki. Loki is Marvelâ(TM)s best villain right now. This is mostly due to Hiddlestonâ(TM)s performance and his witty dialogue. Chris Hemsworth is good as Thor, but nothing impressive. Honestly, he canâ(TM)t really carry a film, and it shows here. Honestly, Thor only works when he is with the Avengers. In this he has some cool fights and a couple of good scenes, but he just doesnâ(TM)t impress me that much. Natalie Portman is unfortunately brought back, and as usual, sheâ(TM)s just flat.

The original Thor film was directed by Kenneth Branagh, and I really miss him here. He is very good at directing actors and scenes. The first film had a very Shakespearean feel to it. This one however is very dull. Alan Taylor does a serviceable job. Heâ(TM)s no Branagh, but he does what he needs to do. As far as the script goes, this is one of the worst scripts for a Marvel film ever. Despite the fact that Hiddleston has great dialogue, every other bit of dialogue is cringe worthy. I couldnâ(TM)t believe what I was hearing most of the time. The three screenwriters (Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne), wrote the script. Itâ(TM)s odd because the other films theyâ(TM)ve written (Thor, X-Men First Class), are decent movies. They certainly arenâ(TM)t well known writers, but they wrote just fine for other films. The film is shot by Haris Zambarloukos, who does a good job at making the movie look nice. The visual effects are mostly good, but nothing impressive.

The main complaint with the first Thor movie is that there wasnâ(TM)t enough of Thor being Thor, and the movie took place mostly on Earth. So the question is, does this sequel improve on the first. Sort of. Yes, there is more of Asgard and other worlds. Yes, there is more of Thor fighting. Yes, there is less of Earth. One would think that these changes would mean this sequel would be an improvement on itâ(TM)s predecessor. No. This film is extremely dry. Worst of all, there is no plot. It takes one hour before the âplotâ? decides to surface. The previous hour was spent padding along while things just happened. Elements of the plot donâ(TM)t even make sense. Perhaps the worst flaw of the film is the generic villain. Marvel is known for having not so memorable villains. Malekith is the most unmemorable Marvel villain to date. He has no motive. Heâ(TM)s not menacing. He just goes around babbling his weird language and making mean faces. When the final battle goes down, nothing matters. There is zero tension whatsoever. The final boss fight looks cool, but you just donâ(TM)t care.

Lastly, there are some positives that save this boring drag from being horrible. Loki is the only great element about this movie. Every scene is he in, his conversations with Thor, and his witty banter are the saving grace. Anthony Hopkins has some really great scenes. Some of the actionâ"while nothing truly impressiveâ" is somewhat entertaining; in a mindless sort of way. The final fight of the film does have itâ(TM)s moments. The portal stuff added and interesting element to the battle. Unfortunately. the villain was so god awful that I really didnâ(TM)t care who won.

âThor: The Dark Worldâ? has itâ(TM)s moments, but ultimately, itâ(TM)s the most underwhelming Marvel film Iâ(TM)ve seen. Aside from Loki, nothing matters. The plot is vague, the characters are dull, and everything is really predictable. Allot of the comedy doesnâ(TM)t work as well. Aside from a couple great laughs, most of the comedic elements fall flat. I will say that the special effects were somewhat impressive, and the costumes were very good. Itâ(TM)s a shame that a film about the Norse god of thunder couldnâ(TM)t be more interesting than a stupid villain wanting to take over the world and Padme following Thor around like an annoying insect.