18 senior andy carr reviews
thor: the dark world
andy carr
Rating: PG-13 Director: Alan Taylor Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy
In Marvel’s second installment of “Thor”, the title character is portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. He and his brother Loki fight for Asgaurd against an evil race of aliens. Photo courtesy of Marvel/MCT
P
hase Two of the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise was started off successfully by “Iron Man 3,” despite lots of controversy. Fortunately, as the second installation in the franchise since 2012’s “The Avengers,” “Thor: The Dark World” ought to rekindle any shaken faith in Marvel’s movie mega-series. The sequel to 2009’s Thor is firstly an entertaining adventure movie by itself, and an even more importantly a mind-blowing piece to the puzzle that is the MCU franchise. We last saw our favorite hammer-wielding Asgardian (role reprised for the third time by Chris Hemsworth) in last year’s “The Avengers.” He imprisioned antagonist Loki in Asgaurd, but since then he has traveled the nine realms of the universe seeking to restore order to the societies thrown into chaos in the wake of Loki’s conquest. Meanwhile on Earth, Thor’s scientist lover Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has been a mess since she last saw her magical macho man in the events of “Thor.” Suddenly, physics goes wonky and Jane gets infected with some evil magic that she stumbles upon, then before we know it, Thor shows up on Earth and takes Jane away to Asgard to have her treated. Odin, king of Asgard and Thor’s father, tells them that she has the Aether inside her, which is an evil force that predates the universe as we know it. He believes that an ancient evil has awakened. Meanwhile, in some other dreary and dismal corner of the universe, the Dark Elves, an army of wicked warmongers and soldiers who sought to control the universe at one point centuries or millenia ago but were defeated by the Asgardians. Their leader Malekith, arises, and spreads word that the Dark Elves must take back the universe and put it into eternal darkness, and they prepare
to set off for Asgard to retrieve the Aether. Thus begins the overall plot to the film. Of course, back by popular demand, Loki, Thor’s evil brother (played masterfully once again by Tom Hiddleston), must be broken out of prison to aid Thor in bringing down this ultimate evil. Marvel hired Alan Taylor, known for his work on many popular TV shows, including “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones,” to do the directing work on the Thor sequel. Taylor helped hugely in creating a world that viewers could believe is really out there somewhere. In the first “Thor,” the god of thunder’s home world Asgard looked pretty but seemed kind of simplistic, surreal, and un-detailed. In this film, we get a glimpse at the lives of Asgardians, and a closer look at the inner workings of their city. From the gatekeeper Heimdall’s lookout, to the taverns where warriors celebrate after a victory, to the combat training areas, to the homes of Asgardian royalty, Asgard feels alive and exciting. It’s simply gorgeous to look at as well, even when it’s being torn apart by evil spaceships. “The Dark World”’s main directing flaw is in its pacing. Early in the movie, it seems that things move too fast. Key events, introductions of characters, and important discussions feel rushed and hop straight from one to the next, such that at the end of the film, one might have a hard time caring about the decisions and fates of some characters. The film also suffers from a few too corny textbook plot devices. The climax’s conclusion is also fairly straightforward and recycled. But “The Dark World” makes up for its jumpy pace with plenty of other charming and fun elements. The action is a lot of fun. It doesn’t have the best-choreographed fight scenes anyone has ever seen, but it has some exciting shots and the
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
heroes pull off some really cool moves. The CGI is quite good and makes for some beautiful images. Despite being called “The Dark World,” this film might be the funniest of the franchise so far. Thor’s and Loki’s comedic brotherly banter is at its finest, and silly moments from minor characters --including an incredible cameo from another Avenger-- make the entire film a ball of fun. At two hours long, the film is of perfect duration, never feeling overlong or too brief. The best thing about “Thor: The Dark World” is how it fits into the MCU. The movie’s end scene blows the possibilities for further movies wide open. Despite the fact that the Avengers sequel has been announced to feature android tyrant Ultron as the primary villain, those who see “The Dark World” will realize that we already have a huge evil on our hands at the conclusion of this movie. To add to the magnificent plot twist, there is a bonus mid-credits scene (as has become usual for the MCU films) that links the current Avengers films with the upcoming space adventure “Guardians of the Galaxy,” set to release Fall 2014. This scene, along with the final scene of the actual movie mentioned earlier, slams in our faces the fact that Marvel Studios has had their plan together ever since the beginning. They are a thousand steps ahead of their viewers, and after the events of “Thor: The Dark World,” fans now have extraordinary reason to be excited for what Marvel has planned for the next few years. Despite an awkward pace and a climax that is a tad too conventional, the action-packed, jokefilled, foreshadowing-laden blockbuster “Thor: The Dark World” solidifies itself as yet another captivating entry in the MCU.
80/100