Review: Thor The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World

Marvel’s Phase Two continues with the return of the mighty Avenger and with the first Thor film being by favourite from Phase One I had high hopes and even higher expectations for this sequel, and it did not disappoint!

The movie starts on a very dark note which continues through the first third of the film, with Jane Foster thrown into a situation she can do nothing about and new villain Malekith on the warpath it seems the odds are stacked against Thor and against Asgard itself. During Malekith’s attack on Asgard the film has a very Star Wars feel to it, so much so that one sequence looks very similar to the opening of The Old Republic game and it was cleverly enough done to not feel out of place at all.

The tone of the film changes completely once Thor enlists the help of his brother Loki, who is on fine form throughout the movie. From the moment he is released from his prison the one liners and joking quips begin and there is a relentless torrent of Loki/Thor related humour which does a nice job of elevating the mood of the film and breaking up the action sequences so it doesn’t overpower everything. There is a cameo from another well known character which helps create one of my favourite moments in the film, and in any film for that matter!

The film continues with a good mix of action and comedy with a big dose of the downright bizarre but somehow it all works well together. My only real disappointment is that Malekith really didn’t live up to much after his initial victories on Asgard and that some sequences were a little bit too ridiculous (did we really need to see Dr Selvig with no pants?).

Graphically the film is stunning and using the location of London was a good choice as everything so far has been mainly set in America. The scale of Asgard was much better achieved here than in the first film, I thought it felt a bit small and compact before whereas here there is a real sense of scale. The Dark World itself was brilliant in its simplicity, adding any more to it would have spoiled the feel of it I think. Also the 3D was well done but nothing groundbreaking, aside from the usual addition of depth there was only the occasional Mjolnir throw which really benefitted from being in 3D.

As a villain, Malekith actually turned out to be nothing like the threat he could have been. It all started strongly but as the film goes on he seems to be relegated to a background piece as everything else develops around him. This is one of my only real disappointments with the film.

Christopher Eccleston did a good job with what he had with Malekith, although with all the makeup and voice alterations it really could have been anyone. Idris Elba’s Heimdall gets a slightly bigger role this time around and he seems to steal every scene he is in, in particular when he meets with Thor and discusses being useless as a guardian as he can’t see this new enemy. The Warriors Three and Sif all have moments to shine but are used even less this time around than in the first film and the relationship between Thor and Sif is mentioned briefly but never built upon, personally I’d prefer this pairing over Thor and Jane but it is just not to be. With 2 films now under his belt as Thor, Chris Hemsworth now has a strong grasp on the role and is able to deliver every aspect of Thor’s personality with great results. Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster gets to do a lot more in this movie than in the first however there is still something missing between the two which makes the love story between them seem very forced and sometimes overbearing. Supporting characters Darcy and Dr Selvig return mainly for comic relief with Dr Selvig showing adverse side effects to Loki’s control during The Avengers.

Stealer of the show is Tom Hiddleston who gives an outstanding performance as Loki, in this movie he has to show all manner of emotions rather than just anger and his trickster nature (which are both present in abundance). The famous Loki-sass is off the scale and delivered brilliantly and he always has one more trick up his sleeve which means your never really sure who’s side he is on.

The movie stands up well on its own and there is only one possible tie-in to Avengers: Age of Ultron, although to be honest it would be a better tie in to the next Thor stand alone film if it happens. Overall I loved it and the only few disappointments are only minor really and I really hope they make a third, it is my favourite film of the year so far, I liked Iron Man 3 but thought this was far superior.

As for the 2 post credit sequences, the first is a nice lead in to Guardians of the Galaxy and a good link back to Thanos, it also gives me some hope of some of the other Asgardians appearing in that film, if only briefly. The second finally answers the are they/ aren’t they question regarding Thor and Jane but I’m wondering if that has been built up just to be torn down at a later date. Only time will tell!

8/10

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