Thor: The Dark World (Movie Review)

Review by Paeter Frandsen

I don't like Thor as a superhero. He speaks in a ridiculous version of old English and has giant feathery wings on his helmet. In a world of superheroes he feels to me like the result of a writer running out of ideas and just transplanting an established myth into a comic book setting. That said, I find the Ultimate Marvel Universe version of Thor much more interesting and the film version works even better for my tastes. (Except for the fact that his name is still Thor. I still think that's dumb.)

Thor: The Dark World picks up where The Avengers leaves off. Thor's evil half-brother Loki is led to the dungeons of Asgard as Thor endeavors to clean up the mess made by the sadistic trickster. Meanwhile, the Nine Realms are entering a state of convergence only achieved every 5,000 years, making it possible for an ancient race of evil elves to awaken a devastating weapon capable of destroying the universe.

If the plot sounds pretty standard, that's because it is. There’s nothing really compelling or original about the story here. It's just a classic framework on which to hang great visual designs and action pieces, plus one "wash-basin" scene for no purpose but to make me feel muscularly inadequate as a man. (Seriously, no dialogue, nothing moving the story, just muscle getting washed off with water. May it never be said that Hollywood is only capable of objectifying women.)

The sets and costumes are a nice upgrade from the first movie, which looked just slightly more like plastic and rubber. This film has the budget I wanted the first to have, allowing a full realization of Asgard and the fantastical realms associated with it. Magic, monsters, and sci-fi technology provide an almost continual spectacle throughout the film. The increasingly popular mash-up of fantasy and science fiction is visually explored in this movie like few have done before, and it makes for a fantastical experience I'd love to see in more big-budget films.

Performances are all solid once again, with the standout being Tom Hiddleston as Loki. But the script doesn't give the cast as much to work with this time around. And here lies part of the weakness of the film. The frequent jokes are mostly duds, the wonderful family drama of the first film is virtually absent this time, and I still have no idea why Thor and Jane Foster are supposedly attracted to each other or why I should care that they remain together. I felt about three seconds ahead of the dialogue at all times and only once experienced a moment of genuine surprise.

Likewise, because the film is so thematically and dramatically unengaging, I'd estimate that there is very little chance of worthwhile contemplation or discussion of spiritual matters after watching the movie. Like most of the Marvel Studios movies to this point, Thor is a good solid film but not truly ambitious or outstanding.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content.
Quality: 8.5/10
Relevance: 5.0/10