A fantasy adventure film with plenty of energy and excitement, and keeping with its subtitle it has some surprisingly dark undertones and visuals! Lightning strikes twice today.
While Thor does battle across the Nine Realms to restore order, scientist Jane Foster discovers an anomaly on Earth that acts as a doorway to a long forgotten artifact. Upon finding this power the Dark Elves and their leader Malekith, who have lived since before light’s creation, seek it out. Thor must protect Jane and all Nine Realms, but he going to need unlikely allies to do it…
You know what, I was one of the people mocking and hating on Thor originally (I didn’t even see the first film in the cinema!) as a Marvel concept it seemed utterly redundant. Nowadays though I can’t help but enjoy myself watching this increasingly interesting story unfold!
I imagine this is due to the sequel’s total immersion into the Nine Realms (rather than strictly focusing on Earth) and the creativity this lends to design, characters and mythos becomes fascinating. It is very much a fantasy movie first, where as Iron Man and Captain America are strictly science fiction stories.
The humour is still here, wonderfully, since that was what kept the first film afloat. Thor is his powerful self with no human weakness, but they still spend time on the goofy humour, lightening an otherwise bleak storyline. Loki returns and is diabolical as ever; the film’s heart lies with these two characters and how they are evolving since the events of Avengers Assemble. The film has some incredible moments later on, I wouldn’t dare allude to anything here.
I don’t know if its just me, but the film reminded me of Superman 2 in an uncanny way. It has a classical film vibe about it, no excessive plotlines or redundant twists, and there’s plenty of people being tossed through buildings and mountains during the action sequences!
It is a very simple story (all of its complexity lies with Thor and Loki’s relationship) our villain Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) really isn’t done justice and acts more like a typical boogeyman; he lurks in the background and forces the plot along when need be. I never saw him as more than just an embodiment of evil. If he had been given more time, I might have rated this film higher.
I enjoyed Thor – The Dark World a great deal, probably more than the original! It has some plot conveniences and Thor never feels at risk (but those around him certainly do!) but take it for what it is, a big exciting and visually interesting fantasy film, and you’ll see so much more lying underneath.
Additional Marshmallows: And, because most of it is set within the Nine Realms, you don’t get the problem of “Why doesn’t he call on the Avengers!?” like a certain Mr Stark…
Hey, hey guys, you want to see my Thor review? Sure, I’ll copy it here for you! (it is a short review!)
Thor (2011)
Kenneth Branagh, more known for his Shakespearian adaptations, uncharacteristically directs this rather uncharacteristic Marvel superhero blockbuster, to match the other three “avenger” superhero movies.
Thor, the Norse god of thunder is brash and big-headed, and his overconfidence has him banished from the realm of Asgard to live among mortal humans. While there his brother Loki, god of mischief, vows to surpass Thor’s past glory.
I have a huge difficulty (as someone unfamiliar with comics) taking Marvel’s Thor with credibility; to me they have merely taken an existing myth and made it their own. I have trouble putting him beside Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk! As such, having watched the film, I am still uncertain.
However, all of these films continue to surprise me with an insane level of charisma, you can’t not like them. I laughed a decent number of times here. The mighty Thor falls to Earth, only to be immediately knocked unconscious by a small woman’s taser! Plus seeing how well they’ve depicted the mythology here is nice to see.
It is extremely CGI heavy, but the actors all look like they are enjoying themselves – Kenneth Branagh himself openly stated he was a huge Thor comic book fan, and I think it shows.
It doesn’t take itself seriously, and that is a blessing. It isn’t terribly intelligent, and I might say its the weaker of all the “avengers” heroes so far, but it was certainly enjoyable!
