Thor: The Dark World Reviewed

I’m really not sure why Thor: The Dark World is getting such mixed reviews. What is it people go to Marvel movies for? A hero? A villain? A love interest? A world at risk? A generic-y storyline bolstered by explosions, fight scenes, superheroes and space aliens? Oh for the love of clichés! If you answered yes to any or all of these, then you really have no excuse for being anything other than delighted with this latest instalment in the Avengers compendium.

I’m mildly bothered by the fact that there seems to be this growing impression that we can’t just go to a film for the sake of enjoyment. For enjoyment purposes, only, nothing deeper or more meaningful. Why does it matter that the first half of the film is exposition aimed at a more superficial audience that needs everything explained to them? Why does it matter that this is a pure marketing ploy to pull in a broader audience? Why does it matter that you haven’t yet realised that as a comic book fan this film is not actually for you, specifically, but for the masses?

As far as plots go, this one is pretty much the off-the-shelf variety. Once upon a time there was a war between the Asgardians and the Dark Elves, the latter of which were all but wiped out except for the most important ones who escaped and have remained in a state of suspended animation. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is in prison, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is sad after having neglected his love life to clean up after his brother, and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has moved to London. As the nine realms move towards alignment, Jane somehow manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and is infected by the Dark Elves’ weapon of choice, the Aether. Cue the awakening of head Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who now wants to bring the nine realms into darkness; the motivation of Thor who wants to save Jane (oh, and the nine realms too, if you wouldn’t mind); and the bringing together of two brothers torn apart by the selfish actions of one.

I’ve read that some are calling it The Lord of the Rings in space, but for me it felt more akin to Doctor Who, with the treatment of dashing between worlds like the Doctor’s movement through wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey. Also Malkith’s band of not-very-merry elves would not have been entirely out of place beside the Silence, Ood or Cybermen.

In any case, by now you’ve probably guessed that Thor: The Dark World is not a perfect example of cinematic excellence. It is a little disjointed in parts, and it does feel like two films pasted together somewhere in the middle. The tone of the first half differs from the latter, as it hastily tries to deliver the necessary exposition (which, actually may not be so necessary), while the second half seems to take itself far less seriously and almost becomes a romp. That said, I still left the cinema feeling as though my tight-arse-Tuesday $12 ticket was worth it.

It seems all the reviewers are talking about Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, and really why wouldn’t you? He does appear to be having great fun playing Loki, with the character in the latter half of the movie actually beginning to live up to his mischief-ness through a series of well-timed quips and the provoking of his overly serious half-brother. Chris Hemsworth does what he can with Thor, who is a slightly more rounded character in this second film. In the first, I found him severely lacking and one dimensional, but here there’s a little more to Thor, with my favourite scene the one apparently recommended by Joss Whedon – topless Thor! It’s not the topless-ness I loved rather how Hemsworth’s overly buff chest and arms are paired with what I have come to call ‘Thor-thinking-face’. It’s only a few seconds, but its inclusion is worth it even though it is entirely gratuitous.

If I’m honest, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is the biggest disappointment. In fact, I’m beginning to question Portman’s talent altogether as her portrayal of Jane in both films leaves a lot to be desired. She spends most of the film either actually unconscious or acting that way. While others have criticised it, I actually enjoyed the interludes of camp from Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis, but I did think Idris Elba as Heimdall was a little underutilised – I get the feeling there should have been slightly more of him, but it may have been left on the cutting room floor. Christopher Eccleston’s Malekith is foreboding and driven. It is clear that he has waited a long time to do this one thing and that is his focus, which Eccleston executes nicely from beneath piles of prosthetics and makeup.

One issue I did have with Thor is entirely a side issue and not something I blame this film, specifically, for. I feel that the portrayal of intellect and science is increasingly sidelined in film and many other forms of popular culture. Thor, here, is a symptom. Jane Foster is presented as being muddle headed and under-confident, yet it is her idea that saves the world, Thor just happens to assist in the facilitation. Similarly, Stellan Skarsgard’s Erik Selvig is outright mad, but again, it is his scientific knowledge that contributes significantly to the survival of not only the populations of earth, but of all the nine realms. This fact is all but sidelined, especially as it goes unrecognised and unrewarded.

Overall, expect little and have yourself a good time with Thor: The Dark World - in cinemas now.

-Stevie O'C