Thor: The Dark World: Movie Review
One of the great things about each of the Marvel Studios films is that even though they are connected, each character’s solo adventure works well as a stand-alone film. One thought that popped into my head during the events of “Iron Man 3” and “Thor: The Dark World” was where are the rest of the Avengers to help out their fellow hero? I am sure the same thing will pop into my head for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. Then again, what’s the point of having a solo film for each Avenger if they are simply going to all show up in each other’s films? There is one great little nugget regarding another Avenger half-way though the Thor sequel, but I don’t want to say any more than that.
I was not a huge fan of the first Thor movie. I liked the scenes that took place on Asgard and I thought Tom Hiddleston stole the show as Loki. There were some decent moments and Hemsworth was great as the title character, but the movie just never felt like it went anywhere. “Thor: The Dark World” is much more impressive in more ways than one. Even though this is the second solo film, it feels more like the third because The Avengers film is referenced quite a bit here.
When a thought to be extinct race known as the Dark Elves returns to claim a weapon that will turn the universe back into darkness, by destroying all other life within it, Thor (Hemsworth) sets out to stop the vengeful leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). The weapon that Malekith is after has made its’ way into the body of Thor’s human love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Ignoring Thor the will of his father King Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor turns to the one man he cannot trust for help, his imprisoned brother Loki (Hiddleston).
The scope of “Thor: The Dark World” is much larger than the first solo outing. Much of this new installment takes place through different realms. There is a whole lot more action and there are a few surprises and a handful of great comedic moments. The problem I had with “The Dark World” was the lack of an interesting villain. The Dark Elves were extremely bland. Another problem was with the pacing. Sure, there is a whole lot going on, but at times it just felt endless. Having said that, the good does outweigh the not-so-good in this latest offering from Marvel.
If you are a fan of comic book movies, you are not going to want to miss this one, but shelling out extra for the 3D is pointless. 2D will be more than fine. Yes, there is a mid & post credit scene and though the post-credit one is ok, the mid-credit scene is just plain awkward.
By: Marc Ferman