Given that the first Thor film was so good, and one of the best Phase One MCU films alongside the first Ironman movie... I had high expectations for this one. I was disappointed that Kenneth Branagh wasn't going to be directing again, but pleased that he would take on a producer role.
Given Marvels consistency so far, I knew that the movie was going to be full of references about things that had happened in the other MCU movies, but not to such a degree that the movie cannot be watched as a stand alone film on it's own merits. In fact the only thing you might be confused about had you not watched any of the others, is the who/why/what about Loki in the beginning. The rest of the characters get a very brief introduction and the narrative opening scenes sets the stage for the movie.
But Marvel knows full well that people watching their movies have seen the rest, and know the backstories. So keeping things short and sweet for those who don't means that we can get straight into the movie right away.
Tom Hiddleston once again shines as Loki, proving what a great actor he is, and what a great choice they made in casting him. He provides virtually of the comedic moments and you know there will always be some scheme, some twist coming with him involved.
I try to avoid spoilers for these movies, in fact all movies that I really want to see. Sometimes I won't even watch a trailer, I want to go in clean, knowing next to nothing about the movie... sometimes to the extent of not knowing some of the casting choices... So I was actually surprised when I recognised the voice of Malekith as Christopher Eccleston, as I didn't know he was in it... and I've always liked him as an actor. He's kinda quirky at times and doesn't get as many movie roles as he should, very good comedic qualities as an actor, but here he plays it straight as the main protagonist and does a decent job.
The rest of the supporting cast does a decent enough job too. Kat Deely as Darcy offers up most of the remaining comedic moments and even gets her own love interest as a minor subplot, although it's shown and dismissed far to quickly simply to provide another comedic moment in the whole Jane/Selvig/Darcy/Mjolnir scene... in fact I created a gif of that scene and tacked on Donkey from Shrek for even more comedic effect.
Anthony Hopkins was a little disappointing this time round, didn't quite convey the gravitas of the first, but it wasn't a poor performance at all... Just a lesser one. Rene Russo actually got a bit more screen time and the audience got an explanation for Loki's powers and training... even got a fight scene, but I feel that was only to provide the emotional side and reaction that sets up the middle act.
The pacing was good, and the extra scenes included on bluray release that weren't in the theatrical one don't bog down the pacing, but at the same time don't add anything extra really... which is a shame.
Hemsworth as Thor did a good job too, and Portman as Jane Foster were both adequate... but simply outshone by Hiddleston who is the real star of this film in my opinion.
It was a shame that the rest of the supporting cast didn't get better material, I'd like to see more of Fandrall, Volstagg, Lady Siff and Hogun... I could even overlook the change of actor for Fandrall (due to Josh Dallas' commitment to the TV show Once upon a time' to Zachary Levi (best know for the TV show Chuck I guess).
The special effects were good, some of the plot points were a little too convenient (like finding your car keys on another planet which conveniently gives you a way of escape and a mode of transport once you get there).
But the overall result is a good one... Not as strong as the first film, but a very good sequel all the same. I think Marvel learned from the poor second Iron Man movie because they haven't really put a foot wrong here, nor did they with Cpt America 2 and Iron Man 3.
For those familiar with the after credits sneak peak... this one supplies two of them. One that's setting up characters for Guardians of the Galaxy (not seen it yet, gotta wait for the bluray release as my summer was rather busy and I don't have a cinema within 20 miles of my home)... the second end of credits is just a silly little jokey one.
Overall I'd give it a solid 8/10, highly recommended and well worth watching more than once as there are loads of little touches to pick up on in later viewings.
Film 151 (Goal: 300) of 2024:
I've ridden a wave of going between a 2.5 and 3 for this film since the initial viewing. A common theme of this recent MCU rewatch has been that I'm enjoying some of the earlier films that are poorly received (Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World). But I think that streak ends with Thor: The Dark World.
Thor: The Dark World feels like a sequel that's just going through the motions. Once again both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston shows they're perfect for their roles, returning as both Thor and Loki respectively. The film hinges on their performances. The villain is ultimately forgettable, and doesn't have a clear purpose. Portman sleepwalks through a performance that feels like a contractually obligated necessity. The production is high, as we've come to expect from Marvel Studios films. But that aside, there are very few positives to talk about here.
It's not overly or offensively terrible but it's just boring and unnecessary. When I finally make my way back to post-Endgame films and series, I may find that I have my rankings off and that Thor: The Dark World needs to surpass titles such as Eternals, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, The Marvels, etc. Or maybe I had it right all along, and that Thor: The Dark World is just a blight on the MCU.
The Revisit the MCU Project (2021) #8 of 23
...and here we are again. Old review below because...well...every point still stands.
Despite having one of the best scores of any of the Marvel movies, Thor: The Dark World is one of the weakest outings in the Marvel franchise.
Lack of chemistry between the leads, plot holes deeper than the Mariana Trench, and a lead that seems to be unable to decide if he's a deity or a lovesick puppy doesn't make a masterpiece...
The story had potential, but somewhere along the line things got screwed up. Everything feels a bit "chopped up", which again makes things a bit hard to piece together. Sloppy work...
Thor: The Dark World does as many things wrong as the first one did right. Although...it has a few redeeming factors. It looks great, the score is to die for, and we get to see a bit of Jamie Alexander as Lady Sif.
The only thing I want to add is that why I was and am quite hard on this, is because Thor is the hero in the MCU that has the most potential for EPIC stories. I really wish they would have done more with this. As it stands it's just a forgettable time waster.
THE WACPINE OF ‘THOR: THE DARK WORLD’
WRITING: 5
ATMOSPHERE: 6
CHARACTERS: 6
PRODUCTION: 6
INTRIGUE: 5
NOVELTY: 3
ENJOYMENT: 6
The Good:
As a friend of fantasy and science fiction, I admire the way The Dark World delves deeper into Marvel mythology and almost feels like a Tolkien film in places. It also helps to make the MCU feel cosmic in scope. These things aren’t explored gain until the Guardian of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel movies.
Christopher Eccleston is good in a role that doesn't fully allow him to utilize his acting skills. He barely has any lines and does very little other than stand and look menacing.
The most delicious parts of the film are those that force Thor to work with Loki, who once again steals the show. Their on-screen chemistry is admirable and works even better here than in Thor.
The chemistry between Hemsworth and Hiddleston is the best thing this film has to offer. They are very recognizably brothers whose cooperation isn't completely flawless. They still work well together when need be.
This is one of the bleaker and less colourful from within the MCU, but Disney pulls it off far better than Warner Bros. does with the DCEU.
The Bad:
While more screen time for the funny Darcy is always a plus, having both her and Ian as comedic characters make many scenes with them goofy in ways only bad comedies usually are. It feels out of place within MCU, which usually features sharp comedy. This is the first attempt at a comedy in the franchise, but it just doesn't work very well.
This is also the first time the MCU tries to be somewhat darker and gloomier, but it doesn't go in all the way embracing the darkness.
A big bulk of the action is set outside of the Earth, which make the stakes feel less personal for the audience. This is one of the least memorable entries within the MCU, perhaps for that reason.
Malekith is such a film villain cliché that nothing that he does or says feels interesting or menacing in the slightest.
The way The Dark World has been structured makes the story feel like it opens with a first act, followed by a third act, a second act and another third act. That doesn't work to its favour.
The script seems so busy developing plot strands from Thor and The Avengers that it almost seems to forget the main plot with Malekith and the Ether, making them secondary for large parts of the film before the final 30 minutes.
Jonathan Howard is awkward and stiff in most of his scenes and he isn't given anything interesting to do or say throughout the entire film.
The overall plot never goes as deep as it could and seems to lose its way halfway through, ultimately feeling like a rehash of Thor and just another predictable superhero flick by the end.
The Ugly:
Yet another grey take on London.
WACPINE RATING: 5.28 / 10 = 2,5 stars
The reaction to this movie seems to be love it or hate it. I think I fall just left of the middle. Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins are iconic in their roles. Zach Levi won us over as Fandral and it was so good to have more time with the warriors four (with their borrowed UK accents) and Jaimie Alexander is the perfect Lady Sif. Idris Alba (a superb actor) was, finally, allowed more scope to personalize his role, and that was an improvement from the first movie. I am a huge fan of Natalie Portman, and believe her to be a fine actress, but there was just something missing between Jane and Thor (there was actually more chemistry between Thor and the woman on The Tube - which made me wonder if they had cast Chris' wife - and that scene was only 24 seconds long*). And, I can't leave a discussion about the acting without a shout out to Kat Dennings who just proves that the size of the part does not define the greatness of the performance. The movie had a heightened sense of grandeur (The Old Royal Naval College was a huge asset to the filming) giving us, almost, grand LORD OF THE RINGS moments in the battle scenes and, yet, I found the award worthy CGI was overused elsewhere in the movie, which causes a disconnect from the audience. Even on rewatching, I think it could have been superb, but I can only give this film a 7 (good) out of 10. [Marvel Action Adventure]
This second Thor movie--and one of the countless Marvel flicks in recent years--is very gripping and features amazing performances, especially from Natalie Portman, whose role is much different than in the Star Wars prequels, and Kat Dennings. Fans of comic book films expect action, adventure, and heroism, and they get plenty of that here. Thor himself is as likable and gentlemanly as ever, and the various villains are utterly despicable, which is kind of the point. The ending knocked my socks off. As superhero fantasies go, this is probably among the best I've seen, not to mention the cleanest; while there's plenty of violence, it isn't graphic, kissing and one stray remark is about as sexual as it gets, and profanity is kept to a minimum...for a "PG-13," anyway. If you enjoyed the first Thor flick and the other films featuring the Avengers, this is for you. Just be sure you stay tuned after the credits.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Kissing, sometimes passionate; a stray remark about infidelity. 3/5
Nudity: A man is seen naked twice in a news broadcast; his private anatomy is pixelated, however. 3/5
Language: Two or three uses each of the d-word and h-word; one usage of the s-word combined with "holy," and another near usage of the same expression. 3/5
Violence: As you'd expect, this movie is rife with battle scenes and action sequences. Several characters are killed or nearly killed by being impaled, squashed, etc. Buildings are destroyed. All of this is done without blood or gore, though. 2/5
Drugs: Alcohol is drank and referenced. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with the violence, some of the otherworldly creatures are rather scary, and there is some emotional intensity after two different characters' deaths. 1/5
Other: While not exactly negative, characters speaking in an alien language with English subtitles may cause problems for those with reading disabilities. 4/5
Score: 4/5
Given that Thor is now fully embraced by mainstream audiences, here the sequel seems keen to fully immerse itself in the world and as a result the science-fiction/fantasy elements are much more to the fore here. This is a necessary and welcome change as it helps to differentiate the Thor series from the other Marvel heroes. So after a rather clunky prologue which vaguely attempts to set up the plot, we get a much better exploration of the world of Asguard, beautifully realised, and some of the other realms. The plot it has to be said is rather incomprehensible, but fortunately the filmmakers also remembers what worked so well in the first film, never taking itself too seriously and providing a lot of humour amidst all the serious scenes about destroying the universe. A cameo from one of the Avengers is a classic example of the film's ability to have a little bit of fun with its premise and the returning human characters all play off each other nicely, with Portman having a more involved role this time. Hiddleston and Hemsworth as the bickering brothers continue to be the best element of the film and it is little wonder that Marvel wanted Loki to carry over from The Avengers. Nor does the final moment of the film surprise, yet it does leave you anticipating the inevitable third film. A side note, however - Marvel's penchant for killing minor characters to underline the threat or shock the audience is already wearing thin - at some point they are going to have to shake up the world they have created and kill off some of the actual major characters if they want to truly surprise.
Thor: The Dark World - 8/10
Nowadays, one of the only real draws of going to see movies in the cinemas are the big blockbuster films that come out each year. It doesn't get more blockbuster than superhero flicks. And nobody does it better than Marvel. Building onto their Marvel Cinematic Universe with their 8th canon film, Thor gets his second outing within his franchise, and he strikes his hammer Mjolnir while the fire is hot. I understand the criticisms some critics and fans may have with this film, but for me The Dark World was as good, if not better than his first movie. This review does contain spoilers.
Thor grew up immensely since his arrogant days back in the beginning of Thor, and instead he becomes a humble Asgardian. When "Odin" offers Thor kingship of the Nine Realms at the end, you can see that Thor couldn't have wanted it any less. He knew he was better off defending others than ruling. I think this is the Thor character trait I saw and liked most by the end of the first movie, and firmly cemented him in my mind as my favorite Avenger, and to see it so openly in this sequel was great. Along with his ignorant humor (particularly on Midgard/Earth) he's such a lovable character.
Loki on the other hand I truly feel sorry for. You know he's the enemy, but in many ways this movie was about how he didn't want to be the enemy. He's a torn character. He knows his wrongs, but doesn't understand why they're wrong, and in the same respect it hurts him when his mother and brother can't even trust him. Every time someone mentions "I can't trust you," you could see it in his face that it really hurts him - but at the same time it's his fault because he revels in his trickery. By the end of the film (MAJOR SPOILER) we learn that Loki tricks his way out of death and actually somehow tricks his way into becoming king of Asgard, fooling even Thor! Loved that twist. He plays his father so well. AND THAT ALMOST CAMEO WITH CAPTAIN AMERICA!!! I'm really glad they can pull stuff off like this, post Avengers.
The scenery in this film was gorgeous, something I praised the first film for, but this time around it oozes with beauty. Every realm they go to, whether it be Vanaheim or Svartalheim, was gorgeous. I particularly loved the imagery in the scene just after Frigga dies (and she kicks some serious Malekith butt) when they gave her a proper viking (I mean Asgardian) send off. Beautifully imagined.
I want to give the filmmakers props for not going the Dark Knight route and turning it too "dark". There was PLENTY of humor in this film, and because of it it was one of the most enjoyable films I've seen all year. Kat Dennings' character Darcy is always toted as being too comical, but I welcome [most] of her scenes. Sometimes she is a bit much though. The ending with the portal jumping fight became so ridiculously complex I was nearly in a fit of laughter. Loved it. The scene where he ends up back on earth and he needs to take the Subway to get to Greenwich - I died. Couldn't hold it in. (Although that is a bit ridiculous, why would the London Underground be operating during an alien invasion?!)
That being said, although Malekith put up a great fight near the end, his motives for wanted the Ether, and to turn all the nine realms dark was a bit unexplained. And Christopher Eccleston definitely deserved more screentime. The Dark Elves were exquisitely creepy, but I would have liked to have learned more about them before the movie was through.
Where was S.H.I.E.L.D. in all of this? Surely they would keep tabs on Erik Selvig's work (crazy as he was). And they would have definitely made it there in time. Surely they got tipped off that cars were floating. I guess we'll find out what happened to them on next week's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode, The Well.
I have to mention the midcredits scene with the Collector, played very creepily by Benicio Del Toro. We know so far that the Collector will play some part in Marvel's upcoming film The Guardians of the Galaxy. Sif and Volstagg give him the Ether to safeguard, knowing it unwise to keep two Infinity Stones (or Gems) in the same location on Asgard (they also have the Tesseract). When they leave, the Collector mentions "one down, five to go." For those of us in the comic book know, we know that the Infinity Gems are gems of immense power, and all six together will create the Infinity Gauntlet. We know that Avengers 2 (Age of Ultron) probably won't feature Thanos (teased in the first Avengers mid-credits scene), but I believe that Marvel is going to keep introducing the Infinity Gems which will culminate in the Avengers 3, and I'm assuming that will feature Thanos as the big bad, along with the Infinity Gauntlet. Perhaps the Collector is in cahoots with him?
To keep abreast with the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in it's chronological timeline order, check out my list:
http://trakt.tv/user/Geekritique/lists/marvel-cinematic-universe-timeline
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-02-03T20:25:55Z
Continuing the second phase of Marvel's cinematic onslaught, begun several months prior with Iron Man 3, Thor's encore solo performance is a markedly stronger, more focused effort than his first. Though Earth still factors into the mix, particularly in the clever, gripping climactic fight scene, there's no mistaking that this is Asgard's story and that clear emphasis, missing from the original, makes a big difference.
As a distinctly fantasy-laden epic, it also benefits from a fresh, authentic flavor that its stable-mates just can't match. There's more to see than smashed skyscrapers and flattened taxi cabs in Thor's world, and that brand of open possibility makes the realm an absolute delight to swallow up.
As visual feasts go, this is at or near the top of the pile - it's gorgeous, innovative and generally unlike anything else in modern cinema, a stuffed bagful of sensory treats. The acting, too, has taken a grand step up since our last trip across the rainbow bridge. Surprisingly, this time Natalie Portman comes across as a clunky third wheel: Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston provide the real intrigue, hammering home Thor's complicated relationship with his conniving adopted brother, Loki.
A fantastically imaginative flick, well-paced and triumphantly acted, that does something its precursor couldn't: whet my appetite for a sequel.