2013 | Dir. Alan Taylor | 112 Minutes
"You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you."
After stumbling through a portal to another world, Jane Foster bonds with the Aether, an ancient indestructible weapon once harnessed by the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim in an attempt to plunge the universe into eternal darkness. Thor brings Jane to Asgard to try to separate her from the Aether but is quickly met with resistance from his father Odin. When Dark Elves invade Asgard in an attempt to reclaim the weapon, Thor struggles to protect Jane and finds an unlikely ally in his incarcerated brother Loki.
Directed by Alan Taylor, Thor: The Dark World is, unfortunately, a frustratingly standard sequel with little to set it apart from the other Marvel Studios films. While the production design and the pacing of the picture are slightly improved over the first Thor film, the characters aren't as engaging and the new antagonists are downright dull. To its disservice, the featured MacGuffin plot device is vaguely defined in this film, likely introduced to be further developed in future Marvel Studios films. Though various sequences feature large armies, with the Dark Elves brandishing impressively devastating weapons (the black hole grenade is pretty darn cool), the action is mostly basic and uninspired, save for the sprawling climatic battle on the streets of London that utilizes numerous spatial portals for some disorienting fun.
The film's saving grace are the captivating interactions between Thor and Loki as portrayed by Chris Hemsowrth and Tom Hiddleston returning from Thor and The Avengers. Natalie Portman also returns as Jane Foster, although she unfortunately somehow has even less romantic chemistry with Hemsworth's Thor in this film. Stellan Skarsgård is featured once again as Dr. Selvig, playing full-on pantsless crazy, doing no favors for the actor or the character. Kat Dennings provides comic relief again as Darcy, joined by Jonathan Howard as her intern Ian. Anthony Hopkins returns as Odin, consistently matching his over-the-top performance of the previous Thor film. Rene Russo's Frigga plays a slightly larger role in this film, although it is ultimately just as thankless. Idris Elba's Heimdall is given a larger role as well, participating in more action scenes, and further developing the strong friendship between him and Hemsworth's Thor. Zachary Levi replaces Joshua Dallas as Fandral, joining returning stars Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano as the Warriors Three with Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, although Thor's companions have little to do in this film.
Christopher Eccleston plays the Dark Elf leader Malekith, a regrettably dour one-note role that requires heavy make-up, too much fantasy language dialogue and very little in the way of actual acting. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays Malekith's lieutenant Algrim, a thankless enforcer role that doesn't even require an actor after a grotesque physical transformation a third of the way into the film's running time. Comedian Chris O'Dowd plays a small part as a potential suitor for Jane Foster.
Though visually striking, Thor: The Dark World is ultimately a lackluster sequel carried only by the performances of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The plot of the film is less than captivating, mostly due to a disappointing set of villains, and serves only to establish elements to be used in future Marvel Studios films. While the film may satisfy die-hard fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it fails to stand alone as its own narrative and is one of the weaker films under the Marvel Studios banner.
MID-CREDITS STINGER
Dir. James Gunn
Lady Sif and Volstagg entrust the Aether to Tanaleer Tivan "The Collector" (Benicio del Toro), revealing that the Tesseract, kept on Asgard, and the Aether are artifacts known as Infinity Stones.
POST-CREDITS STINGER
Thor returns to Earth and embraces Jane while a displaced frost beast from Jotunheim rampages through an empty warehouse lot.
STAN LEE CAMEO
Stan the Man is a patient in Dr. Selvig's mental ward.
FRAGMENTS
- The film features the debut of a new Marvel Studios logo with accompanying musical fanfare by composer Brian Tyler
- Scottish character actor Tony Curran, who played Vincent van Gogh in a 2010 episode of Doctor Who, plays Odin's father King Bor in the film's opening sequence
- Alice Krige, veteran science fiction actress, plays an Asgardian physician in one scene
- Chris Evans appears in a brief uncredited cameo when Loki transforms into Steve Rogers (accompanied by Alan Silvisti's Captain America theme) to tease Thor about his new friends on Earth
007 CONNECTIONS
- Benicio del Toro (Dario in Licence to Kill)
