As most of you know (if you've already read the review), Thor is in my opinion not only one of the best films of the MCU, but also one of my newly dubbed favorite films of all time. I loved the action, I loved the mythology, and I especially loved the chemistry between the actors. Not just between Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. But between Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins and all of the others who put their best effort for us to like and understand the lesser known guy in the Avengers pantheon. And after Thor's triumphant appearance in The Avengers, this made me want to see Thor on the big screen even more.
With that said, Thor: The Dark World was definitely not what I expected of one of the three direct sequels to The Avengers. While I do like this film better than Iron Man 3 and The Incredible Hulk, this is not even close to matching the other films in the MCU in terms of quality storytelling and quality filmmaking.
Plot: Ages before the events of the MCU, Odin's father Bor battled with the Dark Elf Malekith, who plotted to destroy the known worlds with a weapon known as the Aether (I named my Espeon in my Pokemon HeartGold after this, but I digress). Bor defeats the forces of the dark elves and keeps the Aether from causing horrific damage, while Malekith and his allies escape.
Loki stands trial for his crimes he committed on Earth during The Avengers, while Thor and his friend continue their fight to keep peace throughout all of the Nine Realms. But the victory in Vanaheim (Way too many Disney jokes to speak of so I'll just keep quiet) is short lived, as the Asgardians learn that the Convergence (a rare alignment of the Nine Realms), is imminent, as it causes portals to throughout the Nine Realms appear all over the universe. This includes one portal that Jane Foster stumbles into in London, wherein she is exposed to the power of the Aether.
This prompts Thor to travel on the Bifrost to Earth to reunite with his love, who berates Thor for not contacting her once during both his time in Asgard and during his time in New York with the Avengers. But Jane accidentally unleashes the Aether on a few police officers and forces Thor to take her back to Asgard where she could be under the protection of Odin, who not only rejects Jane due to the impending danger the Aether poses to Asgard, but also to convince his son to take an Asgardian as his wife instead.
Awakened by the power of the Aether, Malekith returns to the Nine Realms and attacks Asgard in search of Jane. The Asgardians protect Jane, but this causes Thor's mother Frigga to lose her life. Malekith flees Asgard, which prompts Odin to order his son to not follow him. Nevertheless, Thor must call the aid of his sword nemesis and brother, Loki, to aid him in his quest to free Jane from the Aether before Malekith could find a way to take control of the Aether and bring about a great devastation to not only Asgard, but the rest of the worlds included.
What's Bad?: As much as I loved her in the original movie, I was really annoyed by Natalie Portman as Jane Foster this time around. She was more like the prototypical DID in this film than the spunky woman we met in Thor. It reminded me more of Margot Kidder or Kirsten Dunst in Superman and Spider Man than it did someone like Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises. As depressing as it is that Thor does not get to spend more time with Jane in Age of Ultron, I'm kind of happy she's not coming back.
Another thing I didn't like was the color scheme in the world of the Dark Elves. While I certainly didn't expect the world to be as bright or vibrant as Asgard or Vanaheim, it seemed way to dark and dank for me to really care about what was going on between Thor and Loki.
What's Good?: The best parts about this movie are with the Asgardians, particularly Thor and Loki. The film gives us a chance to build up their brotherly relationship (despite an ending with which we lose a fair amount of that), as we learn that despite his bitterness towards Loki for his deceit and actions in New York, that Thor does still love Loki. The death scene near the end is also well written and justifiable as Thor is able to see Loki sacrifice himself to save the day.
The action scenes are about as good as the original film's, if not slightly weaker. I think it's because Thor's story arc is pretty much complete in many regards and that we don't exactly care about the battles that happen until Thor becomes involved in the main plot of the film.
Overall: While no where near as good as some of the other films of the MCU (The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man), Thor: The Dark World is a perfectly adequate film addition to the storyline to tide us over until Age of Ultron. It's not complex or as engaging as the first film, but I still enjoyed journeying back to Asgard and look forward to going back one more time in Ragnarok, but more on that when we get to covering Phase III.
Final Grade: 84, or B
Next: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Then: Guardians of the Galaxy
Later: The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Also: Phase III Analysis
Another thing I didn't like was the color scheme in the world of the Dark Elves. While I certainly didn't expect the world to be as bright or vibrant as Asgard or Vanaheim, it seemed way to dark and dank for me to really care about what was going on between Thor and Loki.
What's Good?: The best parts about this movie are with the Asgardians, particularly Thor and Loki. The film gives us a chance to build up their brotherly relationship (despite an ending with which we lose a fair amount of that), as we learn that despite his bitterness towards Loki for his deceit and actions in New York, that Thor does still love Loki. The death scene near the end is also well written and justifiable as Thor is able to see Loki sacrifice himself to save the day.
The action scenes are about as good as the original film's, if not slightly weaker. I think it's because Thor's story arc is pretty much complete in many regards and that we don't exactly care about the battles that happen until Thor becomes involved in the main plot of the film.
Overall: While no where near as good as some of the other films of the MCU (The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man), Thor: The Dark World is a perfectly adequate film addition to the storyline to tide us over until Age of Ultron. It's not complex or as engaging as the first film, but I still enjoyed journeying back to Asgard and look forward to going back one more time in Ragnarok, but more on that when we get to covering Phase III.
Final Grade: 84, or B
Next: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Then: Guardians of the Galaxy
Later: The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Also: Phase III Analysis
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