Thor: The Dark World

 

 

Out of everything in the Marvel Universe, when it comes to paper (comics), Thor is about the dumbest character. He will always look like the California surfer guy smoking the second hand smoke. He's a character that is supposed to fit into Norse mythology but I don't see much of that in him whatsoever. Unlike someone like Batman or Spider Man, this character has only one weapon and that is a hammer and this is cheesy.

That said though, Thor still has a lot of potential. The character is different every which way. Also Norse mythology is a very uncommon thing in the comic book world and also in the film world and this shows originality. Thor is also a character with an interesting history that breaks many norms and no doubt the series has an audience.

After an impressive run at the box office with the first feature film, Thor: The Dark World is the sequel. The plot has Thor (Chris Hemworth) fighting Malekith ( Christopher Eccleston) who is a villain that is trying to destroy this world by making it darker using the weapon called Aether.

Like the 2011 film, the cast here is a hit. Chris Hemsworth is the likable Thor who again brings a sarcastic tone. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman ) is Thor's love interest and is a character that goes with the flow and who along with Darcy (Kat Dennings)  brings more humor than the first movie which was unexpected. After what he did in The Avengers, (Tom Hiddleston) Loki is the character we are most looking forward to seeing. Here Middleston plays Loki, Thor's brother, as the same type of character as before. Loki is silly and an un-credited villain though ironically he ends up being on the good side here. Odin (Anthony Hopkins) is the humble father who is trying to keep the peace between the brothers and also outsiders.

This being a superhero film, the next biggest question that comes up is just what does the villain  bring to the film. Even with the tired concept of trying to take over the world again, Malekith is the villain we want. With different makeup and being a dark character, the weapon of Aether brings a different element to the table. It's also not that hard to follow the story like some other superhero films plots that we have had in the last couple of years.

Unlike the first movie, there is a big ending here presented in a joking matter that feels like something out of a David Lynch movie. There are so many turns in the third act and final scenes that it creates a lot of discussion coming out of the theater. Still though, it sets the Thor series up for what seems like an interesting sequel and it also shows that director Alan Taylor is willing to make some very risky moves. Call it a mixed ending at best.

After the story, the next interesting side of Thor is the main world Asgard which is full of interesting colors, lights and tones. Nothing in the Marvel Universe really comes close to Asgard. As with the 2011 film, the part of the sequel in Asgard is a little thing of the film but it goes a long way and something I would enjoy seeing many more times.

It is probably something we don't need but Thor: Dark World is still none the less a very solid sequel. It is so good of a sequel it shows that something of this depth can work again. This will get even more interesting when we get the next sequel.

4/5