Thor: The Dark World is Dark...I Mean It's Really, Really, Dark. (REVIEW: SPOILERS!)
Thor: The Dark World, the second installment in the Thor trilogy adds a new layer of depth not previously explored in the franchise, while Earth parts still leave much to be desired...or not.
Thor: The Dark World is regarded as one of the weakest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it is certainly...well, for lack of a better term, odd. Not bad, odd. The plot revolves around an ancient force called the aether being re-awakened and possessing Thor's earthly girlfriend, Jane Foster after the events of The Avengers. There is a convergence occurring on a cosmic level, weird warps between worlds, and, of course, well...naked Dr. Selvig.
Well, not exactly naked, as it is a PG-13 movie after all. But Dr. Selvig, who was Jane's mentor in the first film, and possessed by Thor's brother Loki in the Avengers, is not exactly a character we needed to see go cuckoo. It's interesting nonetheless, watching a pixelated Dr. Selvig running around a television screen, naked, screaming about science. It's really great to see. Just great. Of course, he goes to the insane asylum, stealing Stan Lee's shoe, but that's beside the point.
The characters on Earth, a very depressing Earth, London, to be exact consist of Jane Foster, annoying and giggly in her own right, but mixed with her friend Darcy, and Ian, the intern's intern, it's simply more "mall shopper girl who happen to be scientists" crap. The Earth plot continues to be, well lacking. Not really, though. In fact, we didn't need it at all, so obviously, I don't want more. I deeply appreciate Taika Waititi of Thor: Ragnarok for fixing this problem, only having a brief Earth scene with Thor and Loki in their respective attires, getting visited by Dr. Strange. It actually works. But the Earth scenes in Dark World are simply...bland. They just aren't worth it.
The plot on Asgard is a little more forgiving, fighting the uninteresting Malekith and the Dark elves. At least the atmosphere actually feels like Asgard, and an actual Thor film, thank Odin. The battle scenes are executed with a scope to rival Lord of the Rings, and it all looks fantastic.
Have I mentioned the visuals yet? When I said this film was dark, I meant so, quite literally, in fact. While the first film looked like a video game, while the third looked like an actual comic book, this film, gorgeous as it may be, looks like a moody Thor cast a thunderstorm over the entire film. It's stunning, but strangely depressing to look at.
Oh, and have we mentioned the moody family dynamics? Well, they're back, better than ever. Moody Thor is entertaining at the least, and interesting at the most. He strives to do his best, actually keeping his head with Odin this time. Unfortunately, he can't refrain from yelling at Loki, who is already in a deteriorating mental state of destruction and self-harm. Did I mention that this film was dark? Well, Thor breaks him out of prison for help, but can't refrain from yelling at his brother (well, good that they got a four-year break after this!) even when Loki just needs a hug. Weird. Chill, Thor. Actually, that's impossible for Thor in this film sadly. The sequences with Loki are emotional and raw, but a bit strange to see, since he had it together in Avengers, well, he was crazy, but sad? No. This film delves deep into hidden emotions, of course. Loki telling his mother that she isn't his mother, then, of course his mother dying is a heart-wrenching moment, and the guilt Loki feels is definitely a reality. Director Alan Taylor did an amazing job with Loki's character and dynamic with Thor, but we only see him for about a third of the film.
Because he dies. Yep. Another fake comic book death we can't explain, another agonizing Thor yell. Have I mentioned Chris Hemsworth's acting and overacting? No? Well, the romance between Jane and Thor continues to be uneven and just, unbelievable (they only had a weekend in the first film, and he hasn't gotten over it in TWO YEARS?) but otherwise, it's sort of tolerable, if you can see past that this is the same actress who played Padme in Star Wars. Great casting, guys. Thanks for ditching her in Ragnarok.
Over all, everything about this film is dark, from the color palette, to parental deaths, to Thor's inability to grow up, the bottomless corners of Loki's soulless soul, the literal near-apocalypse, and, of course, our hero, naked Selvig. And the intern's intern. While not being a bad film by any means, well, it's just plain weird. And uneven. Ragnarok is still better.
Thor: The Dark World is regarded as one of the weakest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it is certainly...well, for lack of a better term, odd. Not bad, odd. The plot revolves around an ancient force called the aether being re-awakened and possessing Thor's earthly girlfriend, Jane Foster after the events of The Avengers. There is a convergence occurring on a cosmic level, weird warps between worlds, and, of course, well...naked Dr. Selvig.
Well, not exactly naked, as it is a PG-13 movie after all. But Dr. Selvig, who was Jane's mentor in the first film, and possessed by Thor's brother Loki in the Avengers, is not exactly a character we needed to see go cuckoo. It's interesting nonetheless, watching a pixelated Dr. Selvig running around a television screen, naked, screaming about science. It's really great to see. Just great. Of course, he goes to the insane asylum, stealing Stan Lee's shoe, but that's beside the point.
The characters on Earth, a very depressing Earth, London, to be exact consist of Jane Foster, annoying and giggly in her own right, but mixed with her friend Darcy, and Ian, the intern's intern, it's simply more "mall shopper girl who happen to be scientists" crap. The Earth plot continues to be, well lacking. Not really, though. In fact, we didn't need it at all, so obviously, I don't want more. I deeply appreciate Taika Waititi of Thor: Ragnarok for fixing this problem, only having a brief Earth scene with Thor and Loki in their respective attires, getting visited by Dr. Strange. It actually works. But the Earth scenes in Dark World are simply...bland. They just aren't worth it.
The plot on Asgard is a little more forgiving, fighting the uninteresting Malekith and the Dark elves. At least the atmosphere actually feels like Asgard, and an actual Thor film, thank Odin. The battle scenes are executed with a scope to rival Lord of the Rings, and it all looks fantastic.
Have I mentioned the visuals yet? When I said this film was dark, I meant so, quite literally, in fact. While the first film looked like a video game, while the third looked like an actual comic book, this film, gorgeous as it may be, looks like a moody Thor cast a thunderstorm over the entire film. It's stunning, but strangely depressing to look at.
Oh, and have we mentioned the moody family dynamics? Well, they're back, better than ever. Moody Thor is entertaining at the least, and interesting at the most. He strives to do his best, actually keeping his head with Odin this time. Unfortunately, he can't refrain from yelling at Loki, who is already in a deteriorating mental state of destruction and self-harm. Did I mention that this film was dark? Well, Thor breaks him out of prison for help, but can't refrain from yelling at his brother (well, good that they got a four-year break after this!) even when Loki just needs a hug. Weird. Chill, Thor. Actually, that's impossible for Thor in this film sadly. The sequences with Loki are emotional and raw, but a bit strange to see, since he had it together in Avengers, well, he was crazy, but sad? No. This film delves deep into hidden emotions, of course. Loki telling his mother that she isn't his mother, then, of course his mother dying is a heart-wrenching moment, and the guilt Loki feels is definitely a reality. Director Alan Taylor did an amazing job with Loki's character and dynamic with Thor, but we only see him for about a third of the film.
Because he dies. Yep. Another fake comic book death we can't explain, another agonizing Thor yell. Have I mentioned Chris Hemsworth's acting and overacting? No? Well, the romance between Jane and Thor continues to be uneven and just, unbelievable (they only had a weekend in the first film, and he hasn't gotten over it in TWO YEARS?) but otherwise, it's sort of tolerable, if you can see past that this is the same actress who played Padme in Star Wars. Great casting, guys. Thanks for ditching her in Ragnarok.
Over all, everything about this film is dark, from the color palette, to parental deaths, to Thor's inability to grow up, the bottomless corners of Loki's soulless soul, the literal near-apocalypse, and, of course, our hero, naked Selvig. And the intern's intern. While not being a bad film by any means, well, it's just plain weird. And uneven. Ragnarok is still better.
Loki didn’t rly die btw
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