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Erika (17788 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies

Jul 21, 2018 (Updated Jul 22, 2018)  
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013 | Action, Sci-Fi
After Avengers, I was pumped to see this movie. Who didn't want to know what ended up happening to Loki and Thor? Well, I think that most people weren't impressed, me included. In fact, I'd only seen the movie twice before I rewatched it on my flight from hell a few days ago.
It wasn't as bad as I remember, but I may be more forgiving as of late. Loki and Kat Dennings' Darcy, were by far the best part of the film, but the story fell a little flat. Kat It felt rushed. After this film, I wasn't sad to see Jane Foster gone, as she was relegated to a damsel-in-distress character, which I wasn't a fan of. It was definitely the reason I think it was a good idea to axe Foster in Ragnarok.

I think they wasted Christopher Eccleston's Malekith too. Malekith was yet another generic Marvel villain, which wasn't a good thing to be post Avenger's 1.
  
Thor (2011)
Thor (2011)
2011 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Chris Hemsworth as Thor Tom Hiddleston as Loki The Action sequences The score Kenneth Branagh's direction (0 more)
Natalie Portman as Jane Thor and Jane's romance Darcy( The jar jar binks of the MCU) (0 more)
Two worlds, One hero
Thor is presented with a difficult challenge - believably incorporating a god into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has already been established. This task falls to director Kenneth Branagh, who devotes sufficient time to both Asgard, Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) home realm, and Earth, where he is exiled to. Asgard is depicted through a heavy use of special effects which creates a sense of wonder, but the story is steeped in relatable familial issues. When Thor disobeys his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), he is cast to Earth as a mortal. His hammer, Mjolnir, is the source of his powers, and it is also sent to Earth to await someone worthy enough to wield such power.

Most superhero movies spend a large amount of time introducing their hero to their superpower, and then invest yet more time discovering the full potential of this power. In the case of Thor, this is reversed. He begins the film a powerful god and is then stripped of such a gift, forced to learn to live without such capabilities. It is here that the film really shines, as Thor attempts to adapt to life on Earth. He is not accustomed to human ways, and this fish out of water scenario is wisely played for laughs.

Of course, this being a superhero movie means a love interest is required to be drafted in. Enter Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), an astrophysicist who discovers Thor. She is accompanied by her mentor, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and her assistant, Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). They all become entangled with S.H.I.E.L.D, who have previously been glimpsed in Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), and Iron Man 2 (2010). Throughout this series of films it has been evident that there is something larger at play, and with Thor this bigger picture begins to come into sharper focus.

Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is presented as the villain, but he mostly stays in the shadows and pulls the strings of others to do his fighting. This results in less CGI-laden battles but a stronger character-based story. Thor strikes a pleasing balance between plot and spectacle, effectively setting up a likeable hero and an interesting big bad. However, with most of the Earth-based action set in a small town in New Mexico, the threat never feels particularly palpable.

I was skeptical but intrigued by Thor, and Branagh does do a marvellous job of incorporating myth and legend into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I would have liked to see Kat Dennings given a meatier role to play, but that minor quibble aside Thor is a highly enjoyable superhero movie. Chris Hemsworth is great as Thor, delivering in both the heroics and comedy and Loki played by Tom Hiddelston is a fantastic villian. Sadly, the film doesn't quite rise to the bar set by Iron Man, but it does come impressively close.
  
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013 | Action, Sci-Fi
Marvel Studios has certainly been on a roll in recent years with a string of successful film adaptations of their popular comic book series. The recent overwhelming worldwide successes for “The Avengers”, and “Iron Man 3”, which topped $1 billion each globally has certainly raised the bar for their next cinematic offerings.

“Thor: The Dark World”, is poised to carry on the success of the Marvel film franchise as it successfully mixes action and character form the rare sequel that is better than the film that spawned it.

Chris Hemsworth once again stars as the title character who has been spending his time clearing up discord on the planets of the Nine Realms following his outing with The Avengers.

With peace at hand, his father Odin, (Sir Anthony Hopkins), believes the time is right for Thor to prepare for his reign as king of Asgard and protector of the realms.

Thor is not ready to embrace his destiny as his mind and heart are focused on Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), we has not seen since the events of the first film. His father warns him that a mortal is not suited to be his future queen and suggest that his fellow warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander), would be far more suitable.

To further complicate matters Thor’s treacherous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is seething at the prospect of spending eternity in captivity for his past crimes which only furthers his desire for power and revenge.
While all of this would be enough to keep Thor very busy, a new threat has arisen from the past that threatens to destroy the known universe. A powerful force known as the Aether which had been hidden by Thor’s grandfather has emerged and is drawn the attention of a Dark Elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who has been hiding away for centuries from those who believed him to be dead.

Malekith wants to take advantage of a pending convergence of the realms to use the supernatural power for his own purposes and in doing so destroy and subjugate all those who are before him. Fate intervenes and brings Jane and Thor together again just as the enemy forces arrived to ransack Asgard.

Faced with a battle against time not only to protect his beloved homeland but to save the known universe, Thor must work with his treacherous brother Loki in a race against time to save the day.

There are plenty of action sequences that follow and the visual effects are quite good even though the film is presented in converted 3-D after being shot in a standard format. The leads are fantastic and truly seem to have a grasp of their characters and the supporting work especially that of Kat Dennings much-needed comic relief is a very nice mix.

The only issue I had with the film other than the converted 3-D, was that the enemy while menacing did not seem to be one of the larger-than-life enemies that one has come to expect from a Marvel film. While certainly dangerous and menacing, there almost seemed to be an air of and confidence about the character as it was clear that he was simply biting off more than he could handle with the forces that were available to him.

That being said the film was extremely enjoyable as were the two bonus scenes that play during the middle of and the end of the credits.

While it may not went over box offices to the level of the two previous Marvel outings, Director Alan Taylor keeps things moving at a steady clip and the film nor the characters do not overstay their welcome.

With another Avengers movie on the horizon and a promise that Thor will return, fans can definitely enjoy this latest offering and look forward to the future for this promising series.

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