The first Thor film isn't in my personal top tier of films from the MCU, but I really love the idea of other realms existing within the universe and and the prospect of actually exploring some of them. When director Alan Taylor was hired to take the helm here in his feature film debut (following the departure of original director Patty Jenkins), it once again showed a great underlying savvy beneath the apparent risk taken by Marvel. Before coming on to direct this, Taylor had helped to build the spectacular world of the TV masterpiece Game of Thrones through his direction of episodes in the first and second seasons. If there was one key skill needed to bring the different realms here to life, it's world-building. So, when seen from that angle, Taylor's appointment makes complete sense.
An eon ago, the father of King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) stopped the Dark Elf Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston) from using an all-powerful force called the 'Aether' to unleash total darkness across the universe. Now Malekith is back and intent on finishing the job. Both Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his love Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) are drawn into the struggle, but when the situation becomes even more severe, Thor is forced to seek help from the most unlikely of allies; his bitter adoptive brother Loki (Tom Hidleston), now imprisoned after his actions in Thor and The Avengers.
Much like the original film, Thor: The Dark World begins with a battle prologue and proceeds to focus on Asgard and Earth. Fortunately, Taylor and the writing team of Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wisely choose to put more emphasis on Asgard and the other realms outside of Earth now that Thor's attachment to Earth, its inhabitants and the Avengers has been established. This allows the audience to see more of Thor's culture, his people and his responsibilities to protect the Nine Realms, while also giving the audience the opportunity to view new and beautifully designed worlds. As I said before, Taylor's real skill shines through in world-crafting, with Asgard in particular looking incredibly opulent (even moreso than in the original). We get so much more detail from this world than in the original film, and credit for this has to go to Taylor, although not exclusively. Also, in a fun little twist, Yost, Markus and McFeely switch up the 'fish-out-of-water' scenario with entertaining results. However, it's possible that the change in directors resulted in some tonal clashes. For the most part, I can put up with this, but when a critical dramatic moment is immediately followed by an overtly comedic moment, it does make me feel a bit of whiplash. Also, try as they might, Yost, Markus and McFeely can't make the scientific mumbo-jumbo credible and the cast can't quite pull it off either.
The cast here is, for the most part, pitch-perfect in their approach to the material. Chris Hemsworth fits the role of Thor like a glove; while he subtly acknowledges the silliness of the material, he never does so to the point where it's difficult to care for him. What's most impressive is just how gripping Hemsworth is when scenes of real dramatic heft fall on his shoulders. The film isn't packed with scenes like this, but when they arrive and click terrifically, it's all the more credit to Hemsworth's effortlessly likeable and charming turn. He fantastically walks the tightrope between self-awareness and dramatic commitment. Whether bad-ass, funny, out-of-place or in his element. Hemsworth is pitch-perfect in bringing the God of Thunder to life. Grappling with Hemsworth for the star position in this film (and often managing to steal it from him) is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Originally, Loki wasn't even meant to appear in this film before the film-makers changed their minds. Even after that, complaints from test screenings that Loki wasn't in the film enough led to the film-makers re-shooting more scenes with Loki for the film. That kind of love for a character is insane, but after the huge impact Loki has made on the movie-going public, it's hardly surprising. In fact, I'd go as far to say that, outside of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, none of the other actors and character have developed as great a fan-base as Tom Hiddleston and Loki. Hiddleston's work here is just as tremendously entertaining as ever, but what makes Loki such an enduring character is easily his emotional complexity. He is a villain and he gets great pleasure out of irritating those around him, especially Thor, but Hiddleston never lets us forget that there is a real human undercurrent to Loki which makes him identifiable. Hiddleston is surprisingly lovable as a villain, and the scenes between him and Hemsworth are the best they've ever been, with plenty of winning comedy and a couple of poignant moments. Hiddleston is so comfortable in his role that it's a joy to watch him relish every cuttingly witty line and reaction. However, while Hiddleston is phenomenal and the character would have been missed, Loki's presence also makes one of the film's problems all the more evident (I'll touch on that later).
Natalie Portman returns once again as Thor's love interest Jane Foster, and here she actually has a strong role in the narrative. She's no longer simply Thor's love interest; she actually has her own character and place in the narrative. She even plays an important role in a critical action scene. As before, Portman is utterly lovable in the part, and the chemistry between her and Hemsworth is once again spot-on. Also returning are Stellan Skarsgard as Dr. Erik Selvig, Jane's mentor, and Kat Dennings as Darcy, Jane's assistant. Following his ordeal in The Avengers, Selvig is in an emotionally fragile state, as shown by his hysterical introduction. Skarsgard relishes the change in Erik's character, and the resulting performance brings back the humour which the character lacked in The Avengers. Once again, Dennings will draw mixed reactions, but I still personally really enjoy her in these films. However, the character of Ian (Jonathan Howard), Darcy's assistant, is completely surplus to requirements, and while Howard isn't terrible, neither his performance or the character really isn't that necessary or memorable (bar one moment during an action scene). I mean, come on; doesn't the role of assistant to an assistant just sound redundant? As Odin, Anthony Hopkins once again brings his usual gravitas to the proceedings, making the King a powerful presence. As Heimdall, guardians of the gateway between worlds, Idris Elba is just as charismatic as before and actually gets more to do here in the action stakes. Also getting more to do in the action stakes is Rene Russo as the mother of Thor and Loki and Odin's wife Frigga. In the original film, the character of Frigga came across as an afterthought. Here, more time is given to the character's relationships with her sons (particularly Loki) and she even gets a bad-ass fight scene, with Russo seizing these opportunities to deliver a stronger performance. Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi and Ray Stevenson are all entertaining as the Sif and two of the Warriors Three Fandral and Volstagg (Tadanobu Asano also returns as the third Warrior Hogan, but his appearance is of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it variety). For the most part, the cast is fantastic.
Then we come to the character of Malekith. As fun as the rest of the film is, the villain is easily the biggest thorn in the film's side. There are two positives to the character; the first is that the make-up looks impressive, and the second is that he is a major combatant in the incredibly entertaining final fight. That's it. I really tried to think about any other positive traits from this villain, but I couldn't. There's just nothing to him in terms of character and performance. What does Malekith want to do? Plunge the universe into eternal darkness. Why? I couldn't tell you. His evil plan has no base or building point. Nearly every other villain in the MCU has a base and defining point where their villainous plans are born. You don't get any of that with Malekith, and there's never anything which gives his character any motivation for being evil. Plus, when the motivations for evil stray towards the simplistic, other films in the MCU have great actors who tear into their roles with relish. The Incredible Hulk's Emil Blonsky and Captain America: The First Avenger's Johann Schmidt might not have the most complex motivations, but they were still brilliantly performed by Tim Roth and Hugo Weaving respectively. These performances give undeniable presence and character to the villains. Christopher Eccleston's performance as Malekith is almost non-existent. I don't think that this is completely the fault of the actor; he's usually a great actor. He beautifully played Doctor Who, a character with a lot of history and heavy expectations attached. So why is he so utterly forgettable here? Taylor might be partly to blame, but he got such great performances out of those on Game of Thrones and the majority of the other performances here really work, so I'm not sure if that's really the case. Part of the blame could fall on the script, which gives Malekith very little of substance to do. He's just there to facilitate the plot. But, as I said before, Loki also poses part of the problem here. Malekith still would have been a poor villain had Loki not been present here, but Loki's presence only exacerbates what a weak antagonist Malekith is. Loki is arguably the best villain from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, due to both his complexity and his entertainment value, so giving him such a major role only highlights Malekith's shortcomings. There's a brief scene which involves both Loki and Malekith, and you can see the issues there; while Hiddleston is putting real energy and heat into every word and action, Eccleston is just glowering. For me, Thor: The Dark World is an oddity because it has both my favourite MCU villain and my least favourite MCU villain. I'm sorry, Christopher Eccleston, but if you did choose to do this over the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, I think you made a mistake.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe usually delivers when it comes to strong action, and Thor: The Dark World definitely surpasses its predecessor in that department. Taylor's experience with handling grand scenarios in Game of Thrones has definitely paid off here. The first time we see Thor is in the midst of a battle, which not only gives us an action scene early in the proceedings but actually shows us Thor as a warrior, which is an important part of his character. Plus, the final punch-line to that battle is hilarious (and one of the great touches added by Avengers director/writer Joss Whedon, who was asked for help with certain areas of the script). But the spectacle only gets ramped up from there. An assault on Asgard by the Dark Elves is exhilarating, offering plenty of grand destruction and combat while allowing some of the supporting characters the chance to get in on the action. A following sequence, where Thor is forced to work with Loki, is also terrifically done and immensely entertaining, although that might have something to do with the wonderful bickering between Thor and Loki. And then we come to the final battle, which admirably side-steps trying to outdo the epic scale of the climaxes to The Avengers and Iron Man 3, instead going for a more fleet-footed approach. Now don't get me wrong; I love the climactic showdowns in The Avengers and Iron Man 3. But the final fight in Thor: The Dark World, while not quite as grandiose, is just as exciting for its unrelenting inventiveness and its ability to constantly keep the audience on its toes. While there are genuine stakes to this fight, there are also very funny moments and the circumstances allow for some real creativity and craziness which make this a ton of fun to watch.
Technically, Thor: The Dark World is jut as impressive as is fellow MCU entries. The visual effects are never anything less than gorgeous, whether depicting Thor and Malekith's final clash or helping to bring Asgard to life. The visual effects department in the Thor films are often given more room to play with because of the different realms in the cosmos and the different technologies, and they do terrific work here. Production designer Charles Wood does a fantastic job of designing the landscapes, partiuclarly those on Asgard. I do think that Taylor's experience on Game of Thrones had some impact here; while Asgard looks as breath-taking as before, there is a new earthiness and grit to the realm which makes it seem more tangibly real. Credit for this should also go to the art direction team and set decorator John Bush. Returning for composing duties after Iron Man 3, Brian Tyler delivers another stirring musical score. While there are similarities between the scores for the two films, Tyler should be commended for creating individual musical tapestries for both characters which deliver whether they're aiming to be bombastically epic or movingly emotional. Wendy Partridge's costume design is also beautiful; as with the visual effects department, the Thor films offer the costume designers more opportunities than most of the other Marvel efforts do, and Partridge runs with this chance and designs some visually striking costumes, especially for the Asgardian characters. Editors Dan Lebental and Wyatt Smith do solid work in making the film move at an effective pace without proceedings seeming as rushed as they were in the first film, although the blame for some of the film's tonal issues could also be placed on their shoulders.
So the real question is: do I prefer the first Thor or Thor: The Dark World? The action here is markedly improved on the first instalment; they're lengthier, more epic in scale and they provide more opportunities for Thor to show off his god-like powers. After setting up Thor's connections on Earth, the film-makers here feel more comfortable with exploring the different realms present in the MCU, notably Asgard. The cast seem more comfortable with their roles and many of them get more to do, while Hemsworth and Hiddleston have arguably their best scenes yet. All of this might make it sound like Thor: The Dark World is clearly a better film than its predecessor, but there are some major areas where the second film falls short of its predecessor. The character of Malekith and Christopher Eccleston's performance both make for an immensely unappealing villain, who is easily my least favourite villain of the MCU thus far (and I really, REALLY hope no other villain takes his place). Plus, the change in directors from Patty Jenkins to Alan Taylor does result in some tonal clashes, although only one moment really leaves a major impression on me. These are pretty big problems, but I personally find the rest of the film enjoyable enough to rank it above the original.
Final Verdict
In my opinion, Thor: The Dark World may not be one of Marvel's best efforts, but it is perhaps one of the most easily enjoyable. After getting Thor's set-up for The Avengers out of the way, the film-makers clearly feel more confident in exploring Asgard, its culture and characters. The cast is more comfortable with the material; many returning members get more to do this time around, but the stars of the film are still Hemsworth and Hiddleston. Their performances and chemistry are terrific. The action sequences are bigger and better, while the technical credits are typically spectacular. The visual effects are grand and often gorgeous, while the production design/set decoration and musical score bring legitimate heft to the scale on display. There are definite issues; Malekith is a villainous dud both in character and performance, there are some awkward tonal shifts and the writers and actors can't sell the scientific jargon as anything other than gibberish. But Thor: The Dark World is still such a fun experience that it's hard to complain too much. Sometimes the success ratio for a superhero film should be just how fun it is, and Thor: The Dark World is one of these examples. Thankfully, it delivers the fun in spades.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (Spoilers for Iron Man 3)
All Hail the King follows Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) after his incarceration at the end of Iron Man 3. Having become a inmate celebrity due to his 'role' as The Mandarin, Slattery is set to finish a series of interviews with film-maker Jackson Norris (Scoot McNairy). However, there's more to the situation than one might expect... Written and directed by Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce, All Hail the King has pretty much the same irreverent spirit and comedic flair. But what really makes King a treat is Kingsley. As I said in my Iron Man 3 review, this is one of Kingsley's most inspired turns in years, and he's an absolute delight here. Trevor is an utter fool, but Kingsley never lets the character verge into cartoon territory. McNairy is also very strong here; he's one of those great actors who can do a lot with a little, and he really clicks with Kingsley in their scenes together. Pearce has stated that All Hail the King was done as an apology to those who were left angry or upset with the Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3, and I have to say that, while this short should make those people happy, I applaud Pearce for doing this without compromising his and Shane Black's vision for Iron Man 3. Add in a delightful appearance from another Iron Man character, and All Hail the King is another great Blu-Ray short, with both this and the sublime Agent Carter easily being the stand-outs of the Marvel One-Shot oeuvre.
Post-Review Thoughts (Spoiler Warning!!!)
That tonal clash which bothers me is following Loki's 'death' scene. This is a huge dramatic point in the film, and what do we follow it up with? Funny time with Richard (Chris O'Dowd). Now don't get me wrong; I really like Chris O'Dowd. He's a charming and hilarious guy, and his appearances are enjoyable. It's just that his second appearance here seems out-of-place with the dramatic tone Loki's apparent end set up.
I know I'm not the first person to say this, but the Captain America cameo is genius. It doesn't feel forced, the film-makers work it in brilliantly and Chris Evans' performance is brilliant. Evans, in particular, has a lot of fun as Loki playing with Cap's 'good-guy' image.
I love the post-credits scenes; the first shows Volstagg and Sif interacting with The Collector (Benicio del Toro). This not only sets up Guardians of the Galaxy, but it also establishes that the Guardians and the Avengers exist in the same film universe (CAN NOT WAIT for the team-up of team-ups). This post-credits scene also introduces the idea of the Infinity Stones through the characters' discussion, while The Collector's comment about having 'five more to go' indicates sinister things to come. The final post-credits scene shows Thor returning to Earth to be with Jane, while that, for lack of a better description, that Ice Giant dog is shown chasing after pigeons. This is the kind of small but wonderful touch which the Marvel film-makers revel in so much. Plus, I think if we hadn't seen that, we'd be wondering where the hell that thing was.
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