First Full Reviews For THOR: THE DARK WORLD Hit

First Full Reviews For THOR: THE DARK WORLD Hit

Thor: The Dark World just premiered in London, and the first wave of reviews from sites like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are now online. We've rounded up some of the verdicts (all spoiler-free of course), so hit the jump to find out whether the movie is a hit or miss!

By JoshWilding - Oct 22, 2013 01:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Thor


But effective thought the humour is, it's clumsily placed at times alongside the moments of real darkness and loss – there's an emotional gut punch in the second act, but its impact is immediately blunted by a curt segue into wacky hijinks with the gang in London. With the final cut coming in at a taut 112 minutes, there's a distinct sense that a brutal editing process is to blame for these tonal swings. Despite its occasionally bipolar quality, Thor: The Dark World is a hugely entertaining and sharply written continuation of Marvel's Phase 2, combining heart, spectacle and a shrewd lightness of touch.


SOURCE: Digital Spy


There are flaws. There are always flaws. There are signs that the story may, at one point, have been in flux (a potential love triangle between Thor, Jane and Sif goes nowhere, for example) and it’s also packed with a Smegload of fridge moments, those pesky plot-holes that will keep you awake at 3am, while its grasp on science (or, as Thor would have it, magic) is fairly flimsy, with respected actors spouting nonsense about gravitons and wibblyflibs like they’re in a 1950s B-movie. We’re no Prof. Brian Cox, but it’s almost certain to take this year’s Bad Movie Science award. But the whole thing clips along at such a brisk rate — at just over 100 minutes (not including credits, or post-credit stings, or post-post-credits stings) it wraps up when most blockbusters are grinding their gears — and is so entertaining that it doesn’t seem to matter. Now that’s magic-science. As confident and assured as its lead character, Marvel’s great run continues. We give this Thor out of Thive. (Sorry.)


SOURCE: Empire Online


In much the same way as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine or Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, Hemsworth has taken such ownership of Thor that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing him. He is an engaging presence throughout, but it’s when he is paired with Hiddleston’s Loki that we get the film’s best moments. Elsewhere Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is smartly given more to do without her screen time feeling forced, but it’s a shame we don’t get to see more of Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three, who are restricted to fleeting, if entertaining moments. Nonetheless, Thor: The Dark World is an ambitious, thrilling and often hilarious superhero sequel. Iron Man got things off to a great start, but now Marvel’s ‘Phase Two’ is in full swing. ANOTHER!


SOURCE: Hey U Guys


Nobody gives good sneer like Tom Hiddleston, back once again in the pleather leggings and goat-horned helmet to play bad guy Loki in Thor: The Dark World and pretty much upstage the whole show. Amiable hunk Chris Hemsworth may play the title character in this sub-set of Marvel’s meta-Avengers franchise, but this well-intentioned “witless oaf,” as his evil foster brother describes him at one point, is practically a guest at his own party here, as scads of new characters and millions of dollars worth of CGI crowd the screen. Most of it pales into insignificance when Loki takes the stage, which isn’t often enough given how wildly uneven the sections are without him. Although director Alan Taylor manages to get things going properly for the final battle in London, the long stretches before that on Asgard and the other branches of Yggdrasil are a drag, like filler episodes of Game of Thrones but without the narrative complexity, mythical heft or all-pervading sexiness.


SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter


Thor: The Dark World is as funny as it is exciting. A slick balance of action, humor and comic book sensibilities. Fans are going to find so much to like about this movie, not only because it’s fun, but because of its place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Besides the two credits scenes, Thor: The Dark World has ramifications that’ll be felt for years to come. So while the film might not have the psychological complexity or sheer scope of the previous two Marvel movies, it’s more balanced and feels weightier.


SOURCE: Slash Film


The result is a film that is enjpyable in spots, but haphazard and ultimately unsatisfying. As with "Iron Man 3," these films are increasingly feeling like episodes of TV shows or, perhaps more appropriately, issues of comic books. For all the good gags and eye candy, this ultimately boils down to yet another quest to find a magical MacGuffin that will stop a portal in the sky from opening (seriously, has that become one of the Seven Basic Plots at this point?). And while the hardcore geek crowd may eat that up, the rest of us need these films to distinguish themselves a little more if we're going to have one every six months.


SOURCE: The Playlist


Filmmakers haven’t put a lot of new ideas between Chris Hemsworth and his hammer, but there are enough thrills and laughs to keep it aloft. In the current onslaught of superhero movies, we get a lot of Terrible, some very occasional Excellent and a decent amount of Entertaining Enough. “Thor: The Dark World” falls squarely into Entertaining Enough, with plenty of excitement and panache to make it lots more fun than the first one. This time around, we get no ticky-tacky small-town sets, and director Alan Taylor (an HBO vet whose “Game of Thrones” credentials no doubt got him this gig) strikes just the right balance.


SOURCE: The Wrap


Early on in “Thor: The Dark World,” the latest slab of briskly amusing, elaborately inconsequential 3D entertainment from the Disney/Marvel comicbook factory, an evil Dark Elf announces his sinister plan to “unleash the Aether.” What sounds at first like an arcane euphemism for breaking wind turns out to be just another way of stating what you probably already suspected: The megalomaniac of the month is about to activate the latest all-powerful weapon capable of triggering mass annihilation, necessitating yet another intervention by a popular superhero and his ragtag band of sidekicks. Still, as helmed by Alan Taylor, this robust, impersonal visual-effects showpiece proves buoyant and unpretentious enough to offset its stew of otherwise derivative fantasy/action elements.


SOURCE: Variety







Marvel’s "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s "Thor" and "Marvel’s The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

STARRING:

Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Zachary Levi as Fandral
Ray Stevenson as Volstagg
Tadanobu Asano as Hogun
Jaimie Alexander as Sif
Idris Elba as Heimdall
Christopher Eccleston as Malekith

RELEASE DATE: November 8th, 2013
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TheMadman
TheMadman - 10/22/2013, 1:14 PM
Wow, it seems you either love it or hate it.
Unionjack
Unionjack - 10/22/2013, 1:16 PM
still cant wait for next week to see it myself :)
sanyaya
sanyaya - 10/22/2013, 1:23 PM
damn i had to delete that comment either way i hate all critics
Knightrider
Knightrider - 10/22/2013, 1:25 PM
These read as if reviewers are starting to get tired of the same ole formula, which Marvel and DC have been guilty of.

The reason the Dark Knight probably stands out so much is because the battle was so personal.

Captain America 2 has the chance to have this type of battle.

The problem Marvel has is if they keep churning these movies out, they may end up becoming formulaic, and much like the Rom Com genre people will get tired of the Superhero genre, and will onl really turn up to see the Superhero movies that really stand out for being different in a crowded market.
DelTorite
DelTorite - 10/22/2013, 1:26 PM
Still not excited about it. I Can't wait for GotG though... I hope I won't be dissapointed.
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 10/22/2013, 1:27 PM
Interesting news indeed.
Minato
Minato - 10/22/2013, 1:28 PM
JJJJJEEEEEEEAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!
ATrueHero1987
ATrueHero1987 - 10/22/2013, 1:29 PM
Yea I read just pieces of the Variety review and there are some spoilers in it.
MisterNiceGuy
MisterNiceGuy - 10/22/2013, 1:29 PM
Well I remember getting all excited about IM3 and we all know how that turned out.
Mastyrwerk
Mastyrwerk - 10/22/2013, 1:30 PM
Slash Film made the ignorant mistake of complaining about it being "like issues of a comic book". Have these imbeciles realized what they are watching yet? Do they not know that they are watching an ongoing saga and that the movies are serialized? What the hell do they actually expect?
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 10/22/2013, 1:31 PM
People. Judge the movie for yourself. Just because they might like it or hate it duesng mean you will.
Spideyshawn
Spideyshawn - 10/22/2013, 1:32 PM
Looks like marvel cut up alan taylor vision.
Jumpman
Jumpman - 10/22/2013, 1:33 PM
@Knightrider,

This is why the MCU, with these current actors, needs to have an end game film before recasting occurs. There needs to be an end point so that this whole endeavor doesn't feel like TV, which it has started to feel like...especially after Iron Man 3.

This thing needs to lead to something pivotal. Something monumental. Avengers 3 has to be that.
JoshBerger
JoshBerger - 10/22/2013, 1:34 PM
Okay...I read only a few of these and I'm pumped...well,even more than before...[frick] I haven't even been watching the promo images or spots or trailers for the past 2 months..so...BRING IT!!!!
ndwwrestler2
ndwwrestler2 - 10/22/2013, 1:35 PM
So...basically from what I've read is that 'it's not special but it's good enough'.
Starkasm
Starkasm - 10/22/2013, 1:37 PM
I prefer reviews from fans rather than some pretentious drop kick.
ATrueHero1987
ATrueHero1987 - 10/22/2013, 1:37 PM
@MP79 I think I know which one you're talking about....a certain character shows up? That didn't surprise me. Now if the article mentioned WHY he showed up, I missed that...and i'm glad.lol
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 10/22/2013, 1:37 PM
Reviews before the movie and actual reception have been vastly different this month. Hope all the positive reviews are true.
ezio619
ezio619 - 10/22/2013, 1:39 PM
i expected this,iron man 3 had a mixed reactions ,as did man of steel and the wolverine,not everyone was gonna like it ,the playlist review did piss me off,DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WATCHING.
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 10/22/2013, 1:39 PM
*Year*
ezio619
ezio619 - 10/22/2013, 1:40 PM
i do wish we had the scenes that alan taylor had to cut but i read a recent article that it did hurt him to cut that but he wanted the movies pacing to be tight so maybe those scenes were a little too slow and interrupted the flow of the movie,so that i can understand as a fan of films and fellow aspiring filmmaker aswell,hopefully we get an extended cut of the film
gambgel
gambgel - 10/22/2013, 1:40 PM
what? Thor somehow like a guest in his own party??

again small screentime for Sif and the three warriors??

oh lord.... :(

Doesnt Marvel learn or what??
BlackPhillip
BlackPhillip - 10/22/2013, 1:41 PM
Wow! This all sounds disappointing :/
Moohika
Moohika - 10/22/2013, 1:41 PM
Seriously, who lets critics influence them into seeing a movie or not instead of judging it for themselves?
WawelDragon
WawelDragon - 10/22/2013, 1:41 PM
Any post-credits scenes Descriptions leaked?
GinjaNinja
GinjaNinja - 10/22/2013, 1:41 PM
Crap not the reviews I was looking for.....
ezio619
ezio619 - 10/22/2013, 1:42 PM
i am worried that it might get compared to man of steel and people might say its a rip off because of the villains motivation and some of the designs for the film ,i read varietys article and they spoil a person from the after credits scene,anyway i will support any superhero film
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 10/22/2013, 1:43 PM
I wonder if Thor will get the same controversy Superman and Iron Man have picked up among comic fans this year.
arsonjack
arsonjack - 10/22/2013, 1:43 PM
Doesn't sound good.
ezio619
ezio619 - 10/22/2013, 1:44 PM
i wasnt expecting it to be the most amazing thing in the world,if if its a solid film with a good story and good characters,then i am will be happy
GinjaNinja
GinjaNinja - 10/22/2013, 1:45 PM
I hope in phase 3 they cut back a little on the humor.
patrat18
patrat18 - 10/22/2013, 1:47 PM
My only fear is the humor. They might use too much of it. Thor one used the humor well, not alot but well.
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