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Introduction Finally the wait is over and another Marvel film has hit theaters with the return of everyone’s favorite, Loki. Many promises were made with this film on one side with finally giving us a space adventure with Thor while also expanding on what ever became of Loki after his mischievous adventure to invade earth. As this is my opinion fresh from the movie theater and I may have missed some elements while writing this article, I will give my best to talk about everything I saw and managed to remember. So, without further ado, let’s get straight to the review.
Review Out of some reason I have to confess I had a similar experience with this film as I did with the original Thor. I never believed I would laugh as much as I did throughout the film with some great timed jokes. Considering that both Thor and Loki also had some of the most amusing moments in the Avengers, which seemed to make the naïve Asgardians the perfect ploy for many fish-out-of-water jokes while also turning Loki into the serious contrast to his brother. Especially the latter was used to much more comedic effect with him commenting on any action the God of Thunder conducts, especially as he always saw him as the big brother who loved clobbering things when taking action. It is a very pleasant experience and the humor does push forward an emotional impact when it comes around, which does indeed in this movie and I don’t plan to spoil until further down in my spoiler section. I am aware that many people have issues with Kat Denning’s character, especially when the sidekick character gets an intern, but it never truly bothered me personally.
The story this time around does seem rather simplistic but does serve an overall purpose. Before the creation of all nine realms there use to be only darkness, the birthplace of the Dark Elves. Their ruthless leader, Malekith the Accursed (played by Christopher Eccleston), is trying to plunge the world back to how it was before through the Aether, a mystical weapon without any true physical form. After being defeated by Odin’s father the only survivor’s fled only awakened when the weapon returns and threatens the plunge the world into darkness once more. It is a rather simple tale of a strong force trying to achieve his goals while throwing in the search for revenge. While I am at the topic I actually found the villains to be quite interesting as not only are the interesting from a visual standpoint, as I love those masks with the giant dark holes for eyes, but also their motives. It is a rather classic villain who has greater motives than to get personal revenge on the main character, and if I recall correctly our first enemy who actually intends to destroy the complete galaxy. Malekith is intimidating when on screen and does pop up periodically to prove this fact. He is a relentless force seeking what he believes to belong to him. Naturally, it makes the character rather one-dimensional but it serves a higher purpose overall while also giving us a very strong performance.
Chris Hemsworth has truly become Thor and it is hard to consider any other person for this role. There is a level of sincerity in his performance and there is a strong family dynamic when he interacts with Odin (once again portrayed by Antony Hopkins), his mother Frigga (also returning actress Rene Russo) and naturally his brother, Loki. Being one of the most famous characters out of the Avengers he gets ample screen time this time around and actually some rather interesting character development. We not only see what he is capable of doing, but also see him at his weakest when an event forces him to pull down his façade. This time around there is a strong family dynamic pushed forward while the love interest of Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portmann, is an addition. Many believe she serves little purpose in the last film, but actually has a good reason why she is brought to Asgard. There are some rather interesting moments with Jane throughout the film as she is having some rather strange, but interesting visions throughout the film.
Something I will get about later is probably one of the best cameos I have ever seen in any film to date, which also makes sense within the narrative. Most of the film actually gives an interesting look on how the various realms interact. Asgardians were more than just what humans believed to be Gods, but they are also the one’s that keep all the worlds in order. They are somewhat taking the position of what the Green Lantern’s have in the DC Universe. I am rather curious if their position in the universe is further explored in James Gunn’s upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy”. We get to visit some interesting places while also returning to an old, which is used as a nice homage towards the first entry in the franchise.
Alan Taylor knows how to combine the bizarre world of fantasy and alien technology, which blends quite interestingly. The original made Asgard seem quite clean while avoiding showing too much of the world that made it seem a bit more like a set, which now actually feels like a real world. A nice look at pubs and market streets give the world life while also avoiding a feeling of force to make us believe this world does actually live. Some of the designs of otherworldly creatures are also interesting especially with a nice cameo of a Kronan that showed up early on in the film. The battle sequences are great while also allowing Thor to use his hammers in some rather interesting ways that one person may overlook. My only question is that if Asgard is leap years ahead of ours when it comes to technology, why do only their ships have any type of guns? Find it interesting that after all these years these Gods prefer to use weapons like swords or staffs. The final battle sequence is quite fascinating and uses an element that was built up over the movie. Not only does it make the battle interesting but it also gives you a feeling of excitement while throwing in some small jokes in the middle.
Conclusion What did I think about the film? Anyone who follows my articles knows I enjoy this franchise quite a lot and the second installment of Thor is a great addition while also used effectively to build up towards a much bigger picture. Yes, the main villain is underutilized and I have some issues with a specific trend I will lay on later, but I thought it was a great performance. It is hard not to like our main cast and it is always nice to see the Warrior Three, as well as Lady Sif. Sadly, they are a bit underused, but here is hoping that they may return either for a one-shot or their own film one day. Each film seems to be featuring more and more characters in their films that make one fear it could be oversaturated. Also, I must say that this film beats Captain America for some of the most gruesome deaths, as Dark Elves use a rather interesting twist on grenades that might interest a few people.
WARNING!
SPOILER AREA Now, finally I can give some more information away on the film. I want to start off with the incredible cameo that I never expected. After breaking Loki out of his cell he starts taunting and mocking his older brother by taking on various forms, even going as far as to transform Thor into Lady Sif. The best part comes when all of a sudden he takes on the form of Steve Rogers in his Avenger’s costume mocking the patriot. Everyone in the theater started laughing out loud at this little surprise and it shows how much of a family Marvel Studios has created for themselves. The Aether was a rather beautiful effect with this liquid constantly moving and changing shape. I do not understand why Malekith turned black when being combined with the substance as it undermined the classic look, maybe it would have been interesting for it to turn his skin blue to closer resemble the classic design of the character. The twist at the end was interesting but opened a lot of questions, especially what happened to Odin if Loki has replaced him on his throne? Hopefully we are getting a third installment to answer these unsolved questions.
Anyone else see the movie yet? What is your opinion on it? Did I miss anything? Leave a comment and discuss!