Ror Reviews: THOR: THE DARK WORLD (IMAX 3D)

Ror Reviews: THOR: THE DARK WORLD (IMAX 3D)

All things considered, Thor: The Dark World didn't really seem to have as much fanfare as previous Marvel flicks, but was that a reflection of its quality? Read on for my SPOILER FREE review of Alan Taylor's take on the God of Thunder.

Review Opinion
By MarkCassidy - Oct 24, 2013 10:10 AM EST
Filed Under: Thor

So with the long awaited sequel to Thor, Marvel have unleashed their latest uproarious comedy upon the world..and this one's a riot!

Sorry, my mistake...Marvel don't make comedies do they? Well perhaps someone should tell them that.



I actually really liked this movie (believe it or not) but I feel this is something that needs to be addressed. I'm not against humor, levity, a bit of fun -- but within reason. I understand that these are family films and I'm not looking for the "grimdark" experience of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies for example; but between Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3 Marvel's Phase 2 flicks have upped the comedy levels to a point where they're sacrificing some of the drama. While this was a major problem for me in the latter, thankfully it doesn't jar as much with Thor's second outing. Still, scenes which pack a genuine emotional punch have some of their weight taken away when they are immediately followed up by some antics with the crazy pants-less doctor (Stellan Skarsgard) and his sidekick (Kat Dennings)..and HER sidekick! Yes, in this movie the comic relief from the first Thor gets her own comic relief boyfriend. That's a new character added SOLELY for the purpose of getting a few extra laughs, while the main villain of the piece (Christopher Eccleston) is relegated to -- no exaggeration -- about 6 scenes. See where I'm coming from now?

Still, it must be said that although some of the humor falls flat and is shoe horned in at the most inappropriate moments, the movie is frequently damn funny. The biggest laugh comes from a scene between Thor and Loki but it'll spoil too much to even hint at the details. And I'll even admit to chuckling a couple of times at Kat Dennings antics too. Like I said, it's not the comedy that bothers me, it's just all about the right balance -- and when Thor: The Dark Worldl strikes it, it works very well.

The cast are all on form, with Chris Hemsworth giving his best performance yet as the titular Thunder God. Thor is a character that could easily become one-note, and -- lets be honest -- a bit silly, so it's a testament to the Aussie actor that he makes us genuinely care about a practically invulnerable deity. Natalie Portman is fine, but as is all too often the case, the female lead ends up being reduced to damsel in distress again. Likewise the Warriors Three (Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano) don't have a lot to do..one of them is even sidelined 5 minutes in! And though the lovely and talented Jaimie Alexander has a few cool scenes, her hinted at love triangle arc never goes anywhere. Chris Eccleston plays Malekith, who wants to plunge everything into darkness, cos he's a baddie and...likes darkness? The less said the better -- he's by far the worst Marvel villain yet, and I can't even say Eccleston does the best with what he has to work with because he's in clear "Cobra Commander" phone-in mode here. So thank Odin for Tom Hiddleston as Loki, taking both villain and reluctant hero duty. Why is he so popular? It's really not a very hard formula to figure out: Write a great character and get a great actor to play him and you'll get results. Thor's adopted brother gets the biggest laughs, the best lines, and has the most emotionally satisfying arc -- all while fighting for screen time with clowns.

Director Alan Taylor definitely has a better grasp of high fantasy that his predecessor, and this time Asgard and the rest of the 9 realms seem much more real and lived-in. This is one lovely looking film (see it in IMAX if at all possible) and everything from the costumes, surrounding structures, and special effects are first rate. He also handles the action with an assured hand, and this movie has plenty of it. There's the usual aerial attacks, explosions and battling armies; but the best stuff is the more intimate hand-to-hand (or at least hammer to hand) encounters. The highlight, not too surprisingly, is when Thor and Loki team up to take on Malekith and Algrim. There's so much great stuff going on here both from an action and character standpoint that the movie struggles to top it with its final dimension-hopping set piece -- not that that isn't well executed in its own way (even with the constant cuts to Tweedledum and TweedleDennings).

Get past a terrible villain, try not to think too much about the nonsensical plot, go along with the sometimes forced gags (is all this asking too much?) and you ARE in for a treat. Because despite all of its problems Thor 2 is probably Marvel's best single-character effort next to the first Iron Man. Oh, and there's an absolute humdinger of a mid-credits stinger too!

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Reasonnnn
Reasonnnn - 10/24/2013, 11:01 AM
Marvel comics have always had comedy. I really don't get why people see it as an issue.
johnboyMCU
johnboyMCU - 10/24/2013, 11:02 AM
agreed!
Rokyn
Rokyn - 10/24/2013, 11:11 AM
How much time are they on earth? Sucks Malekith will be a generic villain :( and more Kat Dennings NO! Was hoping for this to be good.
BatmanHeisenberg
BatmanHeisenberg - 10/24/2013, 11:11 AM
Disappointed about the villain, though I think that this will be better then IM3.
Reasonnnn
Reasonnnn - 10/24/2013, 11:11 AM
All the great films since the origin of film to the present have had comedy. You just need it. Always good to have humor in dire situations.
BatmanHeisenberg
BatmanHeisenberg - 10/24/2013, 11:11 AM
How do I do bullet points?
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 10/24/2013, 11:12 AM
The crap villain isn't too disappointing because Loki is there too.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 10/24/2013, 11:13 AM
And please read what I say about the comedy..I'm not against it, but it can be overused in a movie that we're supposed to take seriously...at times!
supermarioworldE
supermarioworldE - 10/24/2013, 11:14 AM
The original was more or less long stretches of jokey filler. I wasn't expecting much more from the sequel. Especially after the way Marvel low balled Iron Man this year.
BatmanHeisenberg
BatmanHeisenberg - 10/24/2013, 11:14 AM
No, like the code, batz. Also that yellow box thing.
McNyagano
McNyagano - 10/24/2013, 11:15 AM
Oh boy....

MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 10/24/2013, 11:15 AM
Anyway, don't be put off by that..it's a [frick]ing great flick.
BatmanHeisenberg
BatmanHeisenberg - 10/24/2013, 11:15 AM
and italic.
Darkknight23
Darkknight23 - 10/24/2013, 11:15 AM
Get past a terrible villain, try not to think too much about the nonsensical plot, go along with the sometimes forced gags (is all this asking too much?) and you ARE in for a treat. Because despite all of its problems Thor 2 is probably Marvel's best single-character effort next to the first Iron Man. Oh, and there's an absolute humdinger of a mid-credits stinger too!

A description like this gets four stars?


Ranger14
Ranger14 - 10/24/2013, 11:16 AM
I have found the humor in Marvel films to be real situational humor and things that someone would actually say in certain situations, so I have no challenge with the humor. Humor is something that relieves many stressful situations in real life, so I don't see it any different in film.
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 10/24/2013, 11:17 AM
And here... we..... go.

Mike89
Mike89 - 10/24/2013, 11:18 AM
Well At least Loki is there to make up for a lackluster villain. I also had a funny feeling(no pun intended) this movie would have loads of comedy.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 10/24/2013, 11:19 AM
Ror - Tell me about that certain character from the mid-credits...how did they look? Just describe them to me as best you can.
MsDarkPhoenix
MsDarkPhoenix - 10/24/2013, 11:19 AM
Eccleston was a bad Malekith? Ugh... I'm actually concerned for all the comedy in this movie, I thought it would be more mature and serious. But I have to see it first before I make my final decision.
PosingKyle
PosingKyle - 10/24/2013, 11:20 AM
Awesome...I don't mind the comedy all that much as long as they don't ruin the experience. So I'm kind of in favour of it,in a way. That being said...after seeing the Cap 2 trailer...I'm WAY more excited to see Cap2 than I was to see Thor 2, and truth be told, Cap2 looks way more serious than IM3 and Thor 2, and that's pretty funny since the directors made mostly comedies.
novaprime
novaprime - 10/24/2013, 11:20 AM
Great Cant Waiittt!!!!
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 10/24/2013, 11:22 AM
Think of it like this: The climactic scenes from The Green Mile in which Jon Coffey, an angel of light, is given the electric chair while his guards weep around him. The audience is in tears and then...Tom hanks farts and does cartwheels. Now, was that the right time for that particular comedy moment? THAT'S what I'm saying..humor isn't the problem..it's WHEN it's used. It worked very well in The Avengers because Whedon knows how to balance that stuff perfectly. I don't know if since that the Marvel bras have demanded more humor and the directors have been forced to comply..but there you go. I do not need to be watching an emotional funeral scene immediately followed up by Darcy's gurning like a moron.
DelTorite
DelTorite - 10/24/2013, 11:22 AM
Help me Captain America, you're my only hope.
BatmanHeisenberg
BatmanHeisenberg - 10/24/2013, 11:23 AM
batz11

Just replace the < with (. Like (b)(/B) for example. Can you tell me all the codes, or give me a link?
CaptainObvious
CaptainObvious - 10/24/2013, 11:23 AM
I was always worried Malekith would be an underwhelming villain and now it looks like I was right.

I will still go see the movie opening night, though.
Kyos
Kyos - 10/24/2013, 11:23 AM
I'll have to see how I react to the humor in this one, cause too much of that -when it's not damn well handled- is something that can really ruin a movie for me. Shame about Malekith... 0_0

Good review, although I'd say that talking about how "Thor and Loki team up to take on Malekith and Algrim" might not be received well by everyone, given the SPOILER FREE disclaimer. Luckily I don't mind. ^^
jaycr
jaycr - 10/24/2013, 11:23 AM
It's the Marvel formula, like Big Macs...every movie is the same.
Lancer1
Lancer1 - 10/24/2013, 11:23 AM
NOOO its happening again ....had high hopes for Malekieth to be the 'best' MCU villain...anyway I will still see this cause I have anticipated this movie since the first thor...I hope the fight scenes are good cause thats what matters right

TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 10/24/2013, 11:25 AM
So Malekith was a weak sauce villain?
Chocolate0de0Cu
Chocolate0de0Cu - 10/24/2013, 11:25 AM
Marvel movies are super protected. I'm sick of stupid jokes and stupid plots.
BatmanHeisenberg
BatmanHeisenberg - 10/24/2013, 11:25 AM
RorMachine

Well, would you say its better then IM3?
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