14 DAY TRIAL // Marvel took somewhat of a gamble with the 2011 “Thor” because, for starters, it was about a superhero that was not only undefeatable but also completely unrelatable. After all, there aren’t too many who can find things in common with a huge, gorgeous, and overall perfect Norse God. Thanks to “The Avengers,” that gamble is gone in this year’s sequel, “Thor: The Dark World.”
Perhaps this explains why this one is superior to its predecessor in all respects, though it’s still a long way from being on equal footing with its direct rivals “Iron Man” or even “Captain America.”
“The Dark World” picks up after the events in “Thor” (naturally) and “The Avengers,” with the treacherous Loki (the incomparable Tom Hiddleston) in shackles back in Asgard, where he’s to do some serious jail time for daring to go up against adoptive father Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and his son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) – about an eternity of it, to be more exact.
While Thor is out in the realms bringing peace to the people again, back on Earth, his astrophysicist girlfriend from the first movie, Jane Porter (Natalie Portman) is still sort of confused as to why he hasn’t sought her out yet, though he promised he would.
Meanwhile, she continues her research and, while in London, she stumbles across the Aether, a primordial form of energy which was supposed to be “buried where no one could find it” because it was the key the Dark Elves needed to open the door to eternal darkness to take over the world. In other words, the Aether is darkness, destruction in its purest form.
The Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston looking like one of the Borgs in “Star Trek” but somehow scarier), tried to use the Aether about 5,000 years earlier, to usher in darkness over all 9 realms during their moment of perfect alignment, but they were stopped by Odin’s father.
A new alignment is about to happen and, as Jane herself puts it at one point, it’s about to tear up the very fabric of our universe. Well, yes, because there will be no universe to speak of if Malekith has his way.
Back in Asgard, Thor and his ever faithful companions realize that the only way in which they stand a chance against this Dark Elf is by having Loki by their side, which though a questionable move because you basically never know where to stand with him, opens the door to amazing chemistry, wonderful witticism and banter, and excellent acting on behalf of Hiddleston.
Make no mistake, this movie might be called “Thor: The Dark World” but the handsome Thor is but a guest at his own party. Consider that the movie opens and ends with Loki (not counting the prolog with the Dark Elves and the two post-credits Easter Eggs, for which you must make sure to stick around) and it’s not hard to imagine that the next film in the franchise will probably have “Loki” right there in the title.
The bottom line is that this is a movie so huge in scope (it spans 9 realms and beings more powerful and technologically advanced than humans could ever dream of becoming) and so riddled in subplots, that it’s almost impossible to put it all back again on paper, if only in general terms. However, tedious it is not – and neither is it un-entertaining. Its biggest flaw, in fact, is that, at one point, it simply tries to do too much and it becomes somewhat taxing on the viewer.
Except for a slight difference in pace at the beginning, when switching from Asgard to Earth, and humans seem so puny and uninteresting, “Thor” is a well-balanced, well oiled, pounding machine that delivers the best of everything: solid action, good chemistry (between Thor and Loki, because between Thor and Jane not so much), good acting, good VFX and 3D.
Just like with its predecessor, we get plenty of laughs, though we never get a scene as funny as the one in the first film, when Thor went into a pet shop to ask for a horse. We also get destruction on a huge scale, some romance, family drama, and good ol’-fashioned revenge, all making for an insanely fast-paced ride that has a little of something for every moviegoer.
It might not be the best superhero movie out there, but it’s definitely not a waste of time and money. Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth are amazing together, but it’s Hiddleston’s Loki who manages to steal the spotlight every time he steps in front of the camera.
“Thor: The Dark World” is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content. It came out in the UK on October 30, opened in the US on November 8, and will end its run in Japan on February 1, 2014.
The Good
Solid 3D and good VFX take “The Dark World” one step beyond (and above) the original.
