Thor: The Dark World (Spoiler Free Review)

by Akhilan Manivannan, Sophomore 2 Cempaka, Class of 2015

GENRE

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

CAST

Chris Hemsworth as Thor; Natalie Portman as Jane Foster; Tom HIddleston as Loki; Anthony Hopkins as Odin; Christopher Eccleston as Malekith; Idris Elba as Heimdall; Jaimie Alexander as Sif

DIRECTOR

Alan Taylor
DISTRIBUTOR

Walt Disney Pictures

PRODUCTION COMPANY

Marvel Studios

IN THEATERS

November 8 2013

Marvel’s favourite god of thunder returns once again to the big screen in “Thor: The Dark World”, a sequel to Thor (2012) and The Avengers. Thor is arguably one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe, directly termed by many as Marvel's Superman - a rather big name to live up to. Due to its basis of norse mythology, Thor does usually have some magnificent stories. This particular tale from the Marvel archive is one drenched in history, with an ancient power called the Aether sparking the return of an old enemy of Asgard. In terms of commercial value, the film definitely lived up to it’s expectations, commanding the box-office opening weekend with a massive revenue of $86 million. However, Thor: The Dark World received some very mixed reviews.

In terms of plot alone, Thor: The Dark World turned out to be a huge step up from it’s prequel in 2012. In fact, Thor: The Dark World is miles more intriguing and it’s level of complexity is surprisingly high. From the Aether to the alignment of worlds, everything is designed perfectly to draw viewers in. Sadly with such a huge plot, there are bound to be plot holes. We're talking a lot of plot holes. At some points in the movie, even those still engrossed with Thor’s fabulous hair could have seen the gaping flaws in the storyline. The director could have definitely put more effort into masking the glaring plot holes but as we've seen time and time again with blockbusters, more focus is put on special effects and making the movie look pretty. Nevertheless, if you can manage to look past the plot-holes, the intricate storyline is a solid reason to watch Thor: The Dark World.

Another thing Thor: The Dark World has over its prequels is its wonderful character development of Loki. While Thor (2012) was almost completely focused on Thor (well he is the main man), Thor: The Dark World gave us a whole new perspective of his adopted brother Loki and his personality. This injects some new interest and flavour into the storyline and gives viewers another perspective to the plot. Furthermore, the Loki character was portrayed hands-down brilliantly by Tom Hiddleston. This was very unexpected as many saw Tom Hiddleston only as a simple understudy to Chris Hemsworth (playing Thor). Hiddleston however emphatically proved the critics wrong and quite frankly, overshadowed Hemsworth at almost every turn.

While Tom Hiddleston and Loki were the most interesting aspects of Thor: The Dark World, Chris Hemsworth's acting and the movie itself was rather lacklustre and disappointing to say the least. Hemsworth in all honesty seemed to take his role for granted and the movie itself did nothing to further the character of Thor. Also, while Loki brought unpredictability and excitement to the movie, Thor brought the exact opposite. Predictability and boredom. Hemsworth played the character with no vulnerability and made him look almost invincible. Furthermore, Thor’s romantic angle with Jane Foster was unbearable to watch. Hemsworth and Portman had absolutely no on-screen chemistry and they were quite frankly boring.

Overall, Thor: The Dark World, whilst having its flaws still adds exciting and intriguing twist to the Marvel Universe. The film is unique, fascinating and has a perfect mix of humour and action. Hiddleston was undoubtedly the stand-out performer and Thor: The Dark World in my opinion, should have been more fittingly called “Loki: The Dark World”. As anyone who has seen it will testify, Loki himself makes the movie worth watching. Alas the plot holes and the dismal acting by Hemsworth drags this film down quite a bit. Certainly not one of the best movies of the year, but it's always fun to watch the bad guys be bad, not to mention, marvel at Thor's flowing locks that can even make Goldilocks jealous.

Rating: 3.5/5