Thor: The Dark World

I was thoroughly disappointed with this film. The film movie was excellent and while very little took place in Asgard, I think director Kenneth Branagh did a fantastic job of making the movie seem mystical and ancient all at the same time. This sequel was lacking that leadership and it showed from the very beginning.

I DVR’d this movie and during the first scene, I was pretty sure I accidently recorded Lord of the Rings. Not only that, for a while, I was pretty sure that whoever made this movie thought this film was LOTR or the Hobbit. The scenes of Asgard looked like someone was using the sets created for Rivendell and the costumes of the Asgardian warriors looked like that of the elves in the Two Towers. The first Thor film seemed to be a unique part of the Marvel Universe but that cohesion and ambiance was sorely lacking here.

While most of the cast of the first film are in the sequel, their use is squandered too! The great Christopher Eccleston of Doctor Who fame was the main baddie, the Dark Elf Malekith. However, over ¾ of his screen time is spoken in Elven gibberish and his powerful British voice is lost between reciting them and me trying to read the subtitles. When he does speak English, it’s not for very long and I’m pondering “Why is he speaking English now and not for the reason of the freakin’ movie?”

Then we’ve got the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, the most loyal friends of Thor. Sif is used mostly for the unrequited love angle. It’s paltry for someone of her caliber, especially since she kicked major booty in the first film and an episode of Agents of SHIELD last year. Then we’ve got Volstagg who for some reason is absent from important battle scenes at the beginning of the film. I know he’s a bit of a wimp but it’s not address whether he was cowering in a corner or stuck home babysitting his massive brood of young’uns. Lastly, there’s Hogun who leaves Thor’s group after his people are freed from slavery. Ok- I get that the actor who played him probably had other commitments and you had to write Hogun out. But during the climatic scenes between Thor and Malekith, why is Hogun’s face flashed for like 2 seconds and never addressed again.

Perhaps the character most underused is Loki who spends half of the film locked in an Asgardian jail cell. Things do get a little more exciting when Loki and Thor team up to defeat Malekith, with some great sibling rivalry and banter. But it takes forever for that dream team to ever form!

It’s pretty bad when the most interesting characters in a movie about Norse ‘gods’ are the humans. Jane Foster played by Natalie Portman is okay. She’s the romantic angle and sometimes her lines are pure drivel. But when she becomes infected with an ancient cosmic power called the’ Aether’ she does some serious damage. But it’s her former mentor and intern who really make this story interesting. They add a much needed boost of humor and are more interesting in their humdrum lives than the characters of Odin and Frieda (the parents of Thor.)

The cosmic adventures of Thor are some of his most interesting and vital to the DC Universe. But, there’s a disconnect somewhere. The first movie established that the Asgardians were aliens but they were still ancient like the legends of old. Here, it’s like Star Wars meets Excalibur and I just don’t think it works.

With a slow plot, drastically altered set designs, poor story editing, and more subtitles than a Russian film festival, Thor the Dark World is just that, in the proverbial dark compared to the other films in the Marvel film series. That’s really tragic if you ask me, since Thor and Loki are such great characters. If you make a three movie, I urge Marvel to not use Alan Taylor as your director. Get Branagh back. He obvious had a clear understanding and respect for the source material.

  I was upset that I missed this movie in theatres. I was disappointed when I missed renting or buying it OnDemand. But, now after I’ve seen the finished product, I’m actually glad I didn’t waste my money on this. Now, if only I could get a refund on the 2 hours I wasted watching this train wreck.

Not Worth Consuming

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.