Thor: The Dark World

It is officially Week 8 of the Marvel-A-Week challenge. I confess, that I have skipped Iron Man 3 as I refused to buy it on Amazon Prime and for reasons, mostly, I suspect cynical, Amazon Prime have removed the rental option for quite a few of the Marvel films.

 

Thankfully Thor: The Dark World is a Netflix freebie and while my purse cries out with joy there is a very good reason for this.  The film sucks.

PLOT:  Set just after The Avengers, the Bi-Frost has been fixed and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has brought peace to the nine realms, which apparently went to war with one another off screen.  Asgard’s tyrannical rule has been restored just in time for the Convergence, a 5,000 year cycle in which all the planets align and borders become blurred.  Coincidentally, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) stumbles upon the long lost aether, which the Dark Elves, lead by Christopher Eccleston, now want back.  END PLOT

The plot for The Dark World isn’t ground breaking but it is harsh to say that it’s terrible.  The biggest problem I have with the film is the distribution of screen time. 

Apparently, the screen writers watched Thor and all they could take away from it was a misguided idea to give Darcy, the most unnecessary and pointless character in the history of fiction, a significant bump in screen time.  I hate the character.  I hate the way she talks. I hate the way she is the character to progress all the earth based plot points.  I hate that all her jokes fall flat.  I have no issue with Kat Dennings as I do not know the actress from anything other than the Thor movies but I absolutely hate everything about Darcy Lewis.  The only character more pointless than Darcy is her intern Ian, whose sole purpose is to give Darcy even more opportunities for witless quips.  I don’t understand the reasons behind this.  I cannot imagine, and refuse to even countenance a scenario in which people walked out of Thor thinking that the only way the franchise could get even better would be if there was at least 83% more Darcy. 

The increase in Darcy’s misplaced importance to the script didn’t do Jane Foster any favours.  Natalie Portman could have given so much more if Jane didn’t spend the entire film sporadically fainting and gasping into the distance.  Thor could have filled his favourite mead flagon with the aether and glanced at it occasionally to remind us that he had affection towards it and Jane would not have been missed at all.  The relationship between Thor and Jane is so uninteresting the passing mention of a mutual dumping in Ragnarok is more than it deserved.

As with all Thor films the scenes on earth are the weakest and, unfortunately, the most time consuming.  Thankfully the scenes on Asgard are what saves Thor from becoming a minor character in the Darcy ‘pause for the laugh track’ Lewis show.  The opening scene between Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) tricks the audience into thinking we are in for some strong Odin family drama but alas this is short lived.  The scenes in which any actor acts with Anthony Hopkins are the strongest but there are not enough of them.  The middle act with Thor and Loki’s escape from Asgard is the emotional heart of The Dark World and does justice to their characters.  Sadly, the tone shifts again and the big action based climax becomes a Scooby Doo like chase through the nine realms.  It’s awful.

Chris Hemsworth gives everything he has to the role but he struggles to be noticed amongst the earth based shenanigans and characters.  There is a reason the Thor franchise comes to life in Ragnarok.

Christopher Eccleston plays the main villain but he is unable to bring any menace or meat to the role.  Like, Natalie Portman, he gets completely shafted in favour of Darcy and Ian’s big adventure.  Odin is still a dick though, the script got that much correct and I am thankful for it.  The fucked-up family dynamic is the strongest part of the Thor franchise.

Thor: The Dark World had potential.  It cemented the perfect casting of the actors playing Asgardians but it squandered everything else.  The Dark World gets 5/10, only because the middle act saved it.  Without the strength of the Asgardian characters I do believe The Dark World would have killed the Thor franchise, and deservedly so.

Thor

I am on week4 of the Marvel-A-Week challenge that I have set myself and I am equal parts shocked and pleased that I have made it this far.

It was in no way a chore to sit down and watch Thor, as the brilliance of Thor: Ragnarok was still very fresh in my mind, and, my YouTube history will embarrassingly attest to the number of times I have watched the ‘Get Help’ scene.  However, I was burdened with inglorious worry.  I found myself feeling protective of Tony Stark, my least favourite Avenger, after watching Iron Man and Iron Man 2.  My contrary nature meant that there was a very real likelihood that I might not enjoy Thor.  I didn't, I loved it.

PLOT:  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is banished to earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) after invading Jotunheim in a fit of foolish rage and almost breaking a longstanding truce.  While Thor is trying to adapt to human life, Asgard falls into disarray after Odin takes confrontation-avoiding-nap and his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) inherits the throne.  Thor must prove himself worthy of wielding his own hammer and return to Asgard to put his house in order.  END PLOT

Thor opens in Asgard, and we get to enjoy some Shakespearean family drama, before Thor is hurled to earth.  Once on earth, the tone shifts, and we are treated to some fish-out-of-water comedy and romance while Thor learns some valuable life lessons.  The plot beats are familiar, but the dramatic scenes are wonderfully acted and the comedy scenes are generally funny, so it’s a job well done.

What makes Thor stand out is its cast.  Chris Hemsworth is excellent as Thor, although the performances of Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins almost steal the movie from under him. I fully confess that Thor: Ragnarok kick started a much delayed Hiddleseason and I will subscribe to each and every fan theory which concludes that Loki is not a villain.  Thor may be the lead but there is no denying that Loki is the more interesting character.  I had forgotten that Loki let the Frost Giants into Asgard to derail Thor’s coronation and my own head-canon believes that Odin’s diplomatic response was because he knew that Loki did it.  This will be the only time I react positively to Odin, a man incapable of dropping life-changing bombshells without either sleeping or dying to avoid follow up questions.

The chemistry between Hemsworth and Hiddleston is what has made the relationship between Thor and Loki endure.  They bring out the best in each other and in their characters.  It’s easy to forget that Thor and Loki have been bickering their way through four movies and I am quite content to watch them bicker through four more.  The theories circling Infinity War suggest that won’t happen, but let’s be honest, was anyone really expecting Thor: Ragnarok to be such a huge hit?  I could murder Loki and watch him die in my own arms and I still wouldn't be 100% convinced he is dead. 

Anthony Hopkins is excellent as Odin and has the commanding presence required for such a huge personality and Idris Elba is the unsung badass of all three Thor movies.  The Asgardian supporting cast is excellent and it’s unfortunate that we don’t see more of them.  Down on earth, Natalie Portman is fine as Jane Foster and it's always surprisingly exciting when Clark Gregg pops up as the likeable Agent Coulson.  Gregg ties the Phase One movies together and I like that Coulson is the character who brings everyone together in the Avengers. 

The action scenes are fine but there are fewer than you might expect.  The tension comes from the dialogue various members of the House of Odin yell at each other, rather than any sense of physical danger.  It is a testament to the acting calibre of the cast that the big action scenes are not missed. 

Iron Man relies on the personality of Tony Stark and Captain America has the fractured friendship of Steve and Bucky as selling points, but my heart lies in Asgard.  I enjoyed everything about this film and as a trilogy, the Thor films are Marvel’s most consistent series.  Thor will forever hold a special place in my heart as it has the best, and most relatable, piece of dialogue in the entire Marvel series – ‘do not mistake my appetite for apathy’.  Even if I didn’t enjoy anything about Thor, it would get 10/10 for this line alone.   Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to destroy Jotunheim.