Thor: The Dark World (October 2013)

Official Australian release date: 31/10/13. Viewed: 30/10/13.

Director: Alan Taylor
Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston
Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy
Rating: M.

‘Thor: The Dark World’ (or ‘Thor 2’) is another solid entry into the Marvel Universe – it’s not the best superhero film, nor is it the worst. I’m glad they’ve kept the cast together and hopefully Marvel can do this across all their franchises, as it gives them a bit of authenticity. It’s fun to see how they link some of the threads back to ‘The Avengers’, particularly with Dr Erik Selvig (Skarsgård).

Now, I don’t know who out there actually loves Thor, because he’s certainly one of my least favourite Marvel characters, especially in the comics, as he’s so rigid and boring and never does anything too exciting. He’s certainly no Wolverine or Spiderman. And that’s the film’s biggest hurdle – how to make Thor and the story interesting for 110min. It sort-of achieves this… I know it’s mostly set in Asgard, a different realm, but even then there are still a few things which stretch credibility:

-     Why do the “Dark Elves of Svartalfheim” wear puppet masks? And why do they want to destroy the universe and – presumably – themselves?

-     What exactly is the “Ether”? It’s not just an alkaline chemical…

-     Where exactly is the “Dark World”? Is it on Asgard, or is it another realm? Is it different to the “Limbo” dimension?

-     Is Benicio Del Toro actually needed at the end of the film?

-     Why is Asgard so poorly defended?

-     Why does the final confrontation take place on Earth, where the Dark Elves can be easily found? And why can’t the other Avengers – or the Fantastic Four, or the X-Men – help? Especially if the future of the universe is at stake? Seems unlikely S.H.I.E.L.D. would leave this up to Thor by his lonesome…

One of the big saving graces is some of the witty laughs provided by Chris O’Dowd and Kat Dennings (plus Stan Lee’s patented cameo!). There’s some expertly timed quips thrown in, which add some levity to what could easily become quite a cumbersome story. I think that Hopkins was pretty wasted as Odin, Hemsworth has some decent moments as Thor, but Hiddleston as Loki once again almost steals the show, because even though you may hate him, he’s often so likable! A great character to hold this part of the Marvel Universe together.

Overall: Another decent superhero film (I gave ‘Thor’ 3.5 stars too) which is entertaining enough, even if it sometimes tries a little too hard to be something it’s not.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.