Anne Marie here with a look at Marvel's latest blockbuster.
And so the Great Marvel Experiment continues with the studio's latest film, Thor: The Dark World. Marvel can be credited with doing something virtually unprecedented in Hollywood: creating an extended cinematic universe with many different intersecting films, characters, and plotlines. Unlike a universe built by sequels and trilogies (like Star Wars) or subtle Easter eggs (like Quentin Tarantino's films), the universe created by Marvel built on a decade-long-ish Three Phase plan. The Avengers ended Phase One rather spectacularly.
Phase Two got off to a rocky-if-enjoyable start with Iron Man 3. However, as a Marvel character licensed to a different studio once said, "With great power comes great responsibility." Marvel doesn't get a free pass to make an inferior movie just because they're breaking new ground. Unfortunately, Thor: The Dark World, the second installment in Phase Two, might be just that inferior movie. [more...]
Alan Taylor directing on the battlefield
During an extensive prologue, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) tells the history of the war between the Asgardians and the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves wielded a universe-destroying power called the Aether that was composed of dark matter. But before they could use it they were defeated and the Aether was locked away where nobody could find it. "Nobody" turns out to be Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Thor's love interest from the first film. She stumbles upon the Aether, absorbs it, and reawakens the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith (an unrecognizable Christopher Eccleston). Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must battle the ancient evil to save his love and the world.
If all of this sounds like The Lord of the Rings with lasers, that's because that's exactly what it is. The blame for this might be laid on the shoulders of director Alan Tayler (of Game of Thrones fame). However, the film has five credited writers, as well as a rumored uncredited rewrite by The Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon. Too many screenwriters in the kitchen turns the story into a mess. The first half is a marathon of unwieldy exposition while the second half rushes to its conclusion.
Thor: The Dark World struggles with the same problem its predecessor did: Thor is not an interesting character. Chris Hemsworth is beautiful to look at and swings a hammer with great panache, but he's never given much to do beyond that. Thor's best moments are the fish-out-of-water scenes, but since the majority of the film takes place in Asgard those moments are few and far between. The most interesting character in the first Thor was Loki, played with Shakespearean scenery-chewing gusto by Tom Hiddleston. In the sequel, Hiddleston must be content gnawing on just a corner of the set because Loki is relegated to Untrustworthy Sidekick status. Back on Earth, the perpetually-pantsless Stellan Skaarsgard and snarky Kat Dennings steal almost every scene they're in. While nobody expects emotionally-layered characters from an action movie, it's still troubling when the most interesting characters are on the periphery.
I almost conquered the world and all I got was this lousy sequel.
This isn't to say that Thor: The Dark World is unenjoyable. Alan Taylor's talent for world building in Game of Thrones pays off as the film delves further into Asgard's beautiful dungeons, libraries, and palaces. Taylor takes care exploring these various locations before gleefully tearing them apart. The battle scenes are fast paced, well edited, and devoid of the typically jarring handheld camera shots. This is a blessing, because the fantastically choreograped fights and visual effects are the highlight of the film. (I was a big fan in particular of the black hole-generating hand grenades.) I actually found myself looking forward to battle scenes, which speaks to the shakiness of the script and the high quality of the action.
In the end, Thor: The Dark World is more a placeholder in Marvel's Phase Two than a solid standalone film. Like chess pieces on the studio's board, characters start in their positions after The Avengers and are moved to their positions for The Avengers 2. There are three post-credits teasers that call out not only another Phase Two film but possibly even a further future conclusion. I'm looking forward to the continuation of this great experiment not only because I am a comic book geek, but also because if this extended universe works, what could come next? However, Thor: The Dark World shows a weakness in Marvel's Cinema Universe: too much planning for future films can make present movies hollow.
Grade: C
Oscar Chances: Since the original saw zero nominations...