Due to their overwhelming viewership among fans and miscellaneous moviegoers, the constantly crossing-over films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have always and will always be compared to other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; it’s only natural.
Tying their storylines together has made for some exciting reimaginings of the classic source material, but in the case of “Thor: The Dark World,” the blending may be more of a curse than a blessing. The scale of Marvel Studios’ films effectively ranges from somewhere around the unoriginal “Iron Man 2” and “The Incredible Hulk” to the pinnacle of summer movie achievements, “The Avengers.”
“Thor: The Dark World,” the second solo outing for the legendary Asgardian, unfortunately falls within the former category, arguably placing it as the worst film of the Marvel canon yet. This is not because it’s poor, necessarily, but because “Thor: The Dark World” fails to meet its high standard by venturing out of the tried-and-true formula and relying upon its own ideals for what should make a classic superhero tale.
After the events of “The Avengers,” Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has returned to Asgard to settle the chaos that surrounds the Nine Realms, finally ready to control and bring peace by taking the throne from his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). His mind, however, lies elsewhere, with the memories of his love interest, astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) back on Earth, and he keeps an ever-watchful eye over her actions.
Meanwhile, Jane finds a mysterious space disruption with the help of her assistant, Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). Peering around it transports her to another world where she is made host of the Aether, a powerful force from eons before. Its activation causes the awakening of the Dark Elves and their spiteful leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), ready to take over Asgard and destroy the known universe, returning it to darkness.
With a battle on the horizon, and Jane holding the source of the turmoil, Thor recruits his Asgardian friends and, reluctantly, his now-imprisoned brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to come up with a master plan to save the Realms and their kingdom. The plot continues in a convoluted fashion, leading the heroes through a surely tiresome quest as they hop between a deserted, battle-torn setting, Asgard and Earth.
The number of characters in “Thor: The Dark World” challenges the notion of whether ensemble casts in superhero films are a helpful aspect or a hurtful one. Included in the already crowded horde of actors are Stellen Skarsgård, as Jane’s loony scientist mentor Erik Selvig, Idris Elba, as the omniscient defender of Asgard, at least four Asgardian warriors and friends of Thor, and many more. Each of them, in addition, receives notable screen time, establishing at least of hint of unnecessary personality for everyone.
By the film’s climax, an all-out brawl of good versus evil, now a trademark of Marvel Studios, creates disorder that reaches the point of insanity. There are numerous scenes of characters spinning around as they fight in unorthodox manners, using a hammer strike here and an unexplainable quantum device there, leaving absurdity behind and resorting to true action-filled mindlessness, much like even the slower parts of the film do.
The action, tacked on with an overabundance of 3D effects, proves to be on point for those who inevitably come to see superhero films for the visuals, comfortably coupled with the thrills that always make the violence entertaining. But when the film slows down, it finds its other niche: “Thor: The Dark World” is unexpectedly funny, relying heavily, though perhaps not heavily enough, on the charisma of Thor and Loki to make even the dullest sequences lively.
With its reliance on magic, influenced by creator Stan Lee’s obsession with Norse mythology, Thor has always been the odd one out in the Avengers family, finding an increased pull toward overly catastrophic mysticism. “Thor: The Dark World” understands its premise, fully accepting that it must be creative in a world as complicated as its own, but sometimes goes too far off the grid to distinguish itself among an already impressive collection of fantasies.
– Sebastian Torrelio