The
Odinson returns in his second solo venture, more grandiose than the
last, but still very close in narrative make-up to its predecessor,
despite a change of director. Kenneth Branagh declined the offer to
helm this second installment while female director Patty Jenkins was
fired early on, at which point Game of Thrones director Alan
Taylor took over the reins, and quite successfully so. The
Shakespearean overtones are nevertheless kept in, only enlarged by
his Martinian experience with grand halls, epic battles and conniving
siblings, all too similar in nature to the subject matter so far.
After leaving the Avengers and returning home with his captive
brother Loki, Thor (Chris Hemsworth more beefed up than ever) has
been kept busy for two years fighting rampaging marauders and other
dangers to cosmic stability across the Nine Realms. Meanwhile, his
human love Jane (Natalie Portman) also hasn't taken time off in
search for her divine boytoy by using every scientific means at her
disposal. On investigation in Britain, she stumbles upon a portal to
another place where she is infected by the Aether, a dangerous,
ancient material that is the key energy source of the largely extinct
Dark Elves that once battled the Asgardians for dominance in times
immemorial, and lost. Sensing the Aether has awoken, the few
remaining members of this shadowy race prepare for another shot at
universal power grabbing under the leadership of the wrathful
Malekith (Christopher Eccleston wearing creepy make-up). When they
unexpectedly assault Asgard and kill Thor's mother, the distraught
wielder of the powerful hammer Mjölnir disobeys his heavenly
father's commands and recruits his untrustworthy brother Loki (an
impeccable Tom Hiddleston, again playing the trickster god with the
usual vigour that makes him the most fascinating Marvel villain of
them all) to defeat the Dark Elves before their nefarious plans for
Jane and the universe are brought to their catastrophic conclusion.
The only bond that shares them at this point in their overly
tumultuous relationship is the mutual love for their mother's memory:
otherwise there is no trust or love lost between them. Will Thor
manage to save his girlfriend and everything else, without ending
with a knife in his back at the hands of his seemingly imbalanced
brother, or crushed by the ever stronger Malekith? It will remain to
be seen during a bombastic battle in the British capital (instead of
set in the States, as has been usual in Marvel movies thus far).
The
problem audiences might have with Thor: The Dark World is the
fact it doesn't dare to leave its established comfort zone and
therefore sticks suspiciously close to what we have already seen in
the previous film. Though Thor's cosmic portion of the Marvel
Universe is certainly expanded in terms of scope and story,
thematically speaking there's little to be found that feels new. The
nature of heroism, the love for a mortal woman, the rivalry between
brothers: it has all been done before, but at least The Dark World
doesn't do it badly. In terms of style Asgard has never looked so
glorious to behold: a sharp contrast to the dreadful dead soil of the
barren world of Svartalfheim that had to be conquered and annihilated
for the Norse gods to rise to power – which makes you rethink how
much of 'the good guys' they really claim to be – as we are told in
a fabulous prologue that feels a lot like the opening of a certain
Peter Jackson fantasy blockbuster. Apart from the many predictable
but entertaining scenes of supernatural action The Dark World
provides, also ever present is the level of humour that reminds us we
ought not to take any of this too seriously, as well as keeping us
from forgetting we're watching a comic book adaptation. Key in this
is a reversal of the dynamics between Jane and Thor seen previously,
where he was cast out of his world in order to come to terms with a
“lesser state” of existence for his own good. This time it's
Jane's turn to be a stranger in a strange land as she's swept to
Asgard where her Earthly unsophisticatedness causes many a merry
moment: not because she's overwhelmed by it all, but due to her
impulse to make scientific sense of her new environment, which
startles the Asgardian natives somewhat. Those who hoped for more
Asgardian style dialogue, as present in the comics, will find
themselves disappointed though, as the gods unfortunately speak as
much of a contemporary language as our own. Thor and Jane make a
decent on-screen couple, but it's the supporting cast that succeeds
the most in keeping us engaged, with Hiddleston worthy of most
praise. It is often said a movie is only as good as its bad guy,
which should have made The Dark
World a very good movie, but Loki is forced by the plot to
be submissive in terms of villainy to Malekith, despite the fact Loki
far exceeds this new villain in being interesting (no criticism on
Eccleston's performance it must be stated), mostly thanks to his
almost heartfelt loss of his mother, which for a moment makes you
think he genuinely wants to help Thor in exacting revenge. And by
pulling that off convincingly, Hiddleston again reveals why he was
such a good choice for this loveable rogue. Dark or not, it's Loki's
world, and we would do well never to underestimate him as everyone
else does.
And
be sure to stick with the credits a while longer to witness a largely
unrelated but neverthless hugely intriguing typical Marvel 'bridge'
to next year's Guardians of the Galaxy, which will expand the
cosmic corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even further. It stars
Benicio Del Toro with a funny accent and a silly hairdo, so you have
no valid reason to miss out on it, really.
