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patentdragonReview: THOR - The Dark World One question: can the THOR sequel match the original for quality and entertainment, AND keep Marvel's grand plans simmering away nicely?
One answer: YES. And this is why...
As before, the story begins in ancient flashback, with Odin narration, as we see a darker moment of the history of The Nine Realms. Malekith of the Dark Elves very nearly plunged the universe back into the darkness from which it had escaped, but Thor's grandfather slipped up on clearing up the loose ends, leaving Malekith's ultimate weapon intact, but apparently hidden from all forever... until Jane Foster stumbles upon it, bringing Thor to the rescue, and our villain back from exile to reclaim his weapon as the Nine Realms approach a critical conjunction...
Cue a battle across several worlds, including our own as London becomes Ground Zero for the battle to save ALL worlds from darkness. Almost the entire cast from the first movie return (although there's no "Son of Coul", and Fandral The Dashing gets recast), with a greater threat and a stronger focus on Thor's world as he takes on more duties, and in the process brings the long-suffering Jane back home to hopefully release her from the power she's uncovered. As the title suggests, darker times lie ahead, but there's still time for just the right amount of humour, strategically inserted into the story without diluting it, or staining the reputation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - this is a critical piece of the plan, and cast and film-makers clearly know it all too well.
This is Thor and Jane's movie, however - but not in an excessive romantic manner, I should reassure you - and most of the other characters don't get a great deal more to do, beyond some fight scenes, but don't let that lead you to think you're being short-changed. Most eyes will be on Tom Hiddleston's triumphant return to the part of master schemer Loki, and fans of both character and actor won't be disappointed once he's fully "folded into the mix", in several guises, and Christopher Eccleston's villainous turn is both a good deal better than his part in GI Joe - Rise Of COBRA, and is quite literally a universe away from your everyday UK actor as a bad guy in a Hollywood movie. Train-wreck masterfully averted!
Praise must also go to the film-makers for NOT getting hung up on the tired, cliche-ridden Hollywood version of "London, England". No statue-like guardsman in sentry boxes or rubbish like that - it's "the other side of the pond", and that's it, rather than a bizarre alternate universe where everyone says "guv'nah", and there's a prop red telephone box on every corner. It's the backdrop for another battle against the dark powers of a universe the Earth is only just coming to terms with after AVENGERS... and that world is starting to recognise and root for its heroes, as we see briefly during the final battle.
Ah yes - the final battle. This movie had to do something different, especially after AVENGERS, and it delivers as hero and adversary flip back and forth through the Realms as their fateful conjunction draws near. This leads to one splendid "fish out of water" moment that trailers may have already revealed, but in the greater context, it's a whole bunch more fun, and without "breaking one's immersion". The film-makers have learned from the "good, but could have been just a bit better" second Iron Man movie, and... well, they pretty much nailed it.
As always, the end credits have you perched on the edge of your seat, and after Iron Man 3's rather disappointing "bonus scene", we get a proper conclusion to the movie, as our hero's "status quo" shifts some at the very, very end (and we get one last laugh from an unexpected source), but it's the mid-credits sequence you have to watch carefully. A deal is struck with a character we haven't seen before, one we should expect to see a whole lot more of come next August, and Guardians Of The Galaxy, and the road-map for AVENGERS 3 becomes all the clearer for scholars of Marvel lore. "One down, five to go" is going to take on much greater significance in 2014, and beyond...
All in all, THOR - The Dark World satisfies, and not just because of the "bonus" material. It stands steadfast as both a continuation of Thor's story, and as the next step in the road to AVENGERS 2 - Age Of Ultron. There are still no signs of this enterprise running out of steam, and there is plenty more to come before you know it. Marvel, you ARE spoiling us!
The Final Verdict... More Asgard, more background, more heavy-duty action - more foreshadowing. An excellent addition to Marvel's grand scheme - and watch for BOTH the "extras" during and after the credits! 8.5/10
Oh, and there's a great Captain America cameo!
One answer: YES. And this is why...
As before, the story begins in ancient flashback, with Odin narration, as we see a darker moment of the history of The Nine Realms. Malekith of the Dark Elves very nearly plunged the universe back into the darkness from which it had escaped, but Thor's grandfather slipped up on clearing up the loose ends, leaving Malekith's ultimate weapon intact, but apparently hidden from all forever... until Jane Foster stumbles upon it, bringing Thor to the rescue, and our villain back from exile to reclaim his weapon as the Nine Realms approach a critical conjunction...
Cue a battle across several worlds, including our own as London becomes Ground Zero for the battle to save ALL worlds from darkness. Almost the entire cast from the first movie return (although there's no "Son of Coul", and Fandral The Dashing gets recast), with a greater threat and a stronger focus on Thor's world as he takes on more duties, and in the process brings the long-suffering Jane back home to hopefully release her from the power she's uncovered. As the title suggests, darker times lie ahead, but there's still time for just the right amount of humour, strategically inserted into the story without diluting it, or staining the reputation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - this is a critical piece of the plan, and cast and film-makers clearly know it all too well.
This is Thor and Jane's movie, however - but not in an excessive romantic manner, I should reassure you - and most of the other characters don't get a great deal more to do, beyond some fight scenes, but don't let that lead you to think you're being short-changed. Most eyes will be on Tom Hiddleston's triumphant return to the part of master schemer Loki, and fans of both character and actor won't be disappointed once he's fully "folded into the mix", in several guises, and Christopher Eccleston's villainous turn is both a good deal better than his part in GI Joe - Rise Of COBRA, and is quite literally a universe away from your everyday UK actor as a bad guy in a Hollywood movie. Train-wreck masterfully averted!
Praise must also go to the film-makers for NOT getting hung up on the tired, cliche-ridden Hollywood version of "London, England". No statue-like guardsman in sentry boxes or rubbish like that - it's "the other side of the pond", and that's it, rather than a bizarre alternate universe where everyone says "guv'nah", and there's a prop red telephone box on every corner. It's the backdrop for another battle against the dark powers of a universe the Earth is only just coming to terms with after AVENGERS... and that world is starting to recognise and root for its heroes, as we see briefly during the final battle.
Ah yes - the final battle. This movie had to do something different, especially after AVENGERS, and it delivers as hero and adversary flip back and forth through the Realms as their fateful conjunction draws near. This leads to one splendid "fish out of water" moment that trailers may have already revealed, but in the greater context, it's a whole bunch more fun, and without "breaking one's immersion". The film-makers have learned from the "good, but could have been just a bit better" second Iron Man movie, and... well, they pretty much nailed it.
As always, the end credits have you perched on the edge of your seat, and after Iron Man 3's rather disappointing "bonus scene", we get a proper conclusion to the movie, as our hero's "status quo" shifts some at the very, very end (and we get one last laugh from an unexpected source), but it's the mid-credits sequence you have to watch carefully. A deal is struck with a character we haven't seen before, one we should expect to see a whole lot more of come next August, and Guardians Of The Galaxy, and the road-map for AVENGERS 3 becomes all the clearer for scholars of Marvel lore. "One down, five to go" is going to take on much greater significance in 2014, and beyond...
All in all, THOR - The Dark World satisfies, and not just because of the "bonus" material. It stands steadfast as both a continuation of Thor's story, and as the next step in the road to AVENGERS 2 - Age Of Ultron. There are still no signs of this enterprise running out of steam, and there is plenty more to come before you know it. Marvel, you ARE spoiling us!
The Final Verdict... More Asgard, more background, more heavy-duty action - more foreshadowing. An excellent addition to Marvel's grand scheme - and watch for BOTH the "extras" during and after the credits! 8.5/10
Oh, and there's a great Captain America cameo!
