*****HEAD’S UP, SPOILER ALERT FOR PRETTY MUCH ALL MARVEL MOVIES*****
As far as movie reviews go, I have to admit that I’m more than a little biased towards Thor. Since forever, he’s been my favorite super hero. Mixing comic books with mythology was the perfect combination for a kid as obsessed with both of those things as yours truly. I mean c’mon! A magic hammer, ancient heroics, and pseudo-Shakespearean talk? I was hooked.
So please understand that when I tell you… Nay, when I SHOUT at you to watch the very kickass second installment of the Mjolnir wielding Prince of Asgard, I say this with the backup of people that DID NOT like the first Thor anywhere near as much as I liked it. Thor: The Dark World impressed them. Hell, it even turned some around to the big blonde lug.
I watched Thor for Thor. Well to be perfectly honest, I watched Thor for Mjolnir. But many a fan watched Thor for Loki. And I cannot blame them. Tom Hiddleston is phenomenal. Charming, funny, and brooding. This is the cocktail that Tumblr freaking shoots straight into its veins. Am I wrong? Go ahead and see how many Sherlock and Loki memes there are. Go ahead, I’ll wait…
Hmm… on second thought, I don’t think anyone has that time.
SIDE NATE TANGENT: Oops, I just thought of the ‘ship name “Sherloki”. I must be stopped.
NOOOO! AGHHHH!!! No, anything else!
WTF INTERNET?! THAT DOES NOT HELP!! MOVING THE F**K ON!!!
Okay, back to The Dark World! Thor is back, baby. And he threw a little more gold in his costume. Possibly to look more royal, since gold seems to be the standard color for Asgard. Its different from his costume in Avengers.
And an even more significant departure from his costume in the first Thor movie.
And no matter how much I or the fans like me wish for it, we simply will never see the winged helmet again.
I get the reasoning for not having it right up to every damn time Loki has his crazy horned helmet out. C’mon! Gimme that winged steel hat already!
Anyways…
So yeah.
…Thor, man. God of Thunder, ya know?
Oh right, The Dark World!
Okay, so “The Dark World” is in reference to one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree. We are well acquainted to Midgard (Earth). And we were introduced Asgard, which looks pretty as all gosh. Jotunheim is home realm for Loki and the Frost Giants. In this movie, we get introduced to two more realms: Vanaheim and Svartalfheim. Vanaheim is kind of a laid back home for the old gods that came before Asgard. More laid back and quieter than Asgard. Think rural to Asgard’s urban.
Svartalfheim is “The Dark World,” the home of the Dark Elves. Powerful magic users, and a people constantly at war with themselves. Enter Malekith…
This dude was Cray-Cray crazy. Kind of The Joker with magic powers.
So, the movie version of Malekith is not at all like his comic book version. Which is fine, because Loki gets to have most of the funny lines in the movie. Not to say that he’s the only funny one, because in Thor: The Dark World, just about everybody has a sense of humor. Malekith lost out in the humor department, but that’s fine. The action more than makes up for his lack of jollies.
SIDE NATE TANGENT: Okay, sure, I don’t mind this time that the villain isn’t exactly remarkable, but something needs to be done to beef up villains that aren’t Loki. I love Loki. Sure. But there is too much reliance upon him. Obadiah Stane could have been cool with more of the “Tony Stark’s twisted father figure” thing played up, but he’s dead. Whiplash was a cool kooky Russian gangsta, but he’s dead. Abomination was on a crazy hunt to be the strongest there is, but he’s dead. Killian Aldrich had a likeable smarmy going on, but he’s dead. Yes, I know they could find ways to bring them back, but the point I’m making is that Loki is being allowed to develop way more than any other villain. Who can keep up? Though maybe Red Skull will get that chance. The Tesseract obviously just teleported him somewhere. But where to? Thanos’ court? And how will he come back? It doesn’t look like Captain America: The Winter Soldier has room for the Red Skull… or does it? And maybe, just maybe Ultron is his way back. Ultron’s head does look like a skull with red energy coming out of it…
I’m back!
Kursed was used possibly too briefly, but it was fun to have him. In the comics he’s just “Kurse,” but who cares right? He looked all demonic and awesome. Speaking of “demonic,” I highly approve of mining the Nine Realms for more story. There are still four Realms they haven’t even gotten to, and two of those Realms are of the Dead and another is the Realm of Demons! There is so much story potential they haven’t even gotten to yet! Believe me, the epicness of Thor is not a limited commodity.
And Thor: The Dark World does not hold back. The action is excellent. The writing is very sharp and flows nicely. And a big improvement is how the female characters are implemented. In that they are actually implemented. Its a big step up. Now, this movie is about the God of Thunder, and he’s got the magic hammer and everything, so yeah, he gets the main focus. But the women very interesting in this flick.
Starting with Jane Foster as a crazy smart and brave astrophysicist. Though she is very much in love with Thor, its not her main drive for all of her decisions. It would be more fair to say that Thor is weaved into what she already loved, as a part of it, but he is not the sum. And she smacks Loki right in the kisser for New York, so she’s got some passion to her for sure.
And she’s played by Natalie Portman. That does not hurt in the slightest. Great actress and just galaxies worth of lovely in that face of hers.
Frigga, the Queen of Asgard and mother of Thor and Loki, kicks some ass. Rene Russo does a great job with a brief role. Regal, caring, and fierce. Excellent work.
Lady Sif, played by Jaimie Alexander, is a badass again. I love her double-sided sword, and am glad to see it back. And this time, there is actual hints at the relationship that she and Thor were supposed to have if you read mythology (HINT: They married, yo!).
Kat Dennings is excellent as herself. C’mon, you can “Darby” or “Darcy” her name all you want. That is friggin’ Kat Dennings. And thank god for it, cuz she is fun on a bun.
Listen, the cast of Thor: The Dark World is astounding. Not one weak link among them. Chris Hemsworth is Thor. His is the voice I hear when I read the comics, and the dude looks like a DUDE. He is badass and has a smirk that looks perfect on Thor.
Anthony Hopkins must be having fun as Odin. Because it feels like he’s having fun with the character, but damn does he know how throw the hammer down when he needs to be a King.
Idris Elba as Heimdell is very awesome. I applauded Marvel for the surprise and interesting casting before, and it just keeps paying off. Though it makes it harder for Elba to be Black Panther like I wanted him to be…
The Warriors Three. I love these guys. Ray Stevenson completely surprised me with his Volstagg. Funny, heroic, slightly buffoonish, and very human. Tadanobu Asano as Hogun was an awesome choice, but I have to admit I really wish they didn’t cut him out of the movie so early on. And Zachary Levi taking over as Fandral was excellent casting.
This whole movie is fun. Just a straight up, hammer throwing, god smacking, ball of popcorn goodness. Watch this movie and be entertained all over the place. Chris Hemsworth thinks you’ll dig it.
And if you have any other complaints, just do as Loki commands:
