Film: Thor: The Dark World

For me Thor was the surprise hit of Marvel’s Phase One, a character I knew nothing about that came with a huge, ridiculous mythology that somehow they made work incredibly well on screen. Thor: The Dark World has the same challenge that Iron Man 3 faced, coming off the powerhouse that was Avengers and attempting to carry the same effect in a solo outing. Thor rises to the challenge as you would expect, bringing amazing science fiction action mixed with Middle Earth style lore to create an action-packed, awe inspiring film.

The film opens with a history lesson, introducing the film’s villains the Dark Elves, an ancient Asgardian enemy who sought to bring darkness to the universe using an ancient weapon called the Aether. After a great battle, the Dark Elves are believed extinct, obviously they’re not and they return to wreak havoc on the universe. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been a bit busy since the end of Avengers, fighting across worlds to bring peace to the galaxy, neglecting his girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). While studying an anomaly in London, Jane comes across the Aether on Earth and becomes infected by it, forcing Thor to enter the conflict to protect her and stop the Elves. He requires the help of his treacherous brother Loki  (Tom Hiddleston) who is currently imprisoned due to his actions in Avengers, but how can he trust Loki?

Thor 2 works best when Loki is at the forefront with Hiddleston giving his best performance to date in the role we all love to hate. Rather than place Loki in an all-out antagonist role for the third film running, this time around Thor and Loki are in an uneasy partnership created by the brothers’ need for revenge against the Dark Elves. Aware that you will just be waiting for Loki to stab Thor in the back, the film uses this to great effect for both comedy and suspense, really keeping the audience on their toes particularly during a sequence on the dark world mentioned in the title. Loki’s tricks and illusions are used especially well throughout the film, including a great little cameo from one of the other Avengers. The Dark World also allows us to see a softer side to Loki, though I won’t spoil how this comes about.

Thor himself is given a great deal more depth this time around, making him feel like more of a fully formed individual. He is poised to become the next king of Asgard but comes to discover that there is a darkness that comes with being a ruler and the decisions that leading a people requires. The Thor/Loki rivalry is also explored in great detail as they work together to achieve a common goal.

One of the movie’s strengths comes from its sense of humour, with comedic moments sprinkled throughout. Kat Dennings returns as Darcy once again providing much of the comic relief, though this time she is also assisted by Dr Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) who was apparently driven mad by Loki’s mind control. 

The main villain of the film, Malekith ruler of the Dark Elves, is rather bland through a combination of Christopher Eccleston’s cold, empty portrayal and the fact that the film isn’t able to effectively outline his goal: does he want to destroy the universe or just make it really dark? Loki steals the show as the secondary villain to such an extent that at certain times it’s possible to forget Malekith even exists. 

Alan Taylor is able to effectively balance comedy, drama and action, mixing the style of the previous Marvel films with the epic action to be expected from a Game of Thrones director. The attack on Asgard is one of the best action scenes of the year, mixing conflict on the ground with Star Wars style dogfights. The final battle is also very impressive, throwing Thor and Malekith across many worlds as they fight through various portals. 

As a whole the film is amazing, featuring standout action scenes and a great deal of comedy. It also provides some hints for the future of the Marvel universe particularly in regards to Thor 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron, as with all Marvel films you should stay through the credits. If you’re looking for a film to see this Autumn, go check it out!