Thor The Dark World-review

After being such a fan of the first Thor movie and The Avengers it was hard not to have very high expectations for this movie. While visually interesting and action packed, it seems to be fairly unoriginal and struggles to be humorous- which is not appropriate.  It is at least entertaining for the most part. It comes off like an obvious attempt at a cash grab from Marvel instead of anything necessary to bridge the gap before the next Avenger’s film.

In Asgard, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, is imprisoned for his crimes from the events from The Avengers. Thor, played by Christ Hemsworth, is fighting off enemies in the Nine Realms.  Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, has been trying to find Thor for the past two years.  Jane becomes infected with a powerful primordial force called Aether that Dark Elves are attempting to get back for a world conquest plan.

Thor The Dark World feels familiar in a lot of ways.  The actors feel like they are going through motions and don’t seem to try anything new.  The villains look like space-faring versions of Hellboy II: The Golden Army’s Elves. There are scenes that seem to be taken right out of the Animatrix.   Kat Dennings’ character, Darcy, is painfully unfunny. Every time she was on screen I felt like yelling. “Who invited you?” The brotherly back-and-forth between Loki and Thor is welcome to see again but is sadly few and far between.

The movie is fairly predictable and adds nothing to the Marvel universe; it’s just a colorful filler-movie.  Though the action is somewhat fun, the story between those scenes isn’t enough to drive this film forward. They try to create tension between Jane and Sif but it doesn’t go anywhere. Plus, there is never an explanation as to how exactly Loki takes the throne of Asgard.  It seems like he’d have to contend with Odin and pretty much the entire army of Asgard that knows he is a criminal.  Why didn’t we see that?

It also makes very little sense that these movies should even exist after the making of The Avengers.  For example, why do these heroes not have the assistance from other heroes on their team? If a group of alien Dark Elves attacked earth I am sure S.H.E.I.L.D would be first to show up with some help for Thor.  These solo movies just become more obvious as an attempt to milk the series for more money.

As a whole, Thor The Dark World is not terrible.  It is visually appealing and a fun action film that is worth a rental at the very least.  However, seeing it in theaters is not necessary.  Thor The Dark World will not be winning any awards or be deeply connected to the next Avenger’s film.  If anything it is more connected to Guardians of the Galaxy.  It is a fine movie but pales in comparison to the first film, which was such a smarter hero story.

The Avengers-review

It wasn’t until recently that I had heard of a movie like this. The Avengers takes the plot threads and characters from essentially four different films and combines them to make one big blockbuster.  The care of Joss Whedon’s script and careful direction, make this movie a great way to start the ride of summer blockbusters for 2012.

The Avengers team, comprised of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawk Eye, band together to stop the otherworldly, Loki.  His plans are to take over the world by unleashing an army of bizarre space creatures onto planet earth and extend his iron-will over humanity.  Only by working together can the team of heroes find hope to defeat such a menace.

The characters are written with the same care as the movies that preceded them.  Captain America, played by Chris Evans, is still a kind-hearted, star-spangled, knight in shining armor.  Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr., is still a hilarious smart ass.  They all have fallen into their familiar roles very well.  I particularly liked Mark Ruffalo’s newer take on Bruce Banner.  He plays the role more frightened and vulnerable then Eric Bana or Edward Norton did. His take on the role reminded me a lot of the late Bill Bixby on “The Hulk” television shows.

The script is top notch.  There are fist-slamming moments of action intercut with wit and humor, which make a long movie seem to go by rather quickly.   Loki is a hilariously haughty villain.  It makes for some dynamic pieces of dialogue between him and the other characters, many of which are not used to such a bizarre yet powerful entity. 

There is no way that you have to watch ALL the movies that came first, which I thought was smart.  This movie gives you a taste of each character’s back-story, and allows you to piece it together yourself.  It showed a lot of care, and for a summer superhero movie, that sometimes is a tall order. 

The movie is a ton of fun.  I recommend staying until after the credits to see the extra footage.  I would definitely say you should go see this movie.  If you are at all a fan of any of the Marvel comics’ movies that make up the Avengers, you will enjoy this movie as an unofficial sequel. Otherwise, you’ll enjoy the fresh action and humor of “The Avengers”.

Thor- review

Alright Stop!...HAMMER TIME!

Summer movies are kicking off with a big bang. I am at least glad to say “Thor” was actually really good.  The characters are well developed. The action is really done well and the dialogue is fun.  Plus, I can see how this will fit with the canon of the “Avengers” movie as well as tie into the “Iron Man 2” part that most of us caught staying after the credits.

The story is about a hot headed Norse God named Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth.  Who the hell is that? Remember the latest “Star Trek” movie? He was Kirk’s ill fated father.  He is next in line for the throne of Asgard.  But because he is an impetuous youth who really knows only battle his father sees he has a lot to learn.  His brother Loki, played expertly by Tom Hiddleston, is at his side until their father gets them out of a jam with some frost giants. This causes Odin, played by Anthony Hopkin’s to banish Thor to the mortal world and strip him of his powers until he becomes worthy of them again. 

Can you hear the lambs screaming Thor?

This story is would only be so-so if not for the very King Lear relationship Odin has with Loki and the other relationships developed throughout the film.  It really fleshes him out as a villain and makes him understandable.

As for the other relationships, Thor is written really well as a fish-out-of-water character. His relationship with people, as well as relationships to his fellow gods as a man, compared to when he was a mighty god- is amusing throughout the movie.  The way all the relationships of the characters tie in together with the central plot you actually gain a really solid movie that is wildly entertaining.

No shit? You won an Oscar?

            The cast is great in their roles. Though, after seeing “Black Swan,” this performance seems a bit phoned in for Natalie Portman. I guess a girl has got to eat. Kenneth Branagh directs and does a really good job making this story of comic gods seem epic and fun.  If you haven’t seen a decent superhero movie for a while, give this one a try. It’s a really fun ride and a great way to kick off the summer blockbuster season.