Review: Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World (2013):

Synopsis – Thor has been cleaning up the 9 realms and making everything cool again, when suddenly (!) a new threat appears in the form of a dark elf who is hell-bent on returning the universe to a state of total darkness.

Starring - Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, all kinds of people.

I don’t know what it is about the Thor movies, but I really like both of them. Something about the clash of cultures between the scientists and the Gods just tickles my funny bone in the right way. And for some reason whenever Kat Dennings says something I cannot help but laugh! She is great at delivering lines.

What’s that? This isn’t supposed to be a comedy? Listen, if this had just been a straight action movie, then why would I have bothered watching it? In almost every Marvel movie that’s been released, the minute I stopped caring is the minute the action got turned up to 11. I’m a weirdo, what can I say. This movie has a fair amount of action, but it really is mostly a comedic movie, containing different levels of the “fish out of water” troupe and snarkiness. So I can see why some people didn’t like it, and I don’t fault them their opinions. I loved it.

What I Liked:

-This movie made me laugh, a lot. Whether it was Loki quipping, Kat Denning quipping, or even Natalie Portman quipping, for some reason the humor of the movie was right up my alley. And of course, an action movie where people are thrown around is bound to have some physical humor. All of which worked for me. Lastly, there is the funniest thing in the movie in my opinion…

-Stellan Skarsgard is fantastic in this movie. If you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to spoil his first scene, but I was laughing so hard I was crying. Imagine the guy from Good Will Hunting, now doing the performance that this film required. Every bit with him was great in an already super fun movie.

-As a Marvel comics nerd, I have to say that the stingers at the end of the movie made me so happy. Both the one that hinted toward the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and the one that put a nice bow on Thor: The Dark World were magical to me.

What I Didn’t Like:

-Everything did feel kind of rushed, plot-wise at least. I suppose the studios thought they couldn’t hold the audience’s attention for a longer movie in Thor-land, but I totally disagree. I would have loved a longer sequence of Natalie Portman’s character walking around with Thor in Asgard and interacting with different Gods and demi-Gods, but I’m a nerd, so there’s that to consider. Also, a little more fleshing out of the villain couldn’t have hurt.

-SPOILER: They kill off one of the characters, and it ends up feeling very halfhearted. It really doesn’t even work as motivation for the other characters. It was just a way for one of the actors to exit from any other film obligations.

What I Hated:

-I hate that it ended.

Verdict:

A fun blockbuster action movie, this movie is a quick watch that is totally enjoyable. Pop it in the player when you want to have a good time. I intend to buy a copy.