Movie Review #69: Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: The Dark World was one of my most anticipated movies of 2013 and I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening of the film late last night. And since I had never been to an early showing of a movie before I was even more excited than I normally would have been!

Thor: The Dark World begins with a flashback thousands of years ago when Asgard was at war with a race of dark elves lead by an elf named Malekith. He wants a weapon called the Aether to take over the universe and send it into darkness. He ends up losing the battle and the Aether is hidden away but for reasons I will not say, he finds the location of the Aether and plans his revenge. It is now up to Thor and even some help from Loki to save the universe.

On the drive home from the theater, I was having a very tough time think about if I liked Thor: The Dark World more than Thor. And truth be told, I still don't know which one I liked more!

Both films had their flaws, but they were still very enjoyable and just a ton of fun. Although there are some evident differences in the two films. While the first Thor was more of a story about redemption and honor, Thor: The Dark World didn't have an underlying message like its predecessor. Which might be good news for people who didn't care for the message and wanted more action. But for me, the message was what made Thor stand out among the other Marvel movies. But then again, I think that Thor: The Dark World was a more well made movie on a technological standpoint. The visuals look fantastic. We finally get to see what Asgard looks like which was something we wanted to see in the first film. Malekith's make-up looks great. I definitely see an Oscar nomination for best make-up in the future for this film. The movie is also very well directed to which I have give credit to Alan Taylor. The final battle was a ton of fun. It involved Thor and Malekith popping from dimension to dimension and the best way I can describe it is that it felt like playing Portal! It really did and it was so much fun.

As usual, the actors are all great. The chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston really shines here. There is a scene where Thor is telling Loki his plan that had my theater erupting with laughter. In that scene there is a cameo that rivals Hugh Jackman's cameo in X-Men First Class in greatness. It was hilarious. One character I would have liked to have fewer lines was Kat Dennings character. At times she earned a good laugh but quite often her scenes felt rather awkward and out of place. At least she looked cute.

But the villain Malekith,  was pretty weak. It's a shame because the character looks and sounds super cool and he's played by Christopher Eccleston! The Ninth Doctor! How could I not like him? Sadly, he didn't have much to do and I felt he was just there to be the villain and nothing more. He's kind of like Nero from Star Trek. Both were played by good actors I like but they were wasted. Probably for more screen time for Loki.

Final Report: For me, Thor: The Dark World is just as good as its predecessor. Great action, humor, directing and characters make for a time at the movies that is definitely worth the price of admission.