Friday 1 November 2013

REVIEW: THOR: THE DARK WORLD

My first movie review on this blog was Iron Man 3, the sequel to the massively popular comic book hero of the same name. Therefore, I am pretty looking forward to reviewing this film.


 The Norse God of Thunder, Thor, thunders into theatres in the movie Thor: The Dark World, a sequel to the box-office hit Thor (2011). This film is part of the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe we have come to know and is highly anticipated by comic book fans alike.

This time around, the responsibility of directing falls onto Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones TV series). Thor: The Dark World reunites the casts from the first film; Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgaard, Kat Dennings, and many more. Christopher Eccleston and Zachary Levi (who replaces Josh Dallas as Fandrall) rounds up the casts. The films is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures (instead of Paramount Pictures) and Marvel Studios.

How will this sequel fair up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Do read on...

Chris Hemsworth the lead role as Thor.

SYNOPSIS:
It has been two years since Jane Foster (Portman) has seen Thor (Hemsworth) and both are longing for each other. During this period, it is discovered that a universal cosmic event would occur and there are some powers that be want to control it, notably Malekith, the Dark Elf. Foster stumbles onto this event and as a result of it, is reunited with Thor. Little did they know that now Foster holds the key to saving the universe and this forces Thor to seek out help from his imprisoned adopted brother Loki (Hiddleston) for help.

Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Chris Hemsworth as Thor
SCRIPT:
The script was okay but it was quite overly fantasized. Then, it is a movie about the 'gods'. Interestingly enough, it was well understood. Good plot outline and not complicated. I liked the fact that character dynamics are switched because we see more Jane Foster on Thor's home Asgard and Loki playing the good guy. It is well documented on the internet that writer and director of The Avengers, Joss Whedon, did some uncredited rewrites on the script. This is clearly evident with the witty jokes in the film which made it enjoyable to watch. Take the jokes out of the equation and it could have been a lame script.

Natalie Portman and Rene Russo as Frigga, Thor's mother
ACTING:
Hemsworth was just being Thor from the previous film. As usual, Hiddleston shines as Loki as he did in Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012). I liked the fact that the supporting characters were given more prominence compared to the first film.

Hemsworth as Thor sharing a scene with Anthony Hopkins as Allfather Odin
FILMING:
Since the film is a sequel, it would be no surprise that it is given a bigger budget by the studio. Alan Taylor utilized it well with more visual effects, costumes, and elaborate sets. He did well in this and I have to give high commendation to Taylor since he is known more for TV work rather than film work. However at times, the visual effects became more of trying to showcase a 3D effect rather than help the story.

Director Alan Taylor directs Chris Hemsworth on the set of Thor.
PACING:
Not too draggy. Good start, good middle, but the ending was a little draggy. I felt that the movie took a bit long to find a resolution as it already had a good build-up.

TONE (MOOD):
Heroes attempt to rescue the universe before plunging into darkness.

Christopher Eccleston as Malekith was outstanding, me thinks.
DOWNSIDE:
Despite its massive production, the ending lacked a little Marvel 'oomph', so to speak. It was not good a sequel as Iron Man 3 when it was released earlier this year. I was a little disappointed with the ending.

UPSIDE:
Good visual effects and some great acting from its supporting characters.

Tom Hiddleston as the evil adopted brother Loki.
OVERALL:
It is not the best of sequels but it is enjoyable. Stay tune for some extra scenes. There are two. One midway through the credits and one at the end of all the credits.

RATING:
7.5 out of 10

No comments:

Post a Comment