Thor vs Elves (none played by Will Ferrell)Following up on Thor and The Avengers, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe focuses on Thor facing Malekith and The Dark Elves, against an ancient evil that threatens to envelope the world in darkness.
Getting audiences onboard with a man in a high-tech suit was child's play, but when it came to introducing the bonafide God of Thunder, that was a gamble. With the immense popularity the character has received since his cinematic debut 2 years ago, it's hard to believe, but as a result, we've gotten a sequel that dares to go bigger.
Things begin slowly, focusing on delivering the backstory to the films villains, The Dark Elves, and and pretty much just setting things up, but things pick up once Thor whisks Jane Foster away to Asgard. It's just a shame we don't get Jane's adventures in Asgard to deliver a reverse on the fish out of water shtick which made the first Thor film funny. There's the toying of the idea of a love triangle between Thor, Jane and Sif, a classic trope to cause unnecessary tension between characters, but thankfully abandons it after a few mentions.
Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor takes the helm, delivering a less shiny Asgard and getting more of a look at the daily lives of the residents, while delivering some well-directed scenes of action, a good dose of humor and one of the years best cameos.
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| Jane wanted hair styling tips |
Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddlestone excel in the third cinematic adventure their characters have partaken in, with their eventual team up played out as the 'mismatched buddy cop duo' trope, and it works, with their back and forth banter rating as some of the films best moments. Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins get a bit more to do, but Sif and The Warriors Three are shortchanged, with one written out early on.
Despite Christopher Eccleston playing the role of Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves and the main antagonist, he's ultimately a bland villain who could've done with scenes letting us know the character and his motivations, scenes which were disappointingly cut due to the running time. The scenes set on Earth could've done with a brutal edit, as Kat Dennings is used a bit too much and Stellen Skarsgard is reduced to just running around naked and raving like a lunatic, while D'Arcy's intern is little more than awkward and irritating.
While it may not be a perfect entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: The Dark World still makes for a fun watch that'll make you glad to see the son of Asgard once more.
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