Thor is back. It has been a year since he last journeyed to earth, but needless to say, we have all been anticipating his return. At least I was, until I strolled into the cinema to watch another Marvel action flick and instead, was bombarded by a Hollywood rehashing of its collective blockbuster successes.
Where is the originality and substance that the first film brought? Granted, origin stories always garner much mass appeal; especially to the the American individualist audience. Yet that narrative potential can not seem to be emulated a second time around. Think back to Iron Man - a franchise which has all the material and potential to create a good sequel. And what were we given? A mediocre movie, with a poorly executed villain, and a slow banal plot.
It would appear Hollywood is fresh out of new concepts. Somewhere between the enemy ship crashing into the impenetrable Asgard throne room, and then being used by our hero to escape Asgard, is where I realised I had seen this film before - Independence Day and Avatar. In one we see the destruction of an iconic landmark (The White House), and the latter we see the escapees hot-tail it out of headquarters, against their superiors wishes. It might not be an exact template, but the very idea of using the "alien" ship to fool the enemy into letting their defences down, is a concept we have seen time and time again. Thor 2 unashamedly utilises it.
Asgard beaten down, falling like Mount Olympus, we see a blatant re-envisioning of the America in trouble plot. We do not need any more of these films. White House Down, Olympus has Fallen etc. In recent years we have seen an abundance of 'kingdom under attack' movies, so why employ this here? Why include this device? Because it is a safe story. Marvel knows it has worked before, and unfortunately they are not confident enough in their characters to let their stories (you know, the ones from the comics they originate), develop and breathe. There is plenty of material on our titular hero. Norse mythology, comic books and 80s film adaptations, that said, I would not rely too heavily on the cheesy 80s Hulk/Thor cross-over. But even that would be a better direction than this Asgardian history lesson. A cross-over with the Mark Ruffalo Hulk, would expand both superheroes stories, as well as being commercially accepted by the masses. Plus we wouldn’t have to suffer through another terrible Hulk movie.
Asgard beaten down, falling like Mount Olympus, we see a blatant re-envisioning of the America in trouble plot. We do not need any more of these films. White House Down, Olympus has Fallen etc. In recent years we have seen an abundance of 'kingdom under attack' movies, so why employ this here? Why include this device? Because it is a safe story. Marvel knows it has worked before, and unfortunately they are not confident enough in their characters to let their stories (you know, the ones from the comics they originate), develop and breathe. There is plenty of material on our titular hero. Norse mythology, comic books and 80s film adaptations, that said, I would not rely too heavily on the cheesy 80s Hulk/Thor cross-over. But even that would be a better direction than this Asgardian history lesson. A cross-over with the Mark Ruffalo Hulk, would expand both superheroes stories, as well as being commercially accepted by the masses. Plus we wouldn’t have to suffer through another terrible Hulk movie.
Apart from a very amusing cameo by Captain America (Chris Evans), the one saving grace has to be mentioned. Of course, I'm talking about Loki and Thor's banter. As an audience, we are left craving more screen time for the brotherly squabbles. Loki's sarcasm ripples off Thor's ever frustrated shoulders. As Thor's increasing disdain for his treasonous sibling continues, you can see Loki's longing for his previous position - a dynamic that should have been explored readily in this story. To be quite honest, an hour of them volleying jokes between one another would have been more enjoyable than the actual plot. Better still, Loki amassing another army and battling in Asgard, with Odin and Thor on one side, and Loki plus Malekith on the other; that would have scaled things up perfectly. Throw in the Hulk and you have your new Christmas Blockbuster.
The only way I can ultimately define the film is as a segway to the Avengers sequel. I, like so many of us, have continually watched Marvel film after Marvel film, convincing myself that I am watching the film as its own entity. But the truth needs to be accepted. We now sit through these filler stories in expectation of an after credits teaser for the Avengers sequel.
Thor: The Dark World is not a bad film, it lacks the action and freshness that Thor brought to the screen, but it is watchable. If you are a Thor or Avengers Assemble fan, go and see it; if you are going with no priory context, then avoid it. Thor 2 is a movie that needs to be watched directly after its predecessor.
Thor: The Dark World is not a bad film, it lacks the action and freshness that Thor brought to the screen, but it is watchable. If you are a Thor or Avengers Assemble fan, go and see it; if you are going with no priory context, then avoid it. Thor 2 is a movie that needs to be watched directly after its predecessor.
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