X-Men movies are owned by Fox and the revamped First Class stories are my favourite).
Though the first Thor film wasn't spectacular in terms of great story telling or about to win any major awards it did catapult Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) into stardom and it is because of these two actors that the story and it's sequels (The Avengers, The Dark World) have weight and create an emotional storyline that fills in the gaps between action sequences.
The Dark World takes place a year after the events of The Avengers and Thor has been travelling through the Nine Realms and dealing with battles that have arisen. Jane (the lacking love interest played by Natalie Portman) has been on Earth researching and waiting for Thor to return and then is sent to a side realm where she ingests the aether, Darcy her comedic relief temp now has her own temp, and Erik Selvig has seemingly lost his mind after being mind controlled by Loki in the Avengers. Loki at this time is locked in the dungeon of Asgard. Placed there by the All-Father, Odin - who is still stoic and even more a lacking as a father. He is played brilliantly by Antony Hopkins. Loki is visited by no one but the magically generated image of his mother - Frigga, played wonderfully by Rene Russo.
This time the villains are the Dark Elves from Svartalfheim, lead by Malekith. They attack Asgard searching for the aether which resides in Jane who has been brought to Asgard under Thor's protection. With this new threat Thor must release Loki to have him help save the girl and the Nine Realms from the darkness.
With such an intriguing story the acting and the directing has a large job of bringing the story to life. Which was done, but there were moments where the story lost focus and dragged on too long. The story also could have done without the whole "love interest" story line. As the lack of connection and chemistry between Portman and Hemsworth slows the pace and is unnecessary.
Alan Taylor, known for his direction of Game of Thrones, does a great job of creating the fantasy world of Asgard. He has made the film darker and grittier than its predecessor, which I think makes it more in line with the mythic idea of Thor. He also does a wonderful job of guiding the actors within this universe.
The acting in this outing is of a higher calibre than the original Thor. Christopher Eccleston is frightening as Malekith. Even with a lack of speaking English he brings a different, more ancient foe. He plays the role as a being that is older than Odin and desires his one goal of bringing the darkness to the realms.
The supporting actors play their characters without much change from the first film. The notable ones are those of Thor's warrior friends and his family. Seeing the characters of Sif, Volstagg and Fandral playing a larger part and working with Thor is great in cementing Thor's life outside of being a member of the Avengers. It also shows the warrior nature of Asgard and the idea that these beings have been fighting far longer than we know. Rene Russo this time has much more to do than last time. We see her bond with both her sons and then fight as a true shield maiden of Asgard.
As mentioned before though the true heart of the film comes from the chemistry and bond between Hiddleston and Hemsworth. Hemsworth is back a a more mature and thinking man, playing Thor as a warrior who has seen too much battle and when he returns home to a family torn apart. After a great performance in Rush - proving that the young Australian is more than just Thor - he uses his quietness to show both patience and pain. Hiddleston is once again the scene stealer. He plays the emotional parts with the skill of theatre trained actor but it is the moments of his scheming and mischief that the joy of playing Loki comes out and proves that he should be billed as the other star of the film alongside Hemsworth. On their own the two actors are wonderful in their roles, but it is when they are together that the film and their acting truly shines.
Overall the film was entertaining, funny and a great way to spend an evening. The story could have been a little more focused but with all comic book movies this can be forgiven.
4/5 stars.
The Dark World takes place a year after the events of The Avengers and Thor has been travelling through the Nine Realms and dealing with battles that have arisen. Jane (the lacking love interest played by Natalie Portman) has been on Earth researching and waiting for Thor to return and then is sent to a side realm where she ingests the aether, Darcy her comedic relief temp now has her own temp, and Erik Selvig has seemingly lost his mind after being mind controlled by Loki in the Avengers. Loki at this time is locked in the dungeon of Asgard. Placed there by the All-Father, Odin - who is still stoic and even more a lacking as a father. He is played brilliantly by Antony Hopkins. Loki is visited by no one but the magically generated image of his mother - Frigga, played wonderfully by Rene Russo.
This time the villains are the Dark Elves from Svartalfheim, lead by Malekith. They attack Asgard searching for the aether which resides in Jane who has been brought to Asgard under Thor's protection. With this new threat Thor must release Loki to have him help save the girl and the Nine Realms from the darkness.
With such an intriguing story the acting and the directing has a large job of bringing the story to life. Which was done, but there were moments where the story lost focus and dragged on too long. The story also could have done without the whole "love interest" story line. As the lack of connection and chemistry between Portman and Hemsworth slows the pace and is unnecessary.
Alan Taylor, known for his direction of Game of Thrones, does a great job of creating the fantasy world of Asgard. He has made the film darker and grittier than its predecessor, which I think makes it more in line with the mythic idea of Thor. He also does a wonderful job of guiding the actors within this universe.
The acting in this outing is of a higher calibre than the original Thor. Christopher Eccleston is frightening as Malekith. Even with a lack of speaking English he brings a different, more ancient foe. He plays the role as a being that is older than Odin and desires his one goal of bringing the darkness to the realms.
The supporting actors play their characters without much change from the first film. The notable ones are those of Thor's warrior friends and his family. Seeing the characters of Sif, Volstagg and Fandral playing a larger part and working with Thor is great in cementing Thor's life outside of being a member of the Avengers. It also shows the warrior nature of Asgard and the idea that these beings have been fighting far longer than we know. Rene Russo this time has much more to do than last time. We see her bond with both her sons and then fight as a true shield maiden of Asgard.
As mentioned before though the true heart of the film comes from the chemistry and bond between Hiddleston and Hemsworth. Hemsworth is back a a more mature and thinking man, playing Thor as a warrior who has seen too much battle and when he returns home to a family torn apart. After a great performance in Rush - proving that the young Australian is more than just Thor - he uses his quietness to show both patience and pain. Hiddleston is once again the scene stealer. He plays the emotional parts with the skill of theatre trained actor but it is the moments of his scheming and mischief that the joy of playing Loki comes out and proves that he should be billed as the other star of the film alongside Hemsworth. On their own the two actors are wonderful in their roles, but it is when they are together that the film and their acting truly shines.
Overall the film was entertaining, funny and a great way to spend an evening. The story could have been a little more focused but with all comic book movies this can be forgiven.
4/5 stars.
