"Thor 2: The Dark World Review"

Hello all, and welcome back! I'm the Man Without A Plan, here to do another movie review. This time I'm taking a look at "Thor 2: The Dark World", a film that ramps up the humor and action of the original, but drapes it over a plain story.

The Dark World is the home of the Dark Elves, a race existent before the universe in an era of total darkness. Desperate to return to that state, the Elves' leader, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) planned to use a weapon called the Aether to destroy the universe and return to the original state. However, when Malekith was about to use it, the Asgardians caught wind of the plan and waged a war, ravaging the Elves and their home, stealing the Aether in the process. They buried the weapon underground, while Malekith escaped, vowing to find the Aether and wreak vengeance on Asgard.

Thousands of years pass and while researching an interdimensional anomaly, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) an Earth astrophysicist and Thor's love, is accidentally transported to the burial spot and comes across the Aether, which melds itself inside her body, acting like a symbiote, violently defending itself from anyone who tries to harm her. Concerned for Jane's safety, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Earth and takes her to Asgard, determined to find a way to rid her of the Aether and destroy it once and for all, unaware Malekith senses the weapon and is on the hunt to retrieve it.

"Thor 2" suffers from what I call "sequel-itis." Because of the major successes that were the first "Thor" and "The Avengers", pressure is placed on the filmmakers from the studio to make another movie for the franchise, quickly. What usually happens is that the movies end up having plain stories but the elements that draw people in, such as action, humor, and special effects are ramped higher. People already recognize and love the characters, so not as much time is used to develop them. It makes the movie feel like a campfire lit with lighter fluid: more flash and bang, but the wood doesn't burn steady for long.

The success of "The Avengers" and the universe it set up separates "Thor 2" from being too far gone. One of the movie's strengths is in how it portrays its main lead. Because of the first movie and "The Avengers", Thor isn't as playful, cocky, or quick to the draw. He's become tempered by the weight of his guardianship of Earth and the Nine Realms. He doesn't jump into violence at the first glance, he looks at the situation from the vantage point of the people he's trying to protect, putting their needs first. He doesn't lose all personality; he has fun with Jane and Loki. In fact, the brotherly bantering is my favorite part of the movie. However, you can see a maturity in Thor he didn't have at the start. He's learned strategy, teamwork, and how to lead from his experiences, using those lessons to make smart choices here. While Thor isn't as dynamic of a character in this particular story, one can see the results of his progress and admire his overall growth. Because "The Avengers" required so much to tie in from the other movies and will require the same from these sequels for its sequel, "Thor 2" has elements in its story that tie back and foreshadow to events in the larger universe. When the movie steps out and shows the big picture, it's impressive. When the movie gets back to its story though...it falters.

A part of the blame does lie on Malekith as a character. Eccleston has the vice and command to play a strong villain (the Daleks can back me on this) but the character stays in the background a lot of the time, often making the monologues or being shrouded in shadow. The actor does a fine job, but he's not given a whole lot to do.

However, I would say that most of the blame for the lack of story lies in the same cause for the movie's strength: the success of "The Avengers." Before that film, the Marvel movies made, while some better felt like independent stories. They could fit in a bigger universe, but each movie never felt like they owed something to that bigger story. They could exist and breathe on their own. Ever since "The Avengers" came out, the focus has shifted. Now, the idea of a bigger story is in the public consciousness so the newer movies like "Iron Man 3" and "Thor 2" end up feeling less like their own concrete piece and more like a piece of the puzzle. Whenever I see Thor's world in peril or Iron Man's house being destroyed, in the back of my mind I'm aware there's a larger narrative at stake, so the stakes levied by these individual tales carry less weight. I'm logically not as invested. The developments in the characters' relationships with each other and themselves aren't as focused on to fit the model for sequel-itis, but since there's a bigger story in play, these new elements don't carry as much impact because I know this won't matter in the long run.

This doesn't mean that the action isn't creative or the new additions are all bad. The pacing of the action is done better here in the original "Thor." It has more variety, going through different stages and layers before giving clever, exciting payoffs. A great new addition is Malekith's main henchman, who is infused with the power of the Aether, becoming a monstrous soldier. He's a fresh addition: menacing and powerful. When he's on screen, I knew he meant business and I was worried for how Thor would win against him. He's fun to watch, and overall, I say the movie's fun to watch.

Call it heightened expectations, because the movie doesn't evoke the same kind of blockbuster excitement as "The Avengers", but on its own, "Thor 2: The Dark World" is a decent action film, with enough razzle-dazzle to entertain fans and newcomers alike. The story is plain and the investment isn't high, but what's executed well is executed well. I like it, go check it out. This is the Man Without A Plan, signing off.

Thor 2: The Dark World trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bFZJ-3zNFg