Thor : Le Monde des ténèbres

The first Thor was probably one of Marvel's more trickier movies since it centered heavily around Norse mythology. To make it work in the "real" world was a massive task. Integrating a billionaire playboy who doubles as a tech-powered superhero, or a scientist who turns into a green rage monster was easier to accomplish than the fantastic world of Asgard, Gods & Monsters.

Credit must go to Kenneth Brannagh who found the right balance between the fantastic and "real" (that's a stretch anyways) world. Furthermore, Brannagh focused on the characters instead of bombastic vfx (he still provided tons of beautiful shot visuals though).

His replacement Alan Taylor however goes in the opposite direction and favors stylish visuals over character development. Worse still, the pacing and tone are all over the place.

The Dark World tries to hard to provide the same brand of humor Joss Whedon is known for but fails to deliver the laughs, or they are rather misplaced.

Bottom line: It's a too unfocused movie that suffers from a weak script and a director who tries too many things at the same time.

Is this a huge stepup from the original "Thor" movie. No, unfortunately not. Is it another watchable, fun superhero movie; yes, definitely. It's a really good movie and if we look at the way Alan Taylor directs this movie, it's actually not that much different from what Branagh did back in 2011. Chris Hemsworth is good as usual and Tom Hiddleston is more wonderful than ever as Loki, but the villain Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston, unfortunately, is a bit of a disappointment, mostly because of the lack of motivation.

Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. This sequel is one such moment. I do need to see it again. In terms of pure enjoy-ability, I put it top 3 of all sequels that I have enjoyed.

What I really liked...

-Every single character gets a moment to shine and every single actor cast in these parts are perfect.

-The comedy is perfect. It's such a fine balance overall and everything works because it's very subtle and fits in with certain circumstances.

-Some very tender emotional scenes. I won't spoil anything with specifics.

-Some superb action and what could very well be award winning special effects.

-All characters interactions are great and handled very well. This is a fantasy story that really cares about character first and it shows all the way through. Even Natalie Portman's Jane feel more fleshed out than she did in the original film.

-The set pieces and other realms talked about in the first are seen here and are beautiful and well done. Asgard was even better believe it or not.

-The mid-credit and end credit scenes, both cool. Make sure you stay for both.

Marvel hit a pure home run with this endeavor. This film works because of the great cast and the fact that they took this subject matter seriously but remember to have fun. Chris Hemsworth was again perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Plot

When the Dark Elves attempt to plunge the universe into darkness, Thor must embark on a perilous and personal journey that will reunite him with doctor Jane Foster.

Cast

The same bunch as before but now we have a disappointing Eccleston and Fandral has been recast with Zachary Levi.

Verdict

I didn't hate the first Thor but I didn't deem it a great film, our titular character bounced between distinctly unlikable and oddly hilarious and didn't seem to manage as a leading man. The supporting cast, a combination of bland and oddly quaint! Dennings character walking a fine line between being quaint and deeply annoying.

The humor is on point, the visuals are interesting, Thor is the same mix of unlikable and funny (But less so than the first film) but the plot is really unengaging, Malkeith makes for a terrible villain and the ending is really quite poor.

The film also distances itself from the MC quite a bit, there aren't as many nods as we're used to though the Captain America cameo was kind of neat.

I consider Dark World one of the weak links in the MCU, thankfully Thors next solo outing made up for it.

Rants

I don't know what it is with Portman but she's so remarkably unlikable. Is it her face? Is it her acting ability? Is it her real life personality? I honestly don't know what my issue is. She just looks like someone who would kick me between the legs, put a cigarette out in my eye and expect me to say thank you.

Breakdown

Some funny moments A few solid cast members Malkeith is a terrible villain Inconsistent tones Plenty of bland moments.

Well I was so looking forward to seeing this movie when I went last night, and although it was reasonably good it was not at all what I expected.

Watch the official movie trailer and you see what looks like quite a dark fantasy, so you can imagine my surprise when throughout the movie the audience was laughing out loud at the stupid one liners. Yes I know this is entertainment, and this movie was moderately entertaining, but once again the makers have tried to please everyone by adding a bit of everything; action, special effects, romance and humour, just far too much of the latter for my taste in a genre that does not require hilarity to succeed.

Although it has a lower IMDb score I much preferred the 2011 Thor, a stronger storyline, darker and no laughing matter!