Marvel Mania: MCU Phase 2- Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Directed by: Alan Taylor


Plot Summary: In London, Dr. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis are researching mysterious portals that have been appearing. Separated from Darcy, Jane is transported to another world and is infected by a powerful weapon called the Aether. Informed of Jane's disappearance, Thor returns to Earth to find her and transports her to Asgard. The release of the Aether awakens Malekith, a Dark Elf who plotted to destroy the universe with the Aether until he was imprisoned. Malekith and his army of Dark Elves travel to Asgard in search of Jane and the Aether. Following the attack, Thor must team up with Loki and travel to the Dark World of Svartalfheim to seek vengeance on Malekith.


Phase 2 continued by returning viewers to their favorite hammer-wielding Norse god in Thor: The Dark World. Of the films announced for Phase 2, this was the one I was excited for the least and it has everything to do with the cultural response to the first Thor film. There were things that were bound to win me over, like continuing the story of Thor and Loki, but then to my surprise the film never lost its steam. It continued to entertain me, and by the end of the film, I gave Marvel credit for giving fans a proper film about Thor.

Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor. Just like he has in his previous MCU appearances, Thor is a character who puts a lot of who he is right out there for everyone to see. In this film specifically, he has a deep loyalty for his family and his people of Asgard. When he plots revenge against the Dark Elves, it parallels his impulsive actions in the first film, but this time it is NOT out of arrogance. Not only was the fight made personal, but he also knows the Dark Elves will not stop until they have won. Despite the wishes of his father Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins, Thor has grown as a character and knows what must be done. He disobeys in order to do the right thing. As we see Thor compose a strategy with his allies, we see he is also becoming more meticulous in his planning and is working like an army general would. So now, he has the wisdom to lead Asgard in battle and be a leader for his people to look up to. He has come a long way since the first film and Hemsworth really does show that off nicely. In my review of the first film, I mentioned Hemsworth didn't have to do much in the acting department, just play Thor as a larger than life persona. Thank goodness the character has been evolving over the course of the MCU, because it allows Hemsworth to add depth and growth for Thor that feels natural as the movies progress.

The main antagonist is the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston. Now we get to the main complaint about the film: most fans believe Malekith SUCKS as a villain. I'm not willing to go that far with the critique. He wasn't a perfect villain, nor the most well-developed, but he still put up a formidable challenge for Thor. He attacked Asgard, threatened the lives of Thor's people, his family, and the love of his life Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman. He made things VERY personal for Thor. When a villain is able to get under your skin that much, they're doing their job pretty well. I think the big problem most of the geek community had with Malekith was that Marvel cast one of the Doctors to be in a Marvel film and didn't do as much with him as they were expecting. Since I've never actually endeavored into the world of Doctor Who, I can't make that call for myself personally, so I'll just go ahead and say I didn't love Malekith, nor did I hate him. He was a solid villain, who maybe could have used a bit more depth.

The Dark Elves might be underwhelming villains for most, so for them, thank goodness we have the return of Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. Fine, I'll admit it, I swoon like a schoolgirl for Loki...he's just so darn charismatic, but it's not because of his looks. I think a lot of fans can identify with Loki as he represents the outcast. This film REALLY dove deep into Loki's psyche and explores what few loyalties he really has. One of the best additions to Loki's character is relationship to his mother Frigga, played by Rene Russo. It's a very interesting parallel to Thor's relationship with Odin and is actually pretty sweet and a big motivator for Loki to help Thor fight the Dark Elves. Thor might have evolved well throughout the film, but this was Loki's movie. Hiddleston absolutely knocked it out of the park and cemented himself as on of my absolute favorite characters in the MCU.

Thor: The Dark World may not be the greatest movie in the MCU, but it's very entertaining to watch. Part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because they did what I wanted them to do: give us more of Asgard. The atmosphere there is an amazing spectacle to behold. I keep describing it the same way whenever I watch it: It's Star Wars meets Game of Thrones. That combination just sounds like it would be a great idea, wonderfully blending technology, magic, and mythology. Now that they've done this, I'd really like them to keep this formula for Thor: Ragnarok. Can they put him on Earth? Sure, for a little bit. But, it's clear that fans respond more positively when we get to explore more of Thor's world, so let's spend that time exploring and developing his universe, instead of trying to force the comedy of him coming to our world.

Now let's talk about *SPOILERS* in the mid-credits and post-credits scenes...

The mid-credits scene shows Volstagg and Sif, played by Ray Stevenson and Jaimie Alexander, visit the Collector, played by Benicio Del Toro, and deliver the Aether for him to hold on to. It is mentioned that with the Tesseract in Asgard, it is dangerous to have two Infinity Stones close together. When they leave, the Collector says "1 down, 5 to go." This teases a key environment that will be introduced very soon in the MCU (Guardians of the Galaxy) and that the Infinity War is on its way. This really sets the mood for big things on the way for the MCU. However, that scene should have been switched with the post-credits scene, which shows Thor and Jane reunite on Earth, while also showing the monster from Jotunheim still running wild in London. This scene had a really big filler tone attached and would have been better suited for the mid-credits scene or to be left on the cutting room floor.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thor: The Dark World is a step in the right direction for the Thor franchise because it focused on the three things it needed to: Thor, Loki, and Asgard. Yes, Malekith is an underwhelming villain and there is still a LOT of forced comedic relief on Earth, but these are minor complaints in an overall enjoyable film from Marvel. As a standalone film, I think it's worth checking out, but it may not be essential to watch for Age of Ultron.

Thor: The Dark World and movie images are copyrighted by Marvel Studios