Director
Alan
Taylor's
Thor:
The
Dark
World
is
a
Marvel
Comics
franchise
based
on
Norse
Mythology,
where
Thor
is
the
hammer-wielding
protector
of
mankind,
who
uncompromisingly
pursues
his
foes.
Action-packed
and
visually
dynamic,
the
film
at
times
feels
like
a
sci-fi
war
movie.
But
instead,
it
reverberates
with
family
dynamics
in
mystical
realms
and
numerous
characters.
Unlike
its
first
installment,
this
one
is
on
a
much
bigger
scale
and
a
far
cry
from
a
superhero
film.
The
film
structurally
begins
in
the
same
way
as
the
first
"Thor",
with
a
voiceover
by
Anthony
Hopkins,
who
plays
Odin
the
ruler
of
Asgard,
and
a
back
story.
The
voiceover
states:
"Long
before
the
birth
of
light,
there
was
darkness
and
Dark
Elves
ruled
the
universe
with
the
help
of
aether
(pronounced
eether)
an
ancient
force
of
eternal
destruction."
The
back
story
reveals
Malekith
(Christopher
Eccleston),
the
Prince
of
the
Dark
Elves
is
all
set
to
destroy
the
Universe,
but
his
attempt
is
thwarted
by
Thor's
grandfather
and
the
Aether
is
discarded
onto
a
planet.
Years
later,
on
earth,
the
aether
enters
the
bloodstream
of
astrophysicist
Jane
Foster
(Natalie
Portman)
and
there
are
forces
at
work.
Malekeith
is
back
on
the
prowl.
Jane
gets
connected
with
her
long
lost
love
Thor
(Chris
Hemsworth)
and
Loki
(Tom
Hiddleston)
the
less
trustworthy
brother
of
Thor,
accompanies
him
to
save
the
day.
This
makes
the
core
theme
of
the
story.
And
if
this
sounds
interesting,
then
the
film
is
far
from
the
point
of
deliverance.
Its
first
half
drags
quite
mercilessly.
Then
the
plot
gets
complex
and
convoluted.
The
tale
is
saddled
with
intergalactic
setting
and
the
narration
has
twisted
and
knotted
moments.
If
one
sequence
begins
on
Asgard
the
planet
where
Thor
and
his
family
live,
the
other
sequence
takes
place
on
Earth
and
the
third,
in
space.
After
a
while,
teleportation
is
commonplace
and
anything
is
possible.
Overall,
the
characters
have
no
graphs
or
novelty
factor.
The
dialogues,
without
any
verve
and
wit
are
full
of
cliches,
thereby
making
the
viewing
boring
and
predictable.
The
film
borders
on
patronizing
with
the
same
old
threats
of
galaxy
extinction
and
out-of-context
jokes.
Humour
comes
in
the
form
of
Jane
trying
to
fix
a
long
distance
blind
date
with
a
prospective
new
boyfriend,
a
cameo
played
by
Chris
O'Dowd
and
other
times
by
static
one-liners
from
Kat
Dennings,
Jane's
intern.
But
the
most
forced
humour
is
witnessed
when
Stellan
Skarsgard
as
the
eccentric
physicist
Dr.
Erik
Selvig
struts
about
nude
or
in
his
underwear
to
help
him
"think".
Though
the
film
has
a
star
studded
cast
and
they
share
a
comfortable
onscreen
chemistry,
there
is
nothing
that
holds
them
together.
Chris
Hemsworth
as
Thor
manages
to
add
charm
and
power
to
the
role.
But
it
is
Hiddleston
as
Loki,
who
steals
the
show
with
his
grey
and
enigmatic
character.
Natalie
Portman
as
Jane
Foster
is
convincing.
The
villainous
Malekith
is
a
not
so
potent,
generic
villain
and
Christopher
Eccleston
who
plays
Malekith
adds
nothing
more
than
scowling
guttural
threats
in
a
made-up
language
for
much
of
the
movie.
Anthony
Hopkins
as
Odin
the
one
eyed
king
is
ineffective
as
his
scope
in
the
film
is
limited.
Technically,
Alan
Taylor
has
spared
no
effort
to
make
"Thor:
The
Dark
World"
appealing.
The
production
values
are
excellent.
Visually,
the
frames
with
warm
lighting
are
action-packed
with
computer
generated
images
and
aesthetic
value.
Unfortunately,
there
is
no
added
value
to
watch
this
film
in
3D.
Verdict
In
reality,
Thor:
The
Dark
World
seems
to
suffer
from
superhero
fatigue.
Cast:
Chris
Hemsworth,
Tom
Hiddleston,
Natalie
Portman,
Zachary
Levi,
Stellan
Skarsgard,
Christopher
Eccleston,
Alice
Krige,
Adewale
Akinnuoye-Agbaje,
Anthony
Hopkins,
Rene
Russo,
Idris
Elba,
Jaimie
Alexander,
Richard
Brake
and
Chris
O'Dowd
Director:
Alan
Taylor
IANS