Thor: The Dark World is simply a blast to watch. The film is filled with great action sequences; a pace that keeps the audience hooked on what is happening on screen; and a great ensemble cast. The plot does a great job of broadening Thor’s world while continuing to lay groundwork for other Marvel characters to cross over – with next Avengers film and even Guardians of the Galaxy in the cut scene after the credits featuring Benicio del Toro as The Collector.
Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston own Thor and Loki and it is impossible to see any other actors in the roles. Although it is a Thor film, Hiddleston steals much of the movie and the chemistry between the two brothers keeps the comedy from taking away from the film’s action. Hemsworth is also given time to let his Thor continue to develop as a character as he struggles to find a balance with his duties at Asgard and his romance Jane Foster (Portman).
Although it manages to stay entertaining from start to finish, Thor: The Dark World does have some problems. The film veers more into sci-fi action than its original fantasy roots thanks to Asgardian swords and spears lighting up like lightsabers and Asgard itself being protected by blasters and flying longboats. The Dark Elves also attack with blasters, and never seem more than a plot device to give Thor someone to battle. As a villain, Malekith (Eccleston) never seems much of a threat to Thor, and his plan for taking over the Nine Realms just an excuse to reunite Thor with Jane. At times the film had a Flash Gordon feel rather than what some fans might expect from Thor, the Thunder God. The more sci-fi feel doesn’t kill the entertainment, but can be a bit distracting from time to time.
Like other Marvel Film releases, the Blu-ray looks and sounds incredible and comes loaded with enough bonus material to make it well-worth the purchase price. Of all the special features, Marvel One Shot: All Hail the King is the true gem. The short is almost better than Thor: The Dark World and continues the story of Sir Ben Kingsley hilarious Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3. The actor finds himself locked up in a high-security prison thanks to his crimes as The Mandarin, and is adjusting to his new life inside. Kingsley continues to make the Iron Man 3 swerve work and the short left me wanting to watch Iron Man 3 again.
While it has some problems and some fans might not like the sci-fi elements, Thor: The Dark World is an action-packed sequel that builds on everything established in the first outing while continuing to lay groundwork for more to come. The incredible ending will leave fans counting the days until the third Thor film arrives on the big screen.
Directed by Alan Taylor with a screenplay by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely, Thor: The Dark World stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgård, and Alice Krige.
Special Features:
Marvel One Shot: All Hail the King
Extended and Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
Exclusive Look – Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier
A Brothers’ Journey: Thor & Loki
Scoring Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World with Brian Tyler
Audio Commentary with Director Alan Taylor, Producer Kevin Feige, Actor Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau