REVIEW: Thor: The Dark World (2013)

The following is a review of Thor: The Dark World.

Thor: The Dark World is the sequel to what I believe is one of the most underrated superhero films of the 21st Century: Kenneth Branagh’s Thor. I never expected for this sequel to be as great as the first Thor (especially not when I heard that Kenneth Branagh wasn’t returning), but I expected a good movie. In the end, I was left with one of the most disappointing films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Thor: The Dark World sees Dr. Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) being infected by an ancient power known as the Aether, leading Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) to return to Earth and bring her to Asgard. Suddenly, Jane is thrown into a gigantic battle between Asgard and the Dark Elf, Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston).

Arguably, the best aspect of the original Thor-film was the performances given by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. They are both wonderful yet again, and, once again, I was especially happy with Tom Hiddleston. There’s just this high quality-feel to the talent of Hiddleston that you don’t see in other blockbusters.

Loki and Thor’s relationship is changed up a bit in this film, and I liked seeing that dynamic change for a while. But, in my honest opinion, their greatness is wasted in this film. I have a ton of problems with this film, and, sadly, it all starts with Natalie Portman’s character.

I love Natalie Portman as an actress, but I really didn’t like what they did with her character in this film. The driving force of the original film wasn’t the love story. The love story was just a nice element in the film. In Thor: The Dark World, a not-so-interesting love story is placed right at the center of the plot, and I really didn’t like that decision.

But it doesn’t end there: Malekith might be the worst villain that Marvel Studios has put on screen in the first two phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Malekith has this goofy character design that doesn’t really work, and he just is a very superficially designed villain. Christopher Eccleston deserved much better than what he ultimately had with this character.

I also thought the action scenes in the film might’ve been the most uninteresting action scenes in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Thor and Malekith jump through the various portals, I couldn’t wait for the battle to just end. That action scene is terribly tedious, drawn out, and, to be perfectly honest, I thought it was really confusing.

And I know that it sounds like I am being very harsh on this film, but there is a reason why that is. I absolutely love this universe, and I couldn’t have loved the original Thor more than I do. I desperately wanted to love this film, but it was terribly disappointing to me.

5.5 out of 10

– I’m Jeffrey Rex