Thor: The Dark World
– for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content.
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Chris O’Dowd
Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
Theatrical Release Date: November 7, 2013
Blu-Ray Release Date: February 25, 2014 (Amazon.com)
Official Site
Plot Summary
Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
(from MovieWeb.com)
Film Review
Marvel has been having a real good thing going with their film series these days. Since launching “Phase One” with Iron Man in 2008, the film studio has been building on and developing a really, really impressive series of films that work as individual and crossover stories. “Phase One” was completed with 2012’s The Avengers and the film series hasn’t even begun to slow down as we see the characters continue to grow and change from film to film. This year’s Iron Man 3 was the first post-Avengers film and Thor: The Dark World is the latest entry in “Phase Two,” which follows the events of Thor and Avengers as a kind of second-but-actually-third film in the Thor series.
One criticism Iron Man 3 widely received was that, if the Avengers had assembled previously to save New York (and the world), why weren’t they coming to the aid of Stark when his home was being destroyed on national television by a terrorist? It sounded slightly nitpicky, but at the same time, it’s actually a valid question. When the dark elves visit Earth in the climax of Thor: The Dark World (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler; it’s one of the first shots in the trailer), one might be tempted to wonder the same thing, but it’s just not as easy a solution as some might want to believe. Either way, Thor: The Dark World takes place after the events of The Avengers where Loki has been imprisoned and Thor is doing his best to bring peace to the Nine Realms after the destruction of the Bifrost in the first Thor. For The Dark World, TV director Alan Taylor takes the reins from Kenneth Branagh, who brought the character to life on the screen in 2011. Branagh had created an epic feel to Thor that gave it a strong, otherworldly sense. There were lots of fantastical shots and scenery and effects, and it made Asgard feel as tremendous and mystical as it’s supposed to. However, Taylor’s approach to Thor is actually much different; almost too different, in fact. Thor began on Earth where a group of scientists in New Mexico, lead by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), literally ran into the god of thunder after he’d been banished to Earth. In Thor: The Dark World, we’re given a brief history of the dark elves by voiceover from Odin (Anthony Hopkins) that also introduces a new evil source of power called Aether. But while Taylor’s direction is different–he also opts for less grandiose shots and more of a down-to-earth and smaller scale feel for much of the film–all of the main cast return for the next installment of Thor. (The only difference, however, is that Chuck‘s Zachary Levi replaces Josh Dallas as Fandral… for no real good reason apparently.) This helps make the sequel feel even more so part of the lore, but Taylor’s direction disrupts the flow of the series a little bit too much. This is evidenced by how dry the film feels until, quite literally, Loki is brought into the fold. Suddenly, the movie springs to life and feels like an entirely different film. Jokes seem to fly left and right and the spark that had been missing for much of the film seems to have been magically ignited. But it’s not just because Loki has appeared; even the approach to humor just seems to bring about the kind of movie fans of Thor and Avengers were most likely expecting. Taylor spends so much time setting up the story–which isn’t always a bad thing–but it largely feels lifeless.
In Taylor’s defense, he’s got a great deal riding on his shoulders from scene one. Avengers picked up a lot of new fans for the film series, and few were expecting much when the 2011 film hit screens. But it garnered a lot of praise and Avengers only seemed to add on to that. So Thor: The Dark World is most likely facing the kinds of great expectations that those disappointed in the underrated Iron Man 2 had gone into the theater with. But as a comic book film, Thor: The Dark World delivers. It sets out to be entertaining and move the overall Marvel story forward and it gets the job done nicely (a cameo mid-film is so priceless it’s probably going to be the most talked about scene in the film). But those who like a solid, not-too-coincidental story will have lots to gripe about. Where the story would be most appropriate on the paper pages of a comic book, aspects of it seem just a little silly on screen. Things like Thor’s earthly love interest being the one to find the hidden and much-sought-after Aether on her own, and be pulled into the troubles of the Asgardians, just seems a bit too contrived for comfort. But the movie explains it well enough to be forgivable (after all, it permits some great sequences), but it still feels a little too convenient for its own good.
The content for Thor: The Dark World is mostly of the violent variety. We see some battle footage and scary-looking creatures fighting. Also, two elves are turned into horned, almost demonic, beasts after crushing a firey stone in their palms. One character is stabbed, off screen, and one of these stones is inserted into their wound (only heard as squishy sound effects, not seen). Later, they remove the stone and we see dark blood on their hands, clothed abdomen and on the stone. Another scene involves a character’s hand being sliced off. We briefly see the stub looking kind of burned and maybe slightly bloody. (SPOILER: we later find out it wasn’t real and was an effect.) There’s also mass destruction in Asgard and on Earth with buildings and vehicles being thrown around and demolished, sometimes with fatal results. Language is mostly mild with Darcy saying “Holy S—” emphatically early on in the movie and then her saying it again, but kind of cut off by the sounds of destruction. Jane says “Oh my G-d” a couple times and there are just a couple uses of “h*ll” and “d*mn.” The only sensual content is seeing Thor without his shirt (y’know, a gratuitous hunk shot for the ladies) and some passionate kissing between Thor and Jane. And we see footage of a fully naked Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) running around on the news with his privates (and butt) pixelated for TV. It’s meant to be funny and it certainly isn’t expected.
Thor: The Dark World is an entertaining entry into the Marvel saga but certainly not the best one, nor the movie I’m sure diehard fans are expecting. Still, it’s got enough fun, excitement, and action to keep audiences satisfied. And be sure to stick around during the credits; there’s an additional mid-credits scene that sets up the Marvel franchise to go further (with a celebrated Hollywood actor making a first-time cameo) and then another nugget that’s included just after the credits finish (that brings some resolution to the Thor: The Dark World story, as well as adds a great laugh afterward).
– John DiBiase, (reviewed: 11/8/13)
Blu-Ray Special Features Review
Thor: The Dark World is available in a 2-Disc 3D Blu-Ray and 2D Blu-Ray set (no DVD), on a single disc Blu-Ray and on a single disc DVD. This is a review for the single disc Blu-Ray release. There are quite a few extras on this disc. The most significant is a brand new short story that follows Iron Man 3 as the lastest “Marvel One Shot” and possibly sets things up for a future movie in the franchise.
Marvel One Shot: All Hail the King (13:51) – This short film takes place after the events of Iron Man 3. It’s a HUGE spoiler if you haven’t seen Iron Man 3, so make sure you’ve seen it first. Don’t watch it if you haven’t. It really has nothing to do with Thor. This has a particular villainous character from that film locked away in prison but he encounters someone who wants to use him to clear their identity (so to speak). And, best of all, there’s a cameo from a villain from Iron Man 2 (although the implications that they’re gay is a weird choice). The short is pretty violent, and there is some language, so I’d say it’s on par with any of the Iron Man movies (1 “h*ll,” 1 “b*tch,” 2 “g*dd*mn,” 1 “jack*ss”).
FEATURETTES
A Brother’s Journey: Thor and Loki (31:39) – The main behind-the-scenes featurette is split into two parts, but can also be viewed via a Play All option. The first half covers all 3 movies Thor is in: Thor, Avengers and The Dark World. Here, they extensively examine the characters’ growth from movie to movie and we hear the actors talk about their respective roles. The real treat for fans here, though, are the screen tests. We get to see Chris trying out for Thor, but more incredibly, is that Tom Hiddelston tried out for Thor before reading for Loki! So you see a long, blonde-haired Tom swinging around a hammer! So while Part 1 is about all three movies, Part 2 is exclusively about the new movie and the progression of getting to it. It all ends with a glimpse at the premiere of the film, too.
Exclusive Look: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (3:35) – The Thor: The Dark World preview on the Iron Man 3 disc was pretty lame, but this one is surprisingly in-depth for being just 3 and a half minutes long. It does reveal who The Winter Soldier is (which is a spoiler for anyone who doesn’t know the comic book story) and shows some great action footage that hasn’t been shown yet, and it features Scarlett Johansson and Robert Redford talking about their characters.
Scoring Thor: The Dark World with Bryan Tyler (5:21) – I’ve been largely unimpressed with Tyler’s work on Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, but this shows him talking about changing up the music for Thor in a post-Avengers setting, and talks about creating the different themes with similar feel for each character.
Deleted/Extended Scenes (7:48) – There are six deleted or extended scenes, the first of which is an extended celebration scene at the beginning. There’s a great little callback to the first film where we see how Thor remembers some of the things he learned with Jane (in this instance — not trashing his cup when he wants another drink). In the next scene, we see Jane and Thor talking in Asgard, then an alternate take of Thor and Loki walking and talking with Loki himself dressed as Captain America. Next, we see a short scene of Thor and his mom talking about Loki and then a very brief scene of Malekith walking and demanding they go to war. Finally, there’s a slightly extended version of the opening battle.
Gag Reel (3:30) – The gag reel is pretty amusing, mostly consisting of footage of the gang goofing off on set, and some things like Chris forgetting/messing up his lines. One of the more memorable moments is what he does when his hammer breaks, leaving him just holding the handle. There are one or two instances of bleeped language (the worst being a bleeped “F” word from Rene Russo), but it’s pretty tame otherwise.
– John DiBiase, (reviewed: 2/9/14)
Parental Guide: Content Summary
Sex/Nudity: Richard makes a comment about being with many women; We see Thor shirtless by himself; Jane and Thor kiss passionately a couple of times; In two instances, we see Erik Selvig running around naked on the news on TV with pixelation blurring any explicit nudity.
Vulgarity/Language: 2 “S” words (1 sort of incomplete), 3 “h*ll,” 2 “d*mn,” 1 “Oh G-d,” 1 “Oh my G-d”
Alcohol/Drugs: Erik is handed a bag full of prescription medication for being deemed crazy. At one point he takes one of them and then he soon throws the bag of them away.
Blood/Gore: A dark elf stabs another dark elf (off screen) in the abdomen, and places a stone there. Later, we see the elf pull it out and see dark blood on their hands, clothes and on the stone; Odin uses a beam of energy from his staff to burn a elf’s face. We later see half of their face is charred; A character’s hand is cut off and we briefly see the stump (SPOILER: We soon find it wasn’t real); Thor has some bloody cuts on his face; We see a character get run through the chest with a spike; Thor cuts the arms off a elf and we see them appear on the ground in another dimension.
Violence: We see an epic battle between Asgardians and dark elves at the beginning of the film, with many casualties and much violence; We see Erik being chased by the police and forced into a police car; Thor and his team go to a planet where they fight and Thor destroys a stony giant with a blow of his hammer; Large ships attack Asgard and demolish many buildings, killing many Asgardians; A character is stabbed and killed; A few of Thor’s team stay behind to fend off Thor’s pursuers (they are overcome but survive); A character stabs another in the stomach with a knife and throw them down a hillside. As the victim reaches out, the attacker cuts off their hand. The victim screams in pain. The attacker then attacks another pair of villains and a fight breaks out; A elf beast lets out a burst of energy that kills other prisoners in a cell; Loki throws the items in his cell around in anger; While infected with Aether, when Jane is grabbed by characters a couple times, they are thrown down by a blast of energy; Malekith lifts Jane into the air and extracts a red, airy mist from her; A dark elf ship lands on Earth and destroys a big portion of the ground, throwing cars and people; A huge beast is transported to another dimension and we see it gobble a dark elf; We later see the large beast running around a vacant freight yard; and other action sci-fi violence.