#140RVW
If less is more then its corollary that more is less is certainly the case here. There’s nothing really wrong with Thor 2; just kinda there.
What’s more:
The first Thor was a pleasant surprise. I’ve never had even a mild interest in the character and I just assumed they’d pass on making a film version of the God of Thunder since he was just so silly.
So I was unexpectedly engaged by Thor (2011). They crafted a great story of an arrogant royal brought low by hubris and his resultant quest for worth by accepting responsibility. It deliberately traded weighty importance for a more funny and irreverent tone that was far more accessible, while still taking the story and characters seriously. Just not too seriously, thankfully. The political intrigue and scheming of the gods was actually interesting and provided flavor. It had a classic fish out of water tale, buoyed by good acting, a lovable villain, and it was a hell of a lot of fun.
Chris Hemsworth & company are back for Thor: The Dark World, minus director Kenneth Branagh. Who would ever have thought that the movie that was overly dramatic and full of epic grandeur was NOT the one directed by the Shakespearean scholar?
I don’t think I’ve ever given up on a plot so quickly. Hopkins hadn’t even finished the pre-title exposition before I was completely lost (and indifferent). That’s got to be a record.
I’ll be the first to own up to a more than passing bout of superhero fatigue, and I’m sure that colored my opinion somewhat. But my daughter is right in the sweet spot for heroes right now – she can’t get enough of these. And she was underwhelmed.
Note: when we hit pause a little more than halfway through the movie to grab a snack from the kitchen, she looks at me and says “What do you think?” I said I was really enjoying it, but I could instantly tell we weren’t on the same page. “It just seems like they’re trying too hard to make it HUGE and EPIC” she commented. Hmm. Well spotted, I think.
It’s definitely the Motorhead approach to movies (“everything louder than everything else”). Nothing really wrong with that – it is a comic book movie about a huge dude with an enormous hammer, after all. Subtlety is not required.
But it definitely suffers from the modern CG action movie problem of lack of weight. The more destruction the less it seems to matter. There are these massive things happening but none of it feels particularly important.
I think it really comes back at some point to the story. It just isn’t fresh or strong enough to lift this thing above the pile of big action movies with lots of things smashing and exploding. The Macguffin is as uninspired as the villain, played by the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, who presumably brought the costumes for himself and his elf henchman with him from the set of Doctor Who. They look ridiculous.
What I’m supposed to love most about the movie, I suppose, is the interaction with Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. And I do; he was the best thing about the 1st movie and The Avengers. But I think they’ve gone to the well one time too many here. Overexposure has weakened the character somewhat, and while he’s still the best thing in the picture, that’s faint praise this time around.
I actually enjoyed Thor 2 at the time, it just didn’t stay with me. Only days after seeing it I could barely remember anything about it. It was perfectly fine as a popcorn movie, I guess; I suppose I’d hoped for more.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: C (4 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Chris Hemsworth Thor, Natalie Portman Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston Loki, Stellan Skarsgård Erik Selvig |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Release Date | Fri 08 Nov 2013 UTC |
| Director | Alan Taylor |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Plot | When Jane Foster is possessed by a great power, Thor must protect her from a new threat of old times: the Dark Elves. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 112 |
| Tagline | |
| Writers | Christopher Yost (as Christopher L. Yost) (screenplay) and, Christopher Markus (screenplay) … |
| Year | 2013 |
