THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Directed by Alan Taylor
If the Spider-Man franchise taught us that with great power comes great responsibility, then Thors second headlining gig suggests that with a modicum of success comes considerable complacency. Whereas Kenneth Branaghs opening chapter strove to invest a mainstream audience in its more fantastical elements be it bellowing cosmic deities or intergalactic rainbow bridges this Alan Taylor-directed sequel swaggers into multiplexes like it has nothing to prove to anyone.
This indifference extends to the shameless manner in which it brazenly swipes Fellowship of the Rings opening sequence, only slightly reworking it to involve a historic showdown between Thors Asgardian ancestors and the Dark Elves (led by Christopher Eccleston) over a mystic relic. Cutting ahead to the present day, we find Thor (Chris Hemsworth) policing the Nine Realms of reality. As you might expect, an ancient elven evil will rise again. However, it takes its sweet time in doing so.
In the interim, were subjected to watching the God of Thunder fail to find a spark with his love interest (Natalie Portman) and Tom Hiddleston struggle to rediscover the magic as scene-stealer Loki when the snide spirit is willing but the material is weak. Rather than Lokis quips, what The Dark World cries out for is an infusion of the infamous tricksters anarchic influence. Far too much of the running time is devoted to drudgery such as rudimentary world-building or presumptuous set-up for a third instalment.
Consequently, an over-the-top dimension-hopping climax proves a double-edged sword. While it largely redeems this otherwise bland affair, it leaves you wondering what dizzying escapist heights mightve been reached if the movies three screenwriters had got their act together two acts earlier.
