Ryan McNeil
There’s a strange paradox at the centre of THOR: THE DARK WORLD. On the one hand, it plays foreboding music and speaks in heavy tones about the impending destruction of the universe. On the other hand, it seldom shows us anything that makes us feel like we have an awful lot to fear. That paradox is echoed by the film’s sense of place. While everybody wonders whether Loki can be trusted, and there are fleeting references to New York, there’s little feeling that any of what we’ve already seen is affecting what we’re about to see.
What it all leads to is a film at war with itself, and with us.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD begins by introducing us to The Dark Elves. Thousands of years ago, The Dark Elves – led by one named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) – tried to drop the universe into darkness by way of a weapon called The Aether. They were thwarted by The Asgardians, and while the universe thought they were all killed in the defeat, it turns out a whole battalion was just hiding. And waiting.
Fast-forward a millennia or two, where we regroup with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). After her encounter with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) back in the first film, she’s spent two years searching Earth for signs of his return. Her search has taken her to London, where a strange anomaly has presented itself. She doesn’t know it, but the anomaly is The Aether. Not only does it present itself, but it actually infuses itself into Jane, making her a target for the very-much-not-dead Malekith.
To keep her safe, and to keep The Aether out of The Dark Elves’ hands, Thor brings Jane to Asgard. It’s there that The Aether is identified, and the plot revealed. None of this happens fast enough though, since The Dark Elves attack Asgard looking to reclaim their weapon. They are eventually fought off, but not without great cost.
To fight off The Dark Elves once and for all, Thor reluctantly turns to the only person who can help him; his imprisoned brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Loki’s talents for deception, and his knowledge of hidden doors between worlds makes him the only person who can help Thor save Jane’s life, protect The Aether, and deal with The Dark Elves. The question, of course, is whether or not Loki can be trusted.
It’s a question that cannot wait for its answer, as Malekith once again has his hopes set on casting the universe into darkness, and this time the staging ground will be Earth.
I don’t usually do this, but to get a foothold on expressing my thoughts about this sequel, I went back and re-read my review for THOR. Back then, I gave the screenwriting team credit for being able to balance the grandiosity and gravitas that happened on Asgard, with the wonder and chaos it caused when it all crashed down to earth. Likewise, I suggested that of all the stories we’d encountered in “Avengers Phase One”, that everything surrounding Thor would face the most obstacles since it was the most otherworldly. Those obstacles are still there, but now the stories are having problems navigating them. However, one thing has improved within the property – more on that in a bit.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD, like its predecessor, spends a long time making its intergalactic characters deal with plot points that are wickedly abstract to us, and wickedly troubling to them. They are battling their second villain bent on dominating an entire planet – the third if you count Thor’s involvement in THE AVENGERS. This time though, Malekith isn’t acting out of provocation; he’s spurred by an ancient grudge. We learn about that ancient grudge in prologue, meaning that we don’t really learn much about it at all…nor do we care. Malekith’s success does mean the end of life on earth as we know it…but at this stage, what else is new?
I mentioned one thing in the property improving, and to me that’s Loki. Rewatching THOR this week underlined what I felt back in 2011; That Loki, while undeniably charismatic, wasn’t given enough to do. Since then, of course, Hiddleston has fleshed out the character more thanks in no small part to Joss Whedon’s script for THE AVENGERS. What we have now is that original angst-ridden character, fuelled by higher ambitions, and fortified from being forced to accept defeat. The very persona of Loki has been so perfected that THOR THE DARK WORLD suffers from his absence. That entire first act, where everything feels so melodramatic and sluggish? Loki sits on the sidelines.
As the second act begins, and Loki becomes an integral part of the goings-on, the film seems to find a new gear. Co-incidence?
Curiously, one of the film’s best moments involves Thor’s grasp of humanity. In a late scene, when he and Jane return to her London apartment, Thor is courteous enough to hang Mjölner on a coat rack. It’s an unexpected piece of whimsy, and a wink to what he has learned from spending so much time around humans through two films. It’s a god acting mortal, and it is sorely lacking throughout the rest of the movie.
The greatest difficulty that a film like THOR: THE DARK WORLD faces, is that it is one piece of a bigger puzzle. With that in mind, it becomes difficult to judge it out of context (and indeed, the original played better AVENGERS). As I compare it to what I’ve already seen, I find it lacking. When I think back on it after AVENGERS 2, I may feel differently. However, at this stage, none of that should matter. The character has been established – we know who everybody is and what they want. We should be seeing them in stories that feel more self-contained and fresh, or ones that specifically builds off what we’ve already seen. This movie does neither particularly well.
To put a point on it, THOR THE DARK WORLD is “good enough”. It will give audiences plenty of bang for their buck, entertain Marvel fans, and suitably distract everybody else. The question that remains is whether “good enough” is good enough anymore.