REVIEW – THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Director: Alan Taylor

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christopher Ecclestone, Kat Dennings, Tom Hiddlestone, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard

Apparently it was inevitable. At some point Marvel would produce a stinker to thwart the progress made by their excellent work so far. So if it really was inevitable then why was Thor: The Dark World so enjoyable.

The film picks up where The Avengers left off. Loki (Tom Hiddlestone) is imprisoned on Asgard and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is roaming The Nine Realms, keeping the peace. But that peace is disturbed when Thor’s human  sweetheart Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) awakens an ancient force, The Aether, and consequently the villainous Malekith (Former Doctor Who star Christopher Ecclestone) who wishes to harness its power. With the universe under threat Thor is forced to free Loki in a desperate attempt to save everything he loves.

The problem with Thor has always been the believability of his character within the Marvel Universe and once again the studio succeed in drawing attention away from these sorts of plot holes to focus on an enjoyable story.

The storyline is dynamic and far superior to the original Thor (2011), revelling in the glorious contrast between Thor and his twisted brother Loki, a relationship which dominates the whole film. Tom Hiddlestone is delightfully greasy as Loki and in my not so humble opinion the best on-screen super-villain (the Joker doesn’t count). The character really makes a case for not just killing off villains between films, Loki is brilliant as a constant worry to Thor, whether as more of an entertaining side-plot as he is in this film, or as the main event as he was in The Avengers.

Loki: After all this time, now you come to visit me, brother? Why? To mock?

Thor: I need your help. And I wish I could trust you…

Loki: If you did, you’d be the fool I always took you for

The film starts slowly but quickly picks up the pace with some neat action and special effects sequences. Bringing on the creative team from The Game of Thrones was a masterstroke as they know what the fan boys (and fan girls for equalities sake). Minus the XXX content of Thrones, the all out action and traditional combat make for an entertaining sci-fi.

Kudos to Marvel for showing that they can bring the superhero action into space ahead of the release of Guardians of the Galaxy next year. Asgard is beautifully done and ‘The Dark World’ appropriately desolate. The battle scenes on Asgard, hell the whole movie,  should be a example to JJ Abrams and the Star Wars Episode VII team, it blending sci-fi with fun, not taking itself to seriously.

Thor himself is well played by Chris Hemsworth who has done well to portray the increasing maturity of the prince. I do have a few gripes about Natalie Portman’s character Jane…she’s annoying. In the style of Margot Kidder as Lois Lane she is genuinely frustrating and her character lacks depth. I for one am on Team Sif (Jaimie Alexander), who seems positively badass, although I seemed to get a hint of a Sif-Loki thing. But hell, I even liked Kat Dennings as the super dumb science prodigy better than Portman’s  empty eye candy.

Malekith does his job and goes about his universe-destroying duties without really being memorable but is used to introduce many plot points for future films.

I’ll write another article discussing the direction Marvel has used Thor to steer its universe into to avoid spoilers. Lets just say there are plenty of Easter Eggs in there for those eagle-eyed enough to spot them.

So now the onus on poor old Captain America to keep up the Marvel magic. Bring It!!!!!!

Related articles

• ‘Thor: The Dark World’ Review: Laughs and Character Make for One of Marvel’s Best (slashfilm.com)
• Review: Thor The Dark World (valleyofthedeer.wordpress.com)
• ‘Thor: The Dark World’ Cast Talk New Story, Darker Villains, More Action & Better Humor (screenrant.com)

UPCOMING – Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World is an upcoming super hero film which serves as a follow up to Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012). It will follow Asgardian prince Thor as he faces off against Malekith the Accursed on his home planet. The film is directed by Alan Taylor and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christopher Ecclestone, and Tom Hiddlestone. Its release date is October 30, 2013.

              

REVIEW – Red Dawn

Red Dawn (2012)

Director: Dan Bradley

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Connor Cruise, Will Yun Lee

For those of us who had the dubious honour of watching the Australian film Tomorrow When the War Began the story is painfully familiar.  Red Dawn never seems to attempt to bei anything but propaganda against North Korea and a mildly engaging action film. Its a shame it doesn’t put anything into tapping the kills of a talented cast but instead follows a ridiculously impossible plot in order to gain satisfy those who only watch films only to enjoy a bit of gunfire and explosions.

The film follows a group of teens led by Jed (Chris Hemsworth), who form a resistance group called The Wolverines after North Korea occupy the US. Jed  trains a group of frightened teens as well while repairing his frayed relationship with his brother Matt (Josh Peck). As their attacks grow in scale and grandeur they gain the attention of top North Korean generals who are determined to shut them down.

“Dude we’re living Call of Duty… It sucks.” (Robert)

The recent tensions in the Korean Peninsula raised the level of alarm at the actions of Kim Jong-Un and his military. But while there is a legitimate need to watch North Korea with caution you can never shake the feeling that Red Dawn modern day propaganda. Chinese media were outraged when their country was originally cast as aggressors calling the role ‘demonizing’ and in that’s the perfect word for it. North Korea replaced the Chinese in post-production in the role of useless attacking force.

This leads to another rant…why the hell is an army  which successfully invades the United States unable to deal to a group of untrained teens. The lack of believability curses this film. If the US defences are this week its time to consider a move to the more fortified Vatican City or perhaps dig a backyard bunker. Jed is a trained Marine but his companions include a high school nerd (Josh Hutcherson), a ditzy cheerleader (Isabel Lucas), and Tom Cruise’s son (Connor Cruise). The fact they are able to without prior experience bomb, gun down and obliterate a trained military force seems strange. North Korea has the world’s fourth largest army so ten kids in a bunker would do very little and Mr Kim has a lot to worry about if this is an accurate repreasentation of the skills of his forces.

When we look past the major plot holes we are still confronted with a bleak picture. The cast is fairly good, Hutcherson and Hemsworth catching big breaks in franchises recently. But whether its the material they are working with or the less talented co-stars to work off, neither seem to reach their best. Hemsworth is gruff but unoriginal as the Wolverine’s leader. Peck is a stereotypical jock with older brother issues and Hutcherson has a thankless nerd role which he fails to fire in. The dialogue is wooden throughout with a number of very corny scenes between Hemsworth and Adrianne Palicki’s love interest which feel forced. A scene where The Wolverine’s conduct a public daylight raid  and when victorious elicit cries if “WOLVERINE’S” can actually make you squirm with embarrassment. With dialogue so poor it is very hard to care at all for the protagonists even (SPOILERS!!!) when a major character is shot in the head. When your movie produces this lack of care from an audience its in a dangerous place.

To pick the film’s strong point is hard but it’s got to be the action, a telling sign of it’s many flaws. Despite the fact their combat skills seem to have magically developed in the space of ten minutes and the North Korean forced have learned their strategies and skills from Sesame Street. The ease with which the kids gain access to a base of operations suggests a building as well fortified a your local supermarket.  The lack of suspense accompanying action scenes is a result of the Wolverine’s task being all to easy and the lack of a feeling they are in credible danger.

Relatively  engaging action however does not male or save a film from ignominy. Red Dawn will join a long list of Hollywood remakes which spit on the graves of their more popular predecessors and create an unavoidable sense of disappointment throughout the cinematic world. If your looking for B-Grade action with a D-Grade story, Red Dawn is your film.