Tuesday 5 November 2013

Film Review: "Thor: The Dark World" (2013).




"Some believe that before the universe, there was nothing. They're wrong. There was darkness... and it has survived.” This true in this Summer’s Thor: The Dark World. This superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios. It is the sequel to 2011's Thor and it is the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is directed by Alan Taylor and written by Christopher L. Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. 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.

Development of the film began in April 2011, when producer Kevin Feige announced plans for a sequel to follow the crossover film Marvel's The Avengers (2012). In July 2011, Kenneth Branagh, the director of Thor, withdrew from the project. Brian Kirk and Patty Jenkins were considered to direct the film before Taylor was hired in January 2012. The supporting cast filled out in August 2012, with the hiring of Eccleston, Dennings and Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Principal photography began in September 2012 in Surrey, England with filming continuing in Iceland and London, before wrapping up in December 2012.

The film features Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins reprising their roles from the first, with newcomers Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Zachary Levi and Clive Russell joining the cast. Hemsworth gives another magnificent performance as the title character, with the additional character development and expansion that differs from his first performance from the first film. Portman gave another great performance as the brilliant scientist and love interest of Thor. Hiddlestton gave another fantastically devilish performance as the deliciously evil adopted brother of Thor. Skarsgård, this time round, gave a comical performance unlike his previous performances in the first film and The Avengers. Elba gave a more extended performance than his first performance. Personifying the voice-of-reason or counsel for Thor in his dark times. Stevenson, Asano, Alexander, Russo and Russell all gave strong performances for their roles. Hopkins gave another bold performance as the king of Asgard and father of Thor. Though I felt his role was somewhat decreased from the first film. Lastly, Eccleston gave a cold and brooding performance as Malekith: The ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim.

It isn't quite the breath of fresh air that Thor was, the film comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot. The film isn't as much fun as its predecessor, but by the time the smoke clears, it'll do. It doesn't come close to the emotional heft of that rare 2 that outclassed its one: Spider-Man 2 (2004). But the film hums along quite nicely. To conclude, It is a polished, high-octane sequel, not as good as the original but building once again on the iconic performance by Chris Hemsworth.

Simon says Thor: The Dark World receives:



Also, see my review for Iron Man 3.

No comments:

Post a Comment