Based upon the Marvel Comics series created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby
Story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat
Screenplay Written by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
Directed by Alan Taylor
** (two stars)
It was bound to happen and not even a red caped, hammer wielding Asgardian would even be able to stop something to powerful and sadly inevitable: the sorrowful beast and burden of creative stagnation.
Yes, dear readers, for me and my own sensibilities, "Thor: The Dark World," the latest film from the Marvel Comics film universe assembly line is the first significant stumble in the otherwise rock solid film series. This is a shame because this particular film series, which includes one GREAT film in Writer/Director Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" (2012), has been one that has consistently placed characters, stories, inventive filmmaking, strong writing and acting at the forefront, ensuring that these films would exist as much more than mere fodder for the latest "advances" in CGI technology and the thunderous rumbles of DTS sound. That is, until now...
My feelings are not to suggest that the latest film to feature Thor is indeed a "bad movie." As with all of the previous installments, "Thor: The Dark World" is a handsome production with good performances throughout. The problem I had with the film is that it was just so impersonal and therefore, so insignificant, that it is 100% symptomatic of the bloated, emotionless CGI heavy movies that have become the yawn inducing non-spectacles that all of the other Marvel films have effectively side stepped to varying degrees of success. But therein lies the problem with making movies in an assembly line fashion. Sometimes, the speed of the production circumvents the overall quality and in the case of "Thor: The Dark World," this is the first time where I felt that the powers-that-be behind the scenes of the Marvel series (I'm looking at you, Disney) knowingly delivered a shiny, soulless product.
As with Director Shane Black's strong "Iron Man 3" from earlier this year, "Thor: The Dark World" picks up the adventures of our favorite Asgardian shortly after the events of "The Avengers," yet the catalyst for this story has planted its seeds in a much earlier time. In a ponderous prologue, we are introduced to the Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who once threatened to conquer and ultimately destroy the universe through a weapon known as the Aether but was defeated by Thor's Father, Odin (again played by Anthony Hopkins). Escaping capture, Malekith vanishes, as well as hides the Aether within a stone column, vowing to one day make his return and enact the fullest of his revenge against not Asgard but all of the Nine Realms.
Flash forward to present day when Astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), on an expedition in London, finds herself not only separated from her group, which includes her tart tongued intern Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), but teleported to another world where she is then infected by the Aether. Noticing her disappearance from Earth from the Asgardian heavens, the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) embarks upon a search to find her, which leads to their long awaited reunion.
Whisking Jane to Asgard with the hopes of curing her of the Aether, Thor learns from Odin that the return of the weapon spells certain doom for all of existence. And how! Because, as promised, Malekith indeed makes his grand resurrection in which he hopes to retrieve the Aether and unleash it during the rare cosmic event known as the Convergence, a time when all of the Nine Realms will become perfectly aligned, an action that will undo all that exists and return everything to eternal darkness. Unless, Thor, with the reluctant aid of his imprisoned and increasingly malevolent half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is able to stop him.
The plot of "Thor: The Dark World" is in fact more straightforward and at times, even simpler than it may sound, which is just fine because it is indeed all you need to elicit that comic book zing. That said, the end result, as directed by Alan Taylor who has helmed episodes of "Mad Men," "Deadwood" and most notably, "Game Of Thrones," is surprisingly bland, colorless and devoid of any passion, awe, creativity or even just a sense of unabashed fun, which is precisely what Director Kenneth Branagh so wondrously brought to the table with the first film. How I wished that there was a way to bring Branagh back to the Director's Chair for this second installment because he truly injected a sense of real personality and purpose to the proceedings. He knew that while "Thor" (2011) could be epic and bombastic, it was also more than a little silly and yet, he found a way to give us a thrill ride that wasn't campy, and a dramatic arc that honored the character and source material but also did not take itself too seriously. And since I would imagine that he had not ever worked on a film with a budget as large as provided on films such as these, he treated the opportunity as excitedly and with as much gobsmacked glee as a child allowed to race free through the largest toy store. That very enthusiasm gave the CGI special effects the very kick they needed to become honestly special. And so, we ended with with a film that was filled to almost the tip-top with bravado, bluster, excitement and a terrific wit.
With "Thor: The Dark World" however, Taylor piles on the bravado and bluster to bludgeoning effect and just assumes that the cacophony would be able to handle the responsibility of telling a great story and making this film sing like an opera. Unfortunately, he was very wrong. Yes, it is a good looking film but beyond the visual sheen, Taylor seems to have no opinion or perspective over who Thor is, who he wishes to become, the world of the Nine Realms, the threat of intergalactic oblivion or even what it means to Dr. Jane Foster to essentially be in love with a Norse God and travel via a Rainbow Bridge to Asgard. That complete lack of interest is palpable to say the least and it reminded me very greatly of Director Sam Raimi's profoundly underwhelming and wholly disinterested "Oz The Great And Powerful" from earlier this year. If the filmmakers cannot find it within themselves to present some joyfulness with being able to tackle a story and character like this one, then why should I be interested in turn? "Thor: The Dark World" was just a series of one special effect driven set piece after another all adding up to not very much other than just existing as just the next Marvel comics movie.
What stunned me even further was that this film actually possessed no less than five writers! Five writers to just...ahem...hammer out a by-the-numbers screenplay that certainly took no advantage of the comic book's 51 year history and wealth of material and they certainly did not take any advantage of the team of terrific actors at their disposal. "Thor: The Dark World" is the classic example of loading a film with a great and game cast but then giving them absolutely nothing to do and no real characters to play. I do feel that Chris Hemsworth is a much more skilled actor than he is being given credit for and face it, the character of Thor, in concept, is a nearly impossible character to play without being laughed off of the screen. And yet, for three films now, Hemsworth has made this character come to vibrant life with that same sense of combined heft and humor that Kenneth Branagh brought to the first film as a whole. Somehow, Chris Hemsworth makes us believe.
In "Thor: The Dark World," Hemsworth injects a new layer to Thor, which is a sense of melancholic displacement, as he is now both Asgardian and alien immigrant to Earth, and also a nice dose of romantic yearning when he is apart from Jane for extended periods. Those emotions are Marvel comics trademarks and how I wished that Taylor and his five writers played to those emotions and gave the film some desperately needed urgency.
Just look at what both Directors Jon Favreau and Shane Black and undeniably Robert Downey Jr. accomplished with the three "Iron Man" films in regards to the evolution of the Tony Stark character. They all could have easily coasted and essentially have Tony Stark hit the same beats over and again and just call it a day. But, thankfully, they probed nicely and deeply, giving us films that play off of each other as well as build up from each other. Even with "Iron Man 3," I truly appreciated how the character of Tony Stark experienced degrees of post traumatic stress syndrome brought on by the events from "The Avengers." Yet, with "Thor: The Dark World," the events from "The Avengers" are barely mentioned and we have absolutely no idea of what that experience even meant to Thor himself. Just one of many wasted opportunities in this second film, where Thor himself is not even driving his own story and basically becomes a supporting player to all of the events that surround him and it is all because the filmmakers just have no idea of what to do with him.
I am hoping that this lackluster film is more than a one time fluke than a sign for things to come. The first trailers for next year's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" do look very impressive but with Disney holding the purse strings, my faith has significant reasons to dwindle. As I have said many times before on this site, I just believe that if one indeed has the finances and does not need to worry about where that next dollar is going to arrive from just in order to fund one's artistic creations, then the art and artistry is the only thing that matters. Disney will absolutely never, ever, EVER have to worry about where their next dollar is coming from or if they will ever run out of funding so with that knowledge and just plain 'ol reality, then they should be doing everything to ensure that the films they bankroll are of the highest quality and assembly line filmmaking is just not necessary at all.
Just look at Pixar, once the GOLD standard for American animated films and their steep decline in quality over the last few years as they have just cranked one uninspired sequel or creatively stagnated film after another. I am tremendously worried for the future of "Star Wars," which Disney now owns as well and their wishes to release new "Star Wars" films every year beginning in 2015 with the arrival of Director J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII"--incidentally a film he wished to be able to unveil in 2016, a desire to which Disney vehemently declined, since they already set the release date.
I just do not understand it, dear readers. I do not understand. Audiences for Pixar films, "Star Wars" and the Marvel comics universe are so built in and rock solid that Disney is in no need to worry about not making money so why are they treating these films in such a way where it seems that they think that audiences will forget these characters and films if they stay out of theaters for too long. To that, I would ask them, "Do you want these films made quickly or do you want these films made greatly?" If my hands were at the wheels, I would want my filmmakers to take as much time as they needed in order to ensure that the stories are being told in the best way possible and that audiences will want to see them over and again out of sheer passion and not out of a sense of near brainwashed obligation.
It's OK to make us miss these characters for a while. Their absence will indeed make audiences' hearts grow that much fonder. In the case of Thor, with his third film appearance in just two years, he deserved so much better than what he was given because what a shame that an Asgardian is weighted down by something so...average.
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