"Thor: The Dark World" (2013)

The comic book world of Thor is the most grandiose and operatic of the current Marvel franchises, and therefore it is the one that has the most difficulty discovering the human core that makes it all ring true. Similarly, Thor is one of the less compelling characters of the Avengers. Captain America struggles with the meaning of heroism in an age that has shrugged off heroism into the dustbin. Tony Stark combats his ego and the expense it causes on his personal and professional life. It is not like there is not an underlying thematic pinning to Thor's struggle, but it feels very one-note. Thor confronts the nature of power and its corrupting influence, but it is not exactly the most well nuanced examination nor does the franchise seem all that keen on seriously exploring the issue. It does on the other hand love huge CGI spectacle, but it is often at the cost of really getting a grip on what makes Thor tick; he is into old fashioned notions of honor in a way that aligns him with Captain America but the films have yet to fully shade his character in a relatable or understandable way. He's a big heavy who can kick some serious ass and wants to defend all the worlds and innocents, but mostly because he was born to be this person rather than because he necessarily chooses to. Far more interesting than Thor are the many characters surrounding him, particularly Loki who continues to get more fascinating and complex each time we encounter him. Tom Hiddleston gives a Shakespearean eloquence to line-readings, turning even less than stellar moments into fun fleeting passages in between the brutal, epic fights elsewhere. Idris Elba even gets some expanded screen time as the gatekeeper Heimdall, giving surprisingly weighted, but brief, thoughtfulness on the duel-edged sword over the burden and love of duty. An under-serviced Kat Dennings brings comic relief but she also gives far more of a sense of what makes her character, the intern Darcy, who she is than the writing does for Thor. Chris Hemsworth looks the part and can deliver lines with stoic grandeur, but Thor just isn't that exciting of a character. He's only more well-considered than his love interest Dr. Jane Foster, in an embarrassingly simplistic part that turns Natalie Portman shamelessly into a damsel in distress.

The plot is not worth pondering too long on. Aliens plot against Thor's homeworld of Asgard and the plan threatens to harm Earth. There's some mumbo-jumbo science-magic stuff called Aether that uses Jane as a vessel to attempt to turn all worlds into primordial darkness. It doesn't matter; there are Big Bads and they intend to do harm, but it is the least memorable part of the film, a serviceable but forgettable excuse for initiating conflict. Thor: The Dark World is a fun film but it suffers from re-establishing characters and plots after the gap of time in between seeing most of these characters in any film. It also suffers just as much from being a stepping stone towards bigger ambitions that Marvel has in mind for the sequel to the Avengers. Finally, it suffers from excess; Thor kills a giant rock monster at the end of a lengthy battle sequence early in the film and the question then becomes: where is there to go after we've watched such a sprawling battle that ends on such a grace note? The film finds ways to mock itself, its dense mythology, and the success of Marvel films generally within both its world and our own, and that allows for a good deal of fodder. But the film's best moments are when the action, the motivation of characters and a sense of unrestrained exuberance come together (Thor's mother (Rene Russo) fighting in one-on-one combat to defend Jane, or Thor and Loki reluctantly teaming up to exact revenge). It doesn't happen enough throughout the movie but it definitely is an improvement upon the first Thor movie, which in too many ways felt like an after thought. This has far more ambition and care even if it lives under the duel edged sword of burdens to its duty and pressure over doing justice to that obligation.

Grade: ★★