by Bennett Campbell Ferguson
Left: Chris Hemsworth (of "Star Trek" and "The Avengers") returns as Thor
There was a moment in “Thor”
(2011) when the titular red-caped god of thunder (Chris Hemsworth) jauntily
strode through a crowd of cheering admirers, before kneeling removing a shiny helmet
to reveal his gleaming smile and lush blonde hair. In that instant, he looked so happily
confident that you practically expected his teeth to sparkle (it’s a wonder
that lens flares didn’t erupt). But in
its cheesiness, the image was both funny and even touching. Arrogance may have been written all over Thor’s
handsome face but so was sweet, unquenchable joy.
It’s a shame that there’s little such joy in “Thor: The
Dark World,” the superhero’s third adventure.
It’s a casualty of the film’s higher stakes—this time around, the “dark
elf” Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) has been awakened and has his heart set
on vanquishing Thor’s home kingdom of Asgard and, most unfortunately, the
entire universe. In the ensuing mayhem
characters perish, bleak wastelands are visited, and jokes are few and far
between. Of course, the grimness that
pervades the film is typical of sequels, but so is the picture’s impregnable
stupidity. Even in a year that’s already
seen its share of dismal blockbusters (most notably “Elysium” and “Man of
Steel”), “The Dark World” stands out as being particularly purposeless and
dull.
Part of the problem is that while the original film’s
cast remains intact, the behind the scenes talent has changed. Here, TV director Alan Taylor replaces the
first film’s Kenneth Branagh, creating a visual scheme that seems at once
larger and less wondrous. What’s more,
the action scenes are equally lacking in finesse—a ceaseless skirmish of
computer-generated spaceships is so dull that you’d probably fall asleep if the
film were just a little quieter. And
indeed, it’s almost quiet enough. While
Mr. Hemsworth imbued the first “Thor” with swashbuckling charm, he seems at
loose ends here, his spirits dampened by the new movie’s dark tone. Even Anthony Hopkins (who appears as Thor’s
father Odin) is so weary and recessive that you wonder why his character was
included in the film at all.
Yet there’s a bright spot in this dreary ensemble. Reprising his role as the trickster god Loki,
Tom Hiddleston imbues the movie with satisfyingly icy contempt. “Apparently, there will be a line,” he quips
derisively when not one but three of Thor’s comrades threaten to kill him. Moments like these are delicious, but Mr.
Hiddleston’s real talent is for finding crevices of ambiguity in the midst of
Loki’s sinister scheming. Early on, he
throws a chair-smashing fit, trashing the prison cell where Odin has locked him
away. But are we witnessing a sincere
emotional outburst or a carefully calculated reaction? It’s hard to be sure, but it seems certain
that the meticulous Mr. Hiddleston knows full well.
And he’s
not the only one who makes some magic in this barren film. Lucky for us, Thor makes a couple trips to
Earth, where he encounters some goofy, very human characters played by Kat
Dennings, Natalie Portman, and Stellan Skarsgard. Though they’re not onscreen often, their
concern with little things like work and love are far more worthy of your
attention than Thor’s one-note devotion to Asgard’s safety.
Which brings us to the question of the moment—will evil threaten
Thor and company again? Absolutely. Even if the movie didn’t have a giddy twist
ending (one of its more delicious elements), another installment of this
financially successful franchise would be a foregone conclusion. When it arrives, I plan on buying a
ticket—after all, “The Dark World” has just enough hints of things to come to
make the future look fairly bright. But
it’s hard to feel too optimistic, especially after enduring a movie that’s
colorful and convoluted, but mostly just a drag.
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