Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Movie Review: "Thor: The Dark World" (Alan Taylor, 2013)

GLOOMY GREETINGS FROM ASGARD: “THOR” TAKES A DARK TURN
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.

No comments:

Post a Comment