Thor: The Dark World: Alan Taylor

 

My issues with Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World are tempered somewhat by the fact that overall, the film is an enjoyable experience. The film clips along at a stunningly brisk pace. When the movie ended, I could have sworn that it was nearly 2 1/2 hours long. Imagine my surprise when the run-time turned out to be 112 minutes. But unlike most films that feel longer than they really are, I wasn't bored by Thor: The Dark World. It felt like a 2 1/2 hour film because it had enough plot for a 2 1/2 hour film. Honestly, I think that it had more plot than The Avengers (2012) and the first Thor film combined. Here's what I think happened: Marvel Comics had probably wanted to adapt Walt Simonson's Malekith the Accursed storyline from his legendary run on Thor, but, remembering that they had turned all of the inhabitants of Norse mythology into space aliens in the first Thor movie, transformed the legendary Dark Elves of Svartalfheim into creatures from before the birth of the universe who seek a powerful weapon known as Aether which accidentally bonded to Dr. Jane Foster. It's a far cry from the Casket of Ancient Winters unleashing a new ice age upon the earth, but I suppose it'll do for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I mentioned that I have issues with the film. The biggest one is that it demonstrates a tendency to repeat exposition. The Dark Elves back-story was recounted twice and I could swear that the film explained the whole "every 5,000 years the Nine Worlds align and the fabric of space-time becomes unstable" at least three times. Exposition should only be provided ONCE. If you have to explain back-story more than once for the sake of uninformed characters, you have failed as a screenwriter. It makes sense within the world of the film, but not for the audiences in the world of the movie theater. But the special effects are effective (MUCH more so than the video-game visuals of the first Thor film), the dialogue funny, the characters endearing, and the story gripping. The fight scene between Thor and Malekith where they jump through different dimensions and Mjolnir struggles (and fails) to keep up is one of the best in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

7/10