Semi-decent Sequel; Fanboys and Fangirls Rejoice
I'm truly shocked, but then again not at all surprised, by how much of a giant Marvel has become in the world of movies. Other than being peeved at discovering the first showing I was shooting for this past weekend was sold out, I had pretty high Avenger-like expectations for this one, just as I will for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I was not necessarily disappointed with this sequel (it is a superhero movie, after all) but it could have been much better.
As per usual, let's start with the positives. There are not that many muscle-massive, Scandinavian-looking actors that I can think of to fill the role of Thor other than Chris Hemsworth. He completely sells it in every Marvel movie he is in and Dark World was no exception. A special gold star goes to Idris Elba who, while not in a central role, gives new meaning to the word stoicism. Things start to get a tad bland with Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings, but there is always Tom Hiddleston to pull things back on track. Loki was certainly the main source of comic relief throughout the film, but that's where things got shaky for me.
Loki is clearly a fan favorite amongst Marvel-ites everywhere, but I was a bit dismayed to see the writing crew go overboard with Loki one-liners. "Okay, we get it, Loki is a conniving funny-man. Can we move on now?" In addition, the whole battle between good and evil was not as compelling as other superhero movies in the past have been, although maybe that is just the numbing effect of all these Marvel movies. Transitions were splotchy and the climactic buildup wasn't really... well, climactic.
Of course, the movie saves face with a very interesting end credits cut scene that I obviously won't reveal here, and the Stan Lee cameo was pretty good. If you are a fan of the series, you have already seen it or are planning on seeing it. If you are not a huge fan, you aren't missing out too much.
Written November 12, 2013
As per usual, let's start with the positives. There are not that many muscle-massive, Scandinavian-looking actors that I can think of to fill the role of Thor other than Chris Hemsworth. He completely sells it in every Marvel movie he is in and Dark World was no exception. A special gold star goes to Idris Elba who, while not in a central role, gives new meaning to the word stoicism. Things start to get a tad bland with Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings, but there is always Tom Hiddleston to pull things back on track. Loki was certainly the main source of comic relief throughout the film, but that's where things got shaky for me.
Loki is clearly a fan favorite amongst Marvel-ites everywhere, but I was a bit dismayed to see the writing crew go overboard with Loki one-liners. "Okay, we get it, Loki is a conniving funny-man. Can we move on now?" In addition, the whole battle between good and evil was not as compelling as other superhero movies in the past have been, although maybe that is just the numbing effect of all these Marvel movies. Transitions were splotchy and the climactic buildup wasn't really... well, climactic.
Of course, the movie saves face with a very interesting end credits cut scene that I obviously won't reveal here, and the Stan Lee cameo was pretty good. If you are a fan of the series, you have already seen it or are planning on seeing it. If you are not a huge fan, you aren't missing out too much.
Written November 12, 2013