Thor: The Dark World (2013)
It’s interesting to me how much people seem to dislike Thor’s movies. I’ll admit, I used to feel similar, at least when only the first two were out. I found them to be the least interesting of the stories, compared to the high-technology antics of Iron Man or the shockingly-good military movies that Captain America headlined. However, as time has gone on, I’ve realized that Thor has had probably the most interesting journey, and Thor: The Dark World is an important step in that journey.
Jane Foster and her group of scientists are still searching for the physics anomalies that led them to Thor in the first movie. This time, however, they stumble upon wormholes in space, created by an aligning of the planes called the Convergence. When that happens, the barriers between said planes weaken with every passing moment. Jane, however, is unlucky enough to stumble into one particular tear - one leading to an ancient weapon that was once wielded by the Dark Elves, and one that attaches to her body like a parasite.
With the weapon, called the Aether, now awakened once more, the Dark Elves awaken with it, and go on the warpath. Their leader, Malekith, lost much of his army eons ago, when Odin’s father lead the Asgardians to victory against him. This forced him into hiding, waiting for their greatest weapon to return, so that they might one day rise again. Now, Malekith is coming to take what’s his, and he’ll pry it out of Jane if he has to.
The plot is pretty fun, actually, and it shows us Asgard and its battle strength in a way that wasn’t really possible in Thor. It also gives us more time to see Thor in his more matured state. In fact, for most of the movie, Thor is the most reasonable voice amongst a bevy of biased tones. Odin especially has taken the return of the Dark Elves personally, and believes that where his father once won, he surely can do the same. Thor, on the other hand, believes that it won’t go like it did last time, with many millennia of decadence, victory, and peace having taken the luster off of Asgard’s prowess.
Thor being the level head in this movie would later on make his appearances in other entries, especially his own, all the more meaningful; he has grown, but he hasn’t truly felt the sting of loss. Losing your powers is one thing, but facing trials beyond that of character and combat is another entirely. Here, we see the start of that, as the family of Asgard won’t get away scot-free this time around. The enemy is stronger than some conniving on Loki’s part can possibly match.
Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston of Ninth Doctor fame (or Gone in 60 Seconds, if you don’t watch shows from across the pond very often), does as much as he can with an admittedly-flat character. I don’t mind it, especially when we’re dealing with ageless beings from the darkest reaches of space, but it also isn’t much to write home about either. Even with make-up and a monotone, non-English role, Eccleston does well in being a villain with plenty of menace. His second-in-command, Algrim, is also a very fun heavy, sacrificing his body for power before he even sets foot in a battle. He’s so strong when he becomes Kurse, in fact, that he goes toe-to-toe with Thor himself on multiple occasions.
The most important thing this movie does, in the grand scheme, is introduce the second Infinity Stone of the series, the Reality Stone. While that’s not enough to give the movie a pass, I like that it tells a tale while still accomplishing the duties of the greater plot. I also enjoy seeing more of the life of Asgardians. We see much of Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, and many actually ask aloud why Thor would go for a mortal girl when Lady Sif has been here all along. The best part of this is that Thor not once entertains that thought. He only stayed away from Earth because the Bifrost was broken - he won’t hesitate to go back to see Jane once more.
The movie also doesn’t dwell on this “betrayal” for long. Jane is justifiably mad when Thor first returns, but once he explains, she never brings it up again. I give the writers credit for tossing out such an easy source of interpersonal conflict, since that particular flavor of it is overdone to death at this point. Instead, the conflict centers around Jane’s status as a mortal, and the Aether’s effects on her body.
I’ll admit that it isn’t the most interesting entry into the Marvel catalog, but Thor: The Dark World is still a fun time, delivering more important stakes to Thor’s motivations, and overall telling a story that does the job of being an entertaining time.
