THOR: THE DARK WORLD directed by Alan Taylor, written by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat, with Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddlesworth and Christopher Eccleston. A Walt Disney Pictures release. 112 minutes. Some subtitles. Opens Friday (November 8). For venues and times, see listings. Rating: NNNN
Don’t worry about its grim title and galactic stakes. For all its self-seriousness, Thor: The Dark World is a very silly movie. And that’s why it works who’d have thought this series would be the most casually charming output of the Marvel Studios project?
Sure, Iron Man has the boundless appeal of Robert Downey Jr., and The Avengers has the Hulk smashing a puny god, but there’s something about Thor that brings out the comic-bookiest joy of pan-dimensional space warpage. Those other movies have to be grounded in their characters’ essential humanity. Thor is a frickin’ Norse god pounding monsters with a hammer.
Picking up a year or so after the events of The Avengers, The Dark World depicts the universe-threatening danger that erupts on Asgard and Earth as evil elves seek to possess a destructive energy force that’s infected quantum physicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Thor’s mortal beloved.
The plot is far less involving than the emotional stakes and the interplay between the characters. The opening sequence, which establishes the movie’s villainous elf lord Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), had me rolling my eyes with its goofy Lord Of The Rings-with-laser-blasters sensibility and portentous, subtitled info-dumps.
But once the story proper gets under way, you’ll get right on board. It’s just plain fun to watch Chris Hemsworth let Thor’s might and confidence skew just this side of obnoxious, and the contrast of the wee Portman with Hemsworth’s brawny god continues to pay great visual dividends. Once again, Tom Hiddleston steals the picture as the unpredictable Loki, though Kat Dennings comes awfully close to running away with it herself as Jane’s scrappy sidekick.
Director Alan Taylor may not have the surprisingly graceful action sensibility Kenneth Branagh brought to Thor’s first solo flight, but he knows enough to stay out of everyone’s way, letting the actors play and the CG teams find new ways to translate comic book concepts into something approximating physical reality.
And this time he gives Idris Elba more to do than just stand guard, so it’s got that going for it, too.
normw@nowtoronto.com | @wilnervision
