Thor: The Dark World

 

    I actually saw this back in November for my birthday, but I felt like I needed to see it a second time to understand the story and get better understanding of the character development. I saw it again last night on DVD and can finally get to reviewing it!

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Thor

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in
Thor: The Dark World (2014)

    Change can normally be a good thing and in the case of Thor Odinson (one year after the attack in New York) change is very beneficial. Thor Odinson is no longer the same rash warrior he was in the first film or the naive brother he was in The Avengers. His humility renewed, but his heart broken by Loki's betrayal, Thor has finally found the answer to his life in spending every moment bringing peace to the Nine Realms.  Odin, is proud of his son for the man he has grown into, but he sees that Thor still aches for 'the mortal' or Jane Foster, who he promised two years ago that he would return to.

     And return he does when Heimdall is unable to see Jane from Asgard. Thor returns to London to find that Jane has become host to an ancient and dangerous power called an Aether that can be used to destroy anyone or anything that comes close to it. Thor keeps to his long awaited promise and takes Jane to Asgard to help her. Except, her coming to the realm proves to be detrimental when the Dark Elf Malekith, who has been seeking the Aether for years, breaks into Asgard to find Jane and therefore possess the Aether. He is almost successful, but when he kills Frigga (Odin's wife and Thor's adopted mother) for hiding Jane, he runs from the wrath of Odin, Thor and Asgard.

     Odin becomes distraught and inconsolable at the destruction of Asgard and the death of his beloved wife. He puts Asgard under complete lock-down and allows no one to leave. Now only Thor can save Asgard, protect Jane and avenge his mother's death, by doing one thing...commit treason.

    The only way to escape without anyone knowing is by using a secret passage known only to one person. His imprisoned brother, Loki.

     The rest of the story is way (way) too complex to go into detail, but I can say, it was exciting, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. Chris Hemsworth's acting as Thor just gets better with each movie. It's great to really see his character development throughout the years and watch as Thor's character grows and becomes stronger each passing year.

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Jane Foster

Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in
Thor: The Dark World (2014)

     If a handsome prince from outer space who can wield a mystical hammer and summons thunder and lightening promises to return for you, one would assume that you would wait. Only Jane Foster is tired of waiting. For two years since New Mexico, Jane has waited and hoped for Thor to return to her. Now she lives in London and has continued her research, but this time with less drive than she had before. When an unexpected force hits an abandoned warehouse Jane and her former intern, Darcy Lewis (illegally) go and see what they can make of it. This strange force can levitate heavy objects or make them disappear and magically reappear. Jane wanders off deeper into the warehouse and finds a strange red that immediately consumes her body and mind.

     Jane is knocked unconscious for five hours and wakes to find that Darcy has called the police. She begins to panic, thinking that the FEDs and/or eventually S.H.I.E.L.D. will discover what they have been up to. In the midst of the confusion (and rain), she looks over and see that Thor has returned for her and takes her to Asgard. She is overwhelmed by the realm's beauty, but the red matter in her arm, a mystical power known as the Aether, is dangerous and must be removed.

     When the Dark Elf, Malekith storms into Asgard  looking for the Aether, Jane's life is put into more danger, especially when she sees the future of what will happen when the Dark Elves gain possession of the Aether. Thor, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and (much to her dismay) Loki all plan a jailbreak from Asgard to get to the Dark Elve's realm for Jane to be released from Aether and at the same time destroy Malekith.

     Jane is still a favorite of mine (despite what other people say). Her dingbat nature was still there, but her ambition and drive has been severely toned down due to waiting for Thor to return and for her questions about him and his realm to be answered. Jane plays a much more pro-active role in the story and her work as an astrophysicist becomes key to destroying Malekith.

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Loki Laufeyson

Tom Hiddleston as Loki Laufeyson in
Thor: The Dark World (2014)

     Once a king (for about 14 days) Loki has completely fallen from grace in the eyes of his father, his brother and all of Asgard. Only by his mother's mercy has Loki escaped death and instead is sentenced to the dungeons (that are about as filthy as room at a 5 star Hilton hotel). Loki spends his days hour by hour doing nothing but wallowing in his self-pity and hatred for his family and Asgard.

     After Asgard is attacked and his mother is killed, Loki is seen in a rare moment of anger and grief. Thor releases Loki is he promises to help him find one of his secret passages to get out of Asgard...under one condition, if he betrays Thor, he'll be killed. With nothing better to do, Loki agrees and helps Thor and Jane (who decks him in the face) to defeat Malekith. As the former god of mischief and lies, Loki can still surprise people with his actions and you still never know if you can trust him or not.

     Tom Hiddleston did not fail as his third portrayal as Loki. He was surprisingly hilarious and did provide a lot of comic relief with his sarcasm, pithy comments and never ending banter with Thor. Even now, there is still something about Loki that just tugs at you and makes you want to like him...maybe even give him a hug. 

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Odin Allfather

Anthony Hopkins as Odin Allfather in
Thor: The Dark World (2014)

     With one degenerate son in jail and another worthier son protecting humanity one realm at a time, Odin believes that Asgard is in appropriate care. A good thing to know because he feels that his time on the throne of Asgard is coming to an end. Although he keeps it secret from his family, Odin knows he doesn't have much time left and fuels all he has into training Thor to eventually take on the mantle of responsibility. 

     As  much as Odin wants Thor to be happy, he really cannot accept Thor's taste of love interest in the mortal, Jane Foster. So when he brings her to meet his family, Odin is anything but accepting towards and tells Thor to send her back. Only when he finds the red Aether in Jane's body, she may need to stay a little while longer. 

     After Frigga is killed by Malekith, Odin sinks into a deep grief and shuts himself away from everyone as well locking the Bifrost bridge so no one can leave. When Thor defies his father's orders, commits treason, lets Loki free and takes on Malekith in the cosmos and then in England, you would think that Odin has every right to be angry; he's not though. In spite of what has happened, Odin sees that Thor's actions were done out of justice and not revenge, and that he seeks only to be a good man, instead of a great king. That's enough to make any father (or king) proud.

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Malekith

Christopher Eccelston as Malekith in
Thor: The Dark World (2014)

     Heartless, cruel and vengeful, Malekith and the Dark Elves are one of the Nine Realms oldest adversaries. Malekith was been the sole possessor of the Aether, but lost it when he fought Odin's father Bor (probably before Odin was even born) war and was finally defeated. Now, thousands of years later, the Aether has been found and is being hosted in the body of a young Midgardian woman. When she is taken to Asgard, he thinks it will be simple to take her and repossess the power of the Aether, but he's in for a big surprise when he is outsmarted by Asgard's most powerful sorceress, Queen Frigga. Malekith makes one grave mistake when he takes the life of Asgard's beloved queen and now must face the wrath of her sons who will stop at nothing to hunt him down and destroy him.

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Thor: The Dark World (2014)

     Definitely darker and deeper than it's predecessor, this was a great sequel. One aspect I loved was that they showed a great deal more of Asgard, which is beautiful! Oh, and the music was amazing as well as the costumes! Fantastic with a great storyline that left it wide open for a concluding third movie.