Welcome to VOCIFERY, my attempt to re-watch every piece of media in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – every movie, every television series, every one-shot, every web series, and every tie-in comic book, using the Wikipedia entry on the MCU as a guide, before the release of Avengers 4 in May 2019. Join me as I write my thoughts about what I’m seeing, as I see it!
Also, spoilers follow – if you’re worried about that kind of thing, view before reading.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
So, where did Thor: The Dark World go wrong?
As of right now, Thor: The Dark World holds a respectable 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a score of 54 on MetaCritic – neither of which is a truly devastating score, but both of which mean that it is the worst-ranking Marvel Cinematic Universe film on each site. Yes, that includes 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
If we accept that the first film – 2011’s Thor – is better than we thought, and accept that the next sequel – 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok – is a pretty major improvement, then perhaps the answer is in what features here that does not feature in either of the other two films. And in those terms, I think the answer is fairly clear.
The Elves
Okay, sure, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a spotty track record when it comes to villains. But I would argue that none are as forgettable as the Dark Elves, a race of creatures hailing from Svartalfheim and led by Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston). The Dark Elves are a generic malevolence, a malicious force that seems to exist purely because the film needed a bad guy for Thor to punch in the third act. And Malekith is very flatly written, his motivation too simple – and aside from a couple of character deaths, their impact is negligible. They don’t really promote growth in any of the major characters.
Again, the MCU is often criticised for the quality of its villains. Sadly, the Dark Elves are Exhibit A.
The Tone
Thor: The Dark World vacillates wildly between wanting to embrace the silliness and go for a full-on comedic tone – how else to explain Stellan Skarsgard running nakedly around Stone Henge, or Chris O’Dowd’s ridiculous cameo, or the many scenes featuring Kat Dennings’ Darcy – and taking its fantasy tone too seriously.
Admittedly, director Alan Taylor came to the franchise after helming a handful of Season 1 and 2 episodes of Game Of Thrones, and he brings that self-serious approach to fantasy content over to this film as well. But as Thor and Thor: Ragnarok showed, and as the comic books on which the films are based can attest, the fantasy in Thor is meant to be taken with tongue firmly in cheek, treated more as a live-action roleplay than as a sweeping fantasy epic. And if you want proof of that, just look back through any scene involving Anthony Hopkins’ Odin. They just don’t fit.
Ironically, I actually really like the visual style of Asgard. Thor: The Dark World does a good job of demonstrating its architecture and design – think about the visual flourishes in Odin’s ancient book, or Yggdrasil (the tree of life), or the way the very walls move around behind Heimdall inside the bifrost gate. Gorgeous.
The Jane
As I said when I revisited Thor, poor Natalie Portman seemed horribly miscast then – and it is only more pronounced in this film: she never seems to come to grips with the tone (which, I’m sure, wasn’t helped by its shifts throughout), and she doesn’t really seem to be interested in being part of a superhero film anyway.
Plus, in both films, Jane Foster’s relationship with Thor is upstaged by the relationship between Thor and Loki. The brothers Odinson are the two most interesting characters in this world, and their connection to each other – and the complications that arise from it – provides the spine of the film. It almost feels like the first two films would be better off without Jane. It’s probably why Taika Waititi left her out of Thor: Ragnarok.
Look, Thor: The Dark World isn’t a terrible film. But it is hard to disagree with claims that it is the worst film in the MCU. It is certainly the only real misstep in Phase 2. Let’s move on, then.
Next: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: S1 Eps 07-12!