I’m often one of those people desperate to see the latest movie releases, yet who’s life is so crammed that those opening weekends quickly pass me by and by the time I remember the film I wanted to see, it’s already stopped playing. With my disappointment that Gravity still hasn’t opened in the UK (for some unfathomable reason it’s not out until this week) still clear in my mind, I decided that I wasn’t going to let Thor: The Dark World, pass me by.
I should start by saying that I didn’t see the first Thor film. This meant that when I saw Avengers Assemble I was incredibly confused who everyone was, and when this hulk of a man fell out of the sky with an axe I almost burst into hysterics. I mean, please! But, having heard that this was the best Marvel movies to date, and in desperate need to see something, I headed out at midday on release day to see if Chris Hemsworth latest blockbuster cut the mustard.
I left a couple of hours later feeling immensely thrilled. I’m not quite sure what I’d expected; I suppose just a mediocre SF/Fantasy movie with an okay cast and some great CGI. What I got was a beautifully crafted ride steeped in the Marvel characters’ history, brilliant SF themed effects, a taste of home – a lot happens in Greenwich, London after all – and, quite unexpectedly, a lot of laughs.
I’m a fan of Natalie Portman as it is, but she really excelled in Thor, both as the beautiful yet highly intelligent girlfriend, but also with her humour which was delivered perfectly. Chris Hemsworth was typically stoic, but there wasn’t a huge amount he could do with his script, though even here there were some laughs – particularly with the cameo by Captain America during an exchange between Thor and Loki. The supporting characters were great too, with the writers not having forgotten that, actually, if you provide a fully rounded cast from bit-part to lead, it drives believability and immersion. Kat Dennings’ character of Darcy Lewis was particularly good.
Having not seen many of the other movies (Avengers Assemble as mentioned, along with the three Iron Man films), I’m not really in a position to compare. However, I enjoyed Thor: The Dark World immensely and left the theatre, I believe, uttering the words “I can’t wait till the next movie”.
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