Thor - The Dark World (2013)

With this eighth film in the Marvel cinematic universe, Malekith takes the top spot as the weakest Marvel villain. If only the character would at least declare, "My people once ruled the universe, and now I will take it back for them!" But in the warlike confrontation in the film's prologue, Malekith sacrifices his own men to escape himself. So why should they then continue to be loyal to him? What makes Malekith such an outstanding leader? He is a villain because he looks menacing and he wants to destroy everything around him. Fortunately for Malekith, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) stumbles upon the so-called 'Aether'. The only thing Malekith needs, and just at the right time, because the time of the ominous 'gathering' is NEAR.The weak plot structure of the film drags on until the middle of the second act. Rather clumsily, the script disposes of the character of Hogun (Tadanbou Asano) and no less bumblingly reminds us that Jane Foster is an astrophysicist mourning after a guy she met only briefly two years ago. Then the viewer has to endure the trope of "there's a bad guy who's been incarcerated so he can break out to wreak havoc".But sympathetic characters, funny dialogue and a gorgeous set save the plodding plot.

Thankfully, the plot changes locations as quickly as possible. Even if this results in Jane Foster becoming even more of a 'damsel in distress' who leaves all her scientific equipment to the left as soon as she can be with 'Thor' again. This provides the plot with the opportunity to leave Earth and further delve into the fantastic world of Asgard.This not only ensures that the agent organization S.H.I.E.L.D. moves into the background (which at this point, as seen in an episode of the series 'Agents of S.H. I.E.L.D.), but also provides for new and more interesting plot developments. 'Thor - The Dark World' is also a good example of how a film can fit into the Marvel cinematic universe and still have unique selling points. The various trades of the film - from the music, to the sets, to the costumes - are great. Everything builds on director Kenneth Branagh's visual imagery from the first 'Thor' film. The director of 'Thor - The Dark World', Alan Taylor adds entertaining enhancements, such as shields, spaceships and the like, to add a dash of science fiction stylings to the stately aesthetic of Asgard.People accuse the films of the Marvel cinematic universe of being too visually uniform. But in this film, for example, the scene of the burial of Thor's mother Frigga, is something that would not work the same way in any other film of the film universe. And not just on a content level, but mainly because of the mood and the exuberant set.

The various storylines finally merge into a coherent whole when Asgard is finally reached and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) enters the stage. 'Thor' is the titular character of the film, but since the previous 'Thor' film, it's clear that the character of 'Loki' is just as important to the plot as the hero of the film. In addition, Loki's story arc is not a simple 'redemption' story. The character of Loki is not seeking redemption. She is still seeking revenge.Chris Hemsworth, in his third incarnation of the character of Thor, also shows true playfulness. Thor has visibly evolved as a character. He is more responsible and considers the possible role of the king with much thought. But while Jane Foster is only an ornamental accessory, who has a few good lines of dialogue (And you still don't believe that she has a love affair with Thor - even if she throws herself protectively over her lover at the end of the film), the character remains only a peripheral phenomenon compared to Loki. The film seems much more interesting when Loki is only present in the back of a flying boat, rather than when he negotiates Jane and Thor's relationship.But even after Loki leaves the scenery of 'The Dark World' (for now), the film remains spontaneous and appealing. Thor does return to Earth with Jane Foster, but this no longer inhibits the progress of the plot. The aftermath of the 'reunion' transforms earthly Greenwich into a magical place that makes the viewer forgive being away from the opulent setting of Asgard. The interplay between the different dimensions also form such an interesting backdrop as can only take place in a 'Thor' movie within the Marvel cinematic universe. The epic battle between Malekith and Thor is unique to date and underscores Marvel Studios' ability to combine action with humor.

This is where the film shines, hinting at the success of the Marvel cinematic universe experiment by embedding the distinctive aspects of its characters into an overarching plot. (One could even say in retrospect that this succeeds better in 'Thor - The Dark World' than in 'The Avengers - Age Of Ultron'.)'The Dark World' doesn't deal with anything directly related to the Marvel cinematic universe, (S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't find any mention. Nor does any other character of the film universe appear - except for the cameo of Chris Evans in his role as Captain America. But 'The Dark World' feels more like a part of the film universe than actively avoiding it, as was previously the case with 'Iron Man 3')'Thor - The Dark World' proves that all the films in this series are part of a larger meta-narrative. And even if the storylines don't directly connect (no one mentions the explosion of the American Air Force One in 'Iron Man 3' and no one in 'Captain America - The Winter Soldier' mentions that a giant spaceship crash-landed in London), the style and the characters themselves now seem stringent.Be that as it may - This does not mean, however, the abandonment of the tedious recourse to already familiar tropes. There is the aforementioned similarity of the one-dimensional antagonists Laufey and Malekith. Once again there is an alien invasion (albeit on a smaller scale as in 'Avengers') and once again there is the crash of a massive spaceship to marvel at.And it is also a bit worrying that this will happen at least twice more in phase two of the film series, namely in 'Wintersolider' and 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'.We can only hope that Marvel has more exciting climactic highlights up its sleeve for the coming films.

Like its predecessor 'Thor', 'Thor - The Dark World' allows itself a few heavy-handed blunders (the universe is saved by a few spears pimped with 'science'), but at least the film manages to find the right balance between its own narrative and that of the expanding cinematic universe. And this is even continued during the so-called 'stinger' scene, after the film's credits, which creates a segue into the Guardians Of The Galaxy film. The film has its stand more in the world of science fiction than in the exuberant fantasy world of Asgard, it quickly escapes the events on Earth and creates great sceneries with impressive backdrops, but they are broken by the right amount of humor and self-irony, so that the alien adventures don't seem too unworldly for the viewer. (A task that the humor in 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' will later master with flying colors).Part of these positive effects is certainly due to an expansion of the budget, but also on the narrative level the film makes a huge step forward compared to its predecessor, be it in the characters, the plot or the film universe itself.Be that as it may - 'Thor - The Dark World' is not entirely of this world. The film takes advantage of this fact to offer an expansion of the Marvel cinematic universe, rather than focusing on a world where the agent organization S.H.I.E.L.D. sets out to guide the destiny of the world with the help of superheroes. To save the universe itself remains the task of the alien space god Thor.To save the earthly world in the Marvel movie universe is the task of a soldier. Marvel's next film will show this, cloaked in the guise of a 70s conspiracy thriller.