Incredibly generic apart from an inspired final act

Rating: 4/10 (27 December 2014)

'Thor: The Dark World' basically plays out exactly as one would expect from a Marvel Universe movie. There are many wisecracks, fights, explosions and post credit scenes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just that a good 75 – 80% of the film gives off an aura of 'been there, done that'. Of all the Marvel Universe films that have been released thus far, beginning with the fantastic 'Ironman' in 2008 and most recently at the time of writing with the average 'Guardians of the Galaxy' in 2014, this second film starring the God of Thunder would rank close to the bottom, but although since all but one Marvel Universe film is 'OK' at the least, that's still saying that even the lesser films of this saga are only just entertaining and nothing more.
Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston give the only performances of note as the two main characters, with Hemsworth again owning the role and Hiddleston showing Loki's sneaky and cunning side with amusing results (A scene where Loki transforms into different characters, including a certain Captain, is one of the few genuinely imaginative and entertaining parts of the film.) The only problem I have with Loki is that, during the first half especially, he just isn't in the movie enough. For roughly half the running time, Loki is reduced to sitting in a prison cell by himself, which isn't high on the list of the many things I want to watch Loki do. Apart from these two, none of the other actors are particularly memorable, which is a shame since there are great actors like Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins in the film as well. No one in the film gives a bad performance, it's just that the performances are only serviceable and nothing more. For example, take the villain, Malekith played by Christopher Eccleston. Malekith growls and snarls in both English and Dark Elfish in a deep menacing voice, complete with threatening villain features and a plan to destroy the universe (I wonder though, what a boring life that must be if your plan to destroy the universe actually succeeds). Malekith is the definition of a bland, stereotypical villain in an Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi film. He does nothing interesting, his plans are conventional, he possesses no individual or memorable characteristics, his lines are never witty and even his physical appearance is bland and generic. This is a shame since he is played by Christopher Eccleston, an actor I like very much and whom I know can pull off memorable villains. This then begs the question, why hire a good actor like Eccleston only to alter his voice, have him speak gibberish and obscure him in makeup so that he is close to unrecognizable? You might as well hire some random guy off the street of roughly the same height/build to play the character if there's that much makeup and alterations rather than hire a professional. Lots of money could be saved and hardly anyone would notice.
The whole film, except for the inspired finale, has a run-of-the-mill feel to it. Other aspects, such as the direction, cinematography, production design and score feel bland and workmanlike. The composer of the film is Brian Tyler, whose work I usually enjoy very much, but he phones it in here, offering standard order action movie music. Usually I find Tyler's work has a distinct personal stamp to it, with him being especially good at subtly emotional cues in the midst of action movies (For example, his work on 'Eagle Eye', 'Battle: Los Angeles' and even 'Thor: The Dark World's cousin, 'Ironman 3') but none of that was evident here. Alan Taylor directs most of the film with no personal style or flair (Much unlike Kenneth Branagh from the first 'Thor' film) until the truly inspired and entertaining finale which is a nice break from watching cities getting obliterated by otherworldly beings in action films nowadays. I won't spoil but I will say that this is where the film truly becomes entertaining and I only wish that the preceding 80 minutes or so had been as fun and creative as the final act. Let's just hope that director Alan Taylor's next film, 'Terminator: Genisys', is more in the vein of the final 20 minutes of 'Thor: The Dark World' and not the other 80 minutes of boring, generic action and exposition.
Finally, one problem I have with not just this film, but the entire Marvel Universe, is that in each new standalone adventure, the stakes are always low, which doesn't exactly make for edge-of-your-seat viewing. Because whatever happens to Thor, Ironman, Captain America or anybody major, you know they'll survive because A: The film will extensively tease what's to come, B: The next film will most likely already be in production, C: Even if a character does die then they usually find a way to revive and D: Marvel has already planned out their films until at least the end of the decade. Combine the knowledge of all these factors while watching a Marvel film such as this one and the result is incredibly uninvolving. There may be lots of action, but it is rarely exciting, since you know that these characters will defeat the enemy and be all ready for the next adventure. In the end, 'Thor: The Dark World' feels less like a movie and more like a product, only here as filler to advertise and build up to what's to come, while unfortunately forgetting to create a unique identity or personality all its own.