Wasted potential.

Rating: 7/10 (26 March 2019)

One of the most promising films in the MCU - yet also the most disappointing.
Alan Taylor has been open in countless interviews about his "particularly wrenching" behind the scenes experience helming this movie during the post-production process, admitting he was granted full creative freedom during pre-production & principal photography, only to have his project hijacked & all control seized from him by executives in the editing room - & it shows...
He breathes life into the world of Asgard & totally reinvents the aesthetic to seem more grounded & realistic & most importantly, lived in; the world is suddenly believable, well-realised & represents the Norse mythology these Gods originated from. The world building is utterly incredible & it's no surprise the film decides to spend more time within it than the first.
In addition, he & Christopher Eccleston have both been brutally honest about their aversion to featuring a two-dimensional villain (or a "cackling fiend", as they put it); talks began between the two of them for him to star as the character under the pretence that Malekith would be complex & both his backstory & motivations would be explored fully. The Dark Elves were supposed to be three-dimensional & well-developed & would've broken the tradition of Marvel only including forgettable villains. Both Alan & Christopher spent a lot of time devising an entire civilisation & societal construct that the species would inhabit so as not to fall down that hole - wanting to give the Dark Elves a constant presence by having them possess a "regal" sense of "gravitas" & "aristocracy", with a feeling of their "ancientness", gifting them a "sense of entitlement & bearing". The relationship between him & Kurse was intended to be elaborated on in more detail too.
Deleted scenes which were released have but given just a glimpse of what more we could've also expected & it's clear Thor: The Dark World began as a character driven, uncharacteristically dark, mature, grounded installment in the MCU which told a self contained story while focusing on progressing character but ufortunately, this wasn't on brand with the Marvel Universe, was likely seen as "unsafe" / a little too daring / risky & there weren't enough comedic laughs & so the movie was cut to make it "faster", "tighter" & "funnier" at the expense of everything that made it unique & different from the rest.
What's left are the bare bones of a fascinatingly original solo Thor outing - which you can enjoy & appreciate if you watch closely, but it's still ridiculously frustrating to know the story could've had more meat you'd have been able to sink your teeth into - instead of mere scraps instead.