Pass the Popcorn review

Rating: 7/10 (8 November 2013)

The first Thor was a fun, entertaining movie, that featured interesting characters and a very interesting story (I simply love myths and legends), along with good acting and a great villain. It wasn't a masterpiece, but nobody should expect too much of a superhero movie: they are all made to entertain with enjoyable sci-fi mumbo jumbo and some fan service for the female public â€“ which is kind of unusual, since men are the main target audience of superhero movies, and we haven't had any relevant/good female superhero movies recently (or even ever?). But I digress; the important thing here is that the first Thor was good and â€“ according to the superhero movie rule â€“ the sequel should have been even better: was it? Thor: The Dark World starts by telling a myth about Dark Elves, their lord Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and how he wanted to send the whole Universe into darkness by using a strange substance called the Aether, but was defeated by Asgardians. In the present, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is still waiting for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to return after two years, and investigates all anomalies she encounters. Such an anomaly makes her invisible to Heimdall (Idris Elba) for some time, so Thor, worried, comes to take her to Asgard, where they discover that the Aether runs through her veins and is slowly killing her. Chaos ensues as Dark Elves attack Asgard and Thor has to team up with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to stop them.
The first thing that you might notice about this movie is that it is laughably silly, but also very entertaining: it is almost 2 hours long but it doesn't feel like it, and it doesn't bore. Actually, the ending almost feels rushed and I wish it were a bit longer and more developed. Action and non-action scenes alike are entertaining and interesting. But it is very silly: the Dark Elves, the exposition, the story itself â€“ everything feels as if it was made for really dumb people who, hadn't the movie been so simple, would have flooded the internet with "I don't get it" threads. But still, I found it enjoyable and laughed at the silliness a few times, especially at that one scene â€“ that goes nowhere â€“ where we see Thor shirtless, washing his hands and then staring at the distance. It lasts a few seconds and is completely useless â€“ except for maybe making girls faint/stare in awe. A truly good movie feature is the villain: Malekith is quiet, ruthless, dangerous â€“ he doesn't joke around, he truly wants to kill everybody.
Christopher Eccleston, who plays Malekith, is great (and maybe that's why he never looked good as The Doctor: he's much better at playing villains!), and I want to congratulate him for being able to stand 6 hours of make-up every time to look like Malekith. Tom Hiddleston is simply amazing as Loki, he stole the show and fit his role perfectly. Too bad he got so little screen time, especially considering the other actors. Hemsworth is still good, but Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman are just awful. I can understand Portman's horrible performance, since she wanted out of the project (but wasn't allowed) when Patty Jenkins, who should have directed this Thor, dropped out due to creative differences. I still have to find a reason why Hopkins looks so bored and tired the whole time. I sure hope one of them gets a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor, because they really ruined the movie â€“ just like the awful green screen in some scenes, which is shameful for a movie that has such a big budget. In conclusion, Thor: The Dark World is an entertaining popcorn flick that could have been better but that you'll enjoy nonetheless.
Rating: 7/10 Read more at http://passpopcorn.com/