Thor: The Dark World
Doomsday: T-Minus 31 Weeks
Welcome to week 8 of the 39 week countdown to Avengers: Doomsday. I’m watching the MCU films in order of release, one per week, in the buildup to Doomsday.
We caught up with Iron Man post-Avengers, now it’s time to see what Thor has been up to in the interim. This film addresses Loki’s punishment for his war against Earth, but doesn’t delve too much into Thor’s thoughts about his experience fighting alongside his new teammates. Instead, it offers up a new challenge for him to face: Dark Elves.
We also catch up with some of the other characters from the first Thor film. Jane and her crew are still studying whatever it is they study, and along the way get pulled into the conflict with the Dark Elves. So much of what happens relies on a series of impossible coincidences that it would take too much time to map out here, but suffice to say that Jane happens to find herself at the exact place in the universe, at the exact correct moment in time, to bond with an Infinity Stone, while Erik Selvig happens to have created a device that is capable of stopping the destruction of the universe, and luckily has it with him at all times. You see, every 5,000 years the planets align, and it just so happens that it’s happening today, and… well, you get the idea.
If I’m making it sound like a terrible film, it isn’t. It has plenty of well-written scenes, and it’s nicely paced. It’s a fun movie to watch.
How Good Is It?
It isn’t very good. It isn’t terrible, but it’s certainly the weakest of the MCU films to date. It has its moments, but it falters in key areas, the most important of which is its villain. We’re introduced to Malekith, a dark elf who lost a battle with Odin’s father a long time ago, and has been hiding in suspended animation ever since, awaiting another crack at Asgard. He has the potential to be a great villain, but he doesn’t get much screentime, and when he does, he’s not doing much.
Malekith wants to obtain one of the Infinity Stones, and as luck would have it, Jane Foster finds it first. What are the odds, right? Meanwhile, Thor and Jane are rekindling their romance, this time in Asgard, where Thor brings her to cure her of her Infinity Stone problem. Odin disapproves, but Thor’s mom likes Jane. Meanwhile, Loki is in prison, and back on earth, Jane’s friends are involved in all sorts of hijinks. Basically, the film is all over the place, and nothing really coalesces.
What Did Giacomo Think?
I’m adding a new item to the recap. I’ve been watching all of these with my son Giacomo. He’s 9. His thoughts on Thor: The Dark World are as follows:
“It was pretty cool. I liked when Thor was visiting Loki’s cage, and it showed it perfectly clean, but then the illusion vanished and we saw what was really happening: a destroyed room, and Loki looking like he went crazy. I also liked the part when Loki pretended to cut off Thor’s hand, and they tricked Malekith.”
My Watch History
I watched this on opening night, Friday November 8, 2013 at the Camera 7 Theater in San Jose. I watched again at home, on June 3, 2024, and then a third time this past Monday night. I don’t think I watched it other than those three times.
How Did I Watch?
I own this on a 4k UHD Blu-ray. You can click the image below to buy a copy. (I get nothing if you do, so this isn’t a ploy to make money.)
Best Scene in the Movie
Loki steals the show. He’s the best part of the movie. You can pick any of his scenes, but this is probably his best one.
Will This Tie Into Doomsday?
Nothing in this film other than Loki is likely to play into Avengers: Doomsday. In the Loki TV show, variant-Loki learning about his mother’s death, and then his own, were pivotal to his change of heart, so it can’t hurt to see how it all went down. But really, if you skipped this one I don’t think you’d be confused by anything Doomsday might throw at you.
How May Stars Does It Get?
While contemplating this project my biggest question was whether or not I should rate the films. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m terrible at assigning films a score. I either like ‘em or I don’t. However, I know readers like ratings, so I’ve come up with something close. I’m going to rank the films as I go along. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, and with each week it grows more difficult.
The Updated Ranking
The Avengers
Iron Man 2
Iron Man
Iron Man 3
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Incredible Hulk
Thor: The Dark World
What’s Next
Next week I’ll write about the 9th installment in the MCU, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Isn't there a bit where Selvig is rambling about nonsense, and he's got that big chalkboard, and on the board, you can clearly see "616", as in their existence in that specific universe within the realm of the larger multiverse?