Thor: The Dark World, at 67%, is tied with The Incredible Hulk for lowest Tomatometer rating of any MCU movie. It was definitely profitable though, at its worldwide gross was $645 million, over quadruple what Marvel spent when you take into account all government incentives and rebates.
Also, for what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite MCU movies. Part of that is how partial I discussed personally being to the character Thor. Part is how much I love Natalie Portman; this is the film that most foregrounds her character Jane Foster. She gets infested by a haunting substance called aether which makes her the target of the film’s big bad Malekith. Part of it is that this film does a more compelling job than any other prior to Avengers: Infinity War at advancing the overarching story involving the Infinity Stones. Part is it is the family drama.
I’ll focus on that last one for a moment. While many comic book characters have a specific arch-nemesis, it’s heartbreaking that Thor’s is his brother whom he loves. This film does the best job of exploring the effect the endless battles have on them and their parents. Although I’ve repeatedly praised MCU movies for having simple plots (because nothing should never be a nonsensical mess like Batman v. Superman), straightforward doesn’t mean dumb. This movie, with its intensity of emotion, feels Shakespearean or even biblical. Plots like this are the reason published lengthy comic book stories published are called graphic novels.
If you’re simply looking for lighthearted fun, this isn’t the movie for you (unless you count Kat Dennings’s character Darcy – she even gets her own subplot in this flick!). If you’re a serious comic book fan, like me and several of my friends, I highly recommend it.
Game: Two Oscar winners (Portman, Anthony Hopkins), one nominee (Benicio Del Toro briefly)
Up next: Another second installment for a character I love.
Bottom line: Good for us comic diehards.
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