Thor: The Dark World

Caution - Spoilers!

This film is best viewed after you have watched Thor and Avengers Assemble so that all events are in context.

Thor is still trying to clear up Loki's mess after the recent events in Avengers Assemble (or The Avengers, if you're not from GB), so he hasn't had the time to go running around after Jane Foster, however much he would like to. But Jane hasn't been quite so tied up. In the meantime, she has been doing some investigation of her own, and ends up getting pulled into another world, one where a mysterious weapon known as the Aether was hidden away. Unwittingly, Jane absorbs the Aether and then is taken to Asgard by Thor when he comes back and realises something is wrong. But soon Asgard is attacked by the Dark Elves, who were believed to be long dead, and they are looking for the very thing that Jane has absorbed. In a desperate attempt to save Asgard, Thor asks for Loki's help to escape unhindered, even though doing so is treason. The question is, can he really trust the God of Mischief?

Like the first Thor film, this one is packed with action, a few laughs and a lot of cool effects. Team that up with a time-constrained story-line, brotherly affection, a few laughs and a bit of romance and you have a pretty good film. In fact, it's more than good. It is really exciting. Fans will love the Captain America cameo, legend geeks will love the main theme of the story; the fact that the worlds are aligning and may be destroyed may be a reference to Ragnarok, and everyone else will love the adventure, the comedy and the romance of it all. The story takes a few twists and turns, but none that aren't obvious once you think about it a little bit. It isn't anything that will change your thinking or shape you as a person, but it is a really exciting and beautifully executed film. As I may have mentioned in my review of the first film, the effects are stunning and the landscapes of Asgard and of the other worlds are breathtaking.

As always, Chris Hemsworth acts all macho as he should; like a pro. He gives Thor a tiny bit more complexity this time around, which is nice to see, but the character doesn't evolve hugely from the end of the first Thor film. Tom Hiddleston remains my favourite as Loki, who really does go through a character arc. It is nice to see Loki looking less than his usual arrogant self when tragedy strikes, but he still manages to resume his mischievous tricks when he is out of his prison. I was quite amused and yet a little unimpressed with the continuation of Dr Selvig's story considering a lot has happened to him since he last saw Thor, and I feel that Darcy is no longer needed in the plot, she and her new intern only distracted from the story as a funny side-plot. However, I was impressed with Christopher Eccleston as Malekith, the Dark Elf and the antagonist of the plot. Although he played a fairly one-dimensional character, I felt that he did it all with a real presence and he felt like a very worthwhile opponent.

It's nothing new, but worth a watch anyway, especially if you love your Marvel comics and superhero films.

7 out of 10.

Image; nulled.org

Snow White and the Huntsman

We all know the story. An evil queen looks into a magic mirror every day and asks it if she is the most beautiful woman in the world, and one day it says her step-daughter is more beautiful than her. The queen has a hissy rage and orders a Huntsman to kill the girl, but he doesn't. She then runs away into a forest and lives with seven little men before being found and poisoned with an apple. The prince wakes her up and the queen mysteriously disappears. The End.

There have been loads of adaptations of this story, but something about this version had me intrigued. The film flows rather nicely in with the original telling, but there is something much more haunting and fantastical about this version.

The characters are multi-faceted and realistic; something that a lot of adaptations of the fairytale fail to do. Ravenna (Charlize Theron) is the evil queen with destructive powers to match, and though she does want to kill Snow White because of her beauty, there is a lot more riding on it than we first suspect. Her powers weaken as Snow White becomes more beautiful - a side affect of a piece of magic from Ravenna's youth. Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is a much more ballsy (can I say that?) character than her insipid Disney counterpart. She even rescues herself. And she has excellent reasons for being terrified of the forest: it is really, really creepy and has a rather nasty defence mechanism. Oh, and the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) comes complete with his own history and motives.

The second thing that is exceptional about this film is the effects and the overall look of the film. The costumes are exquisite and perfect for what seems to be a medieval time frame with a modern twist. The landscapes are flawless, right down to the trees in the forest and battlements of the castle. But the effects... Ravens turning into queens, apples rotting away, hands melting, fairies and rather well known actors playing dwarves. It is a feast for the eyes.

The acting was excellent, but I think I was most impressed by Sharlize Theron, whose depiction of the easily angered queen was both convincing and a little scary. I love the way that she also made her more human. We can see that she fears for her life and that she still wants revenge for her past. The dwarves were amusing and interesting at the same time. They were acted well and even they weren't one-dimensional.

One or two things bothered me, though. Firstly, I didn't think Kristen Stewart suited the role too well. Snow White was being described as life and as a thing of beauty (more beautiful than Charlize Theron, who is stunning in my opinion) that everyone would follow. While she is a very pretty girl and her acting has certainly improved, I feel that she didn't quite fit with what they said about her. Another thing is the Prince-like character, William. I really didn't think that the story really needed him at all. He was only used for a couple of things that could have easily been changed slightly so he wasn't in them.

Despite that, I think that Snow White and the Huntsman is an excellent film, and I will definitely be buying it when it comes out on DVD. So I'll give it a 9 out of 10.

Thor

My knowledge of the Norse Gods is quite small compared to any other type of mythology. All I know is that Odin is the King of the Gods, Thor is the God of Thunder (and he has a mighty big hammer), Loki is the God of Mischief and that they all live in Asgard. And, thankfully, that is all I really needed to know for this film.

Marvel are famous for, well, comic books and films made out of their comics. Other previous films include The Green Lantern, Iron Man, X-Men and Spiderman. All of these films have actually been pretty successful, and I have to say, I really can't wait for my beloved X-Men prequel (X-Men: First Class) to come out in cinemas. Thor dangles precariously on the line between comic books and legend. He is in there with the likes of Beowulf, Robin Hood and Hercules and yet Marvel have made him a Superhero of sorts. Personally, I think that the film may be better than other comic book films because of this. It is no longer an everyday person who has powers, it is a God.

And boy does he act like one. Chris Hemsworth (who you may have seen at the very beginning of Star Trek, playing Captain Kirk's dad, as well as in the TV series, Home and Away) is absolutely brilliant, not to mention good looking with rather nice muscles. He not only managed to get me to dislike Thor at the beginning with his utter arrogance and pride, but he got me to really like him at the end. He was funny, with lines such as 'How dare you threaten the son of Odin with such a puny weapon' perfectly executed. I have to say, that one made me giggle, especially when he got tasered afterwards.

The rest of the cast were good, with notable appearances from the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and Stellan Starsgard (known for his performances as Bootstrap Bill in Pirates of the Caribbean and Good Will Hunting). But who really wowed me was Tom Hiddleston, playing Loki. His character was complex and endearing. We like him and understand his actions, even though we know he is mischievous and underhand. Loki is often the 'bad' Norse God, and yet in this film we can see how he can be both good and bad.

Another thing that impressed me was the beautiful scenery of the other worlds. Asgard completely blew me away with its elegance and magical atmosphere, whilst the world of the Frost Giants was phenomenal in its icy glory, despite it almost falling apart. The characters themselves. especially in the magical realms, were well thought out. The Frost Giants looked ominous and frightening whilst the Gods of Asgard were clad in well designed costumes that were Viking-like and yet God-like at the same time.

I really enjoyed this film, and I thought the plot was well thought out, with the characters being multi-faceted and interesting. The scenes were well executed by a cast of good actors. One of the few downfalls was that this film has only came out in cinema in 3D. Being an avid film fan, I much prefer to watch the film than to be amazed at the 3Dness of it. In some action scenes, I missed parts because it made my eyes hurt to watch it. I do not like 3D at the best of times because I am a fairly jumpy viewer, but I saw no point in the film being 3D anyway.

To end, I give this film an 8 out of 10. Film Industry, your 3D has failed you this time. But apart from that glitch, Marvel has done a great job of making this comic a watchable film that fits into both the comic category and the mythology category, making it a film for fans of both.