Prior to continuing, I should mention that I "typed" the first draft of this using the dictation feature on my new iPhone 5s. Very, very impressed!
Movies are funny, because when you're in the moment or perhaps just out of it, you can feel drastically different to after a few hours later or after a rewatch. Thor 2 - The Dark World is that kind of movie. I loved watching it and was excited after watching it too. But after reflection, I don't actually like it because I felt cheated somewhat.
What are the basic observations? The action flow does really well. The script felt quite light. The acting was okay in parts. It was an interesting mix between Science Fiction (space ships and lasers) and Fantasy (Lord of the Rings elves and magic), which didn't really work, but isn't advanced technology like a kind of magic? There were also plenty of humorous parts, which carries a lot of the Marvel franchise.
So how did it cheat? Primarily, by making impossible or hard to explain things just work. Thor has impossible feelings for an earthling, but that pain is not really explored (thank god, millions of comic book movies sigh). Thor fights on a planet that looks like Dune and falls into a wormhole that allows him to continue the fight on Earth, with more stakes. Those kind of 'short-cuts' allow for the action to move fast and for the viewer to feel like they're on the Thor-ride.
The whole movie was a trade-off between depth and flow, constantly balancing on the edge of story logic. It was logical only to the extent needed to make us believe that up was up and down was down, and in many cases why down was up and vice versa. I know that sounds annoyingly cryptic, but the laws of physics are constantly defied in this movie and I just don't want to say how.
Bottom line: if you want non-stop action this movie is for you. And I imagine that's why most people went. If you want more mythology and depth, you'll be disappointed, though the movie compensates for that plenty with comedy.
Movies are funny, because when you're in the moment or perhaps just out of it, you can feel drastically different to after a few hours later or after a rewatch. Thor 2 - The Dark World is that kind of movie. I loved watching it and was excited after watching it too. But after reflection, I don't actually like it because I felt cheated somewhat.
What are the basic observations? The action flow does really well. The script felt quite light. The acting was okay in parts. It was an interesting mix between Science Fiction (space ships and lasers) and Fantasy (Lord of the Rings elves and magic), which didn't really work, but isn't advanced technology like a kind of magic? There were also plenty of humorous parts, which carries a lot of the Marvel franchise.
So how did it cheat? Primarily, by making impossible or hard to explain things just work. Thor has impossible feelings for an earthling, but that pain is not really explored (thank god, millions of comic book movies sigh). Thor fights on a planet that looks like Dune and falls into a wormhole that allows him to continue the fight on Earth, with more stakes. Those kind of 'short-cuts' allow for the action to move fast and for the viewer to feel like they're on the Thor-ride.
The whole movie was a trade-off between depth and flow, constantly balancing on the edge of story logic. It was logical only to the extent needed to make us believe that up was up and down was down, and in many cases why down was up and vice versa. I know that sounds annoyingly cryptic, but the laws of physics are constantly defied in this movie and I just don't want to say how.
Bottom line: if you want non-stop action this movie is for you. And I imagine that's why most people went. If you want more mythology and depth, you'll be disappointed, though the movie compensates for that plenty with comedy.
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