“Yay a Marvel movie! I recently saw an article (specifically a photo gallery) listing out 17 Signs it’s a Marvel movie. Pretty much all of those are reasons why I’m loving this franchise.
So after last year’s all-the-superheroes Avengers, we’ve seen Iron Man deal with the fallout. Now it’s Thor’s turn. However, while he had some mentions of that incident, this is more his own story. Things are going down on his realm of Asgard, and it’s up to this thunder dude to handle it.
One thing the article mentioned is that with Marvel, the bad guy doesn’t really matter (Loki being the notable exception). And yeah, pattern still holds here. Yes there was a big bad set up as a major adversary, basically giving Thor something to do. The real magic is in the characters and their relationships. It doesn’t really matter what otherwordly substance is infecting Jane. Thor is going to do his best to protect her, and she’s gonna do her best to science her weay out of it. No one cares about the details of why Thor is tapping Loki for assistance, we’re just watching for his sudden but inevitable betrayal.
There’s a few other of those Marvel trops that were prominent here. First off, while DC keeps trying to go darker and darker (but really gets more and more emo), Marvel keeps things light. The levity is one of the most important parts of the film. Even in the middle of the most dramatic scenes, there’s those quick comedic breaks that make all the difference. Personally, while nine times out of ten I prefer dark, these situations are that exception. I feel that besides simply being more enjoyable, those moments are more successful in humanizing these larger than life characters than any existential angst or inner turmoil will ever be. Oh and bonus points for anything that comes out of Kat Denning’s mouth in this movie. She needs her own comedic spin off, maybe teaming up with Loki. Could you imagine the banter?
I’ve also said before that I love how Marvel characters are smart. In this case, Jane is our leading scientist. Okay so maybe most of what she’s saying in the film is technobabble that sounds scientific, but the point is they’re trying. And, more importantly, she’s not a whiny damsel in distress, even if she is in distress. Her brains are as integral to the solution as Thor’s brawn. What other girls in superhero movies can make the same claim?
While yes it may have been more of the same, it’s a very good same, and one that I’m happy to continue watching.
Thor: The Dark World – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/