Movies have been trying to up the ante of destruction for years. There was a time when stopping a nuclear bomb from leveling a city was enough to fuel suspense. Then along came a series of bad guys who wanted to destroy the world. In “Thor: The Dark World,” a villain has figured out a way to wipe out the universe. It would be a shame to not be around to enjoy the spoils of your victory, but at least other rogues would have a hard time following your act.
“Thor 2” is the latest superhero film featuring a Marvel character. Starring Chris Hemsworth as the title hero, the movie takes place at some point after “The Avengers.” As it opens, Thor is squashing evildoers on the nine realms, which are close to converging. To help audiences understand the concept of the convergence, the movie includes several shots of portals to various worlds lining up in the sky above Earth.
The convergence provides an unfortunate opportunity for a dark elf named Malekith to use a dark substance called Aether to destroy the universe. Odin, the king of Asgard and Thor’s father, explains that the dark elves have been around since before time began (which is a neat trick), and are eager to once again rule the darkness that exists in the absence of light. All Malekith has to do is get a handful of Aether in his veins, stand under the convergence, and voilà - the end of all things.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jane Foster, Thor’s unlikely love interest on Earth, is busy looking into the strange anomalies the convergence is causing, like soda cans disappearing in midair and reappearing elsewhere, and giant trucks becoming as light as a feather. She doesn’t know about the convergence, or that she will become a pawn in Malekith’s plan to extinguish all light for all time.
Loki, the villain of “The Avengers,” also comes into play. Actor Tom Hiddleston’s scenes are among the best in the movie. Even when Loki is behaving, you know he’s up to something, so he’s always entertaining to watch.
Here’s the thing: The Marvel universe has no bounds. In “The Avengers,” aliens attacked New York City; in the “Thor” movies, gods protect the universe. The mishmash of science fiction and fantasy gets goofy at times, as it does in “Thor 2,” but instead of delivering a somber fantasy movie that takes itself too seriously (a la “Lord of the Rings”), the people who made “Thor 2” knew it was goofy and reveled in it.
The result is a fun, briskly paced, humor-filled flick. I laughed a lot, but the jokes are never forced. Rather, they pop naturally out of each situation. Director Alan Taylor and his team of screenwriters also focus on family dynamics, whether between Odin, his wife, and their sons, or between Thor and his makeshift family on Earth. This adds just enough gravitas to give the film a little weight. “Thor 2” also is visually larger in scale than its predecessor. Some of the shots of Asgard are epic and should drop jaws, especially in 3D on an IMAX screen.
There are problems. I’m still not buying the romance between Thor and Dr. Foster. There’s just no chemistry between Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, despite their considerable skills as actors. Their love doesn’t come across one that would span the cosmos. Wisely, Taylor keeps their tender moments to a minimum. Also, the resolution of the final battle annoyed me. Like “Man of Steel,” it’s one of those fights in which two characters go no-holds-barred on each other for ten minutes, and then someone ends it with relative ease. I also think the filmmakers rely too heavily on Asgardians being able to alter their appearance. In the movie’s final moments, they go to that well one too many times.
Still, “Thor 2” is good, if not great, popcorn entertainment. See it while it’s in theaters.
Three stars out of four. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, language, and some suggestive content.