The Nine Realms
8.25 out of 10 | MOVIE and DVD
Rated: PG-13 Intense sci-fi action and violence and some suggestive content
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes
Director: Alan Taylor
Writers: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Don Payne, Robert Rodat, based on the character created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard
Writers: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Don Payne, Robert Rodat, based on the character created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard
SYNOPSIS: Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
REVIEW: Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor takes his drama and fantasy small screen experience to the big screen as he tackles the return of the Norse gods in the Marvel universe. Written by experienced Marvel writer Christopher Yost, Captain America: The First Avenger scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat from the original creation by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Thor must sacrifice everything for the kingdom he serves and the woman he loves.
Millennium ago, before the light over the Nine Realms was formed, Dark Elves ruled. When light came to the worlds the Dark Elves fought to keep it at bay. Eventually the Asgardians, led by Bor, beat the elves back into annihilation and kept their leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) from releasing the Aether that would bring darkness back to all the realms. Now, as the Nine Realms move into alignment known as a Convergence the physics and separation between realms becomes thin and unpredictable. After the events of the alien invasion in New York Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been busy with quelling marauders and warring factions across the worlds. When his love Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) comes in contact with the Aether, Thor takes her from Midgard to Asgard for treatment. Sensing that the Aether has returned, The Dark Elf king awakes from his slumber to retrieve it and finish plunging the realms back into darkness. Thor and his imprisonment brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) must go against Odin (Anthony Hopkins) in an attempt to save Jane, destroy the Aether, and ultimately defeat the Dark Elves.
The battle for New York is over, and the Avengers have disbanded to return to their own lives. Tony Stark has rebuilt Stark Tower and deal with the menace of Pierce and the Mandarin. Thor returns to Asgard to defend both his kingdom and the other worlds from the chaos that has erupted. And soon Steve Rogers will have to deal with patriotic nostalgic notions set against a more violent and covert modern world. While some say that no single hero film will top what the Avengers and Joss Whedon brought to life in the summer of 2012, both Ironman and Thor have returned to deal with their own single adventures. After Thor's origin story and his stint in the Avengers, The Dark World opens up the character and mythos and brings to life a tale of tragedy, loss, humor, action, redemption and action.
Taking a page directly from Norse mythology, the Dark Elves are an integral parts of viking lore. Malekith and his elf brothers add another formidable menace to Thor's rich history. Also, each realm brings to life a unique mesh of mechanics, sorcery, religion and technology. For the Dark Elves their battleships are reminiscence of those of the necromancers from The Chronicles of Riddick. The elves are both elegant and utterly dangerous.
The god of thunder, as mighty as he is with his hammer, is still most interesting when humanized. He surrounds himself with his friends Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Hogan Tadanobu Asano), Fandral (Zachery Levi), and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson). Thor struggles with his responsibility as heir to the kingdom of Asgard. He battles against the "wisdom "of his father Odin, and he yearns for a return to Jane in Midgard. But aside from his worries and responsibilities, this tale is made most interesting by his relationship with his brother Loki who was the engineer of the alien invasion in New York City.
Hiddleston's Loki always steals every scene with his conniving tricks. Played to perfection, Loki is at the same time earnest and power-hungry. Hemsworth's Thor may be muscle bound but his strength doesn't keep him from the worries of his responsibility to his kingdom and his love. Kat Dennings' unpaid intern Darcy provides plenty of one-liner laughs, as well as Stellan Skarsgard's Dr. Eric Selvig running around through half the film in some form of undress. Natalie Portman's Jane Foster is more developed and in more jeopardy in this film, serving as a focal points to the events that unfold. And you can't discount Anthony Hopkins' always Shakespearean turn as the All-father Odin.
Thor wields his mighty hammer Mjolnir to wrestle with both the safety and security of Asgard, Midgard and of the rest of the Nine Realms. Thor: The Dark World is a well-paced fantasy adventure tale perfect to follow up both the original film and The Avengers, filled with action, romance and dire consequence. This time around the god of thunder truly brings the boom.
Note: Remember to stay for both the mid end credits and after the end credits for scenes that foreshadows events in future feature films and a bit of closure for this film.
The battle for New York is over, and the Avengers have disbanded to return to their own lives. Tony Stark has rebuilt Stark Tower and deal with the menace of Pierce and the Mandarin. Thor returns to Asgard to defend both his kingdom and the other worlds from the chaos that has erupted. And soon Steve Rogers will have to deal with patriotic nostalgic notions set against a more violent and covert modern world. While some say that no single hero film will top what the Avengers and Joss Whedon brought to life in the summer of 2012, both Ironman and Thor have returned to deal with their own single adventures. After Thor's origin story and his stint in the Avengers, The Dark World opens up the character and mythos and brings to life a tale of tragedy, loss, humor, action, redemption and action.
Taking a page directly from Norse mythology, the Dark Elves are an integral parts of viking lore. Malekith and his elf brothers add another formidable menace to Thor's rich history. Also, each realm brings to life a unique mesh of mechanics, sorcery, religion and technology. For the Dark Elves their battleships are reminiscence of those of the necromancers from The Chronicles of Riddick. The elves are both elegant and utterly dangerous.
The god of thunder, as mighty as he is with his hammer, is still most interesting when humanized. He surrounds himself with his friends Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Hogan Tadanobu Asano), Fandral (Zachery Levi), and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson). Thor struggles with his responsibility as heir to the kingdom of Asgard. He battles against the "wisdom "of his father Odin, and he yearns for a return to Jane in Midgard. But aside from his worries and responsibilities, this tale is made most interesting by his relationship with his brother Loki who was the engineer of the alien invasion in New York City.
Hiddleston's Loki always steals every scene with his conniving tricks. Played to perfection, Loki is at the same time earnest and power-hungry. Hemsworth's Thor may be muscle bound but his strength doesn't keep him from the worries of his responsibility to his kingdom and his love. Kat Dennings' unpaid intern Darcy provides plenty of one-liner laughs, as well as Stellan Skarsgard's Dr. Eric Selvig running around through half the film in some form of undress. Natalie Portman's Jane Foster is more developed and in more jeopardy in this film, serving as a focal points to the events that unfold. And you can't discount Anthony Hopkins' always Shakespearean turn as the All-father Odin.
Thor wields his mighty hammer Mjolnir to wrestle with both the safety and security of Asgard, Midgard and of the rest of the Nine Realms. Thor: The Dark World is a well-paced fantasy adventure tale perfect to follow up both the original film and The Avengers, filled with action, romance and dire consequence. This time around the god of thunder truly brings the boom.
Note: Remember to stay for both the mid end credits and after the end credits for scenes that foreshadows events in future feature films and a bit of closure for this film.
