Thor: The Dark World (2013)

When Dr. Jane Foster gets cursed with a powerful entity known as the Aether, Thor is heralded of the cosmic event known as the Convergence and the genocidal Dark Elves.

Director:

Alan Taylor

Writers:

Christopher L. Yost (screenplay by), Christopher Markus (screenplay by)

Stars:

Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston

3 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Hemsworth	...	Thor
Natalie Portman	...	Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston	...	Loki
Anthony Hopkins	...	Odin
Christopher Eccleston	...	Malekith
Jaimie Alexander	...	Sif
Zachary Levi	...	Fandral
Ray Stevenson	...	Volstagg
Tadanobu Asano	...	Hogun
Idris Elba	...	Heimdall
Rene Russo	...	Frigga
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Algrim / Kurse
Kat Dennings	...	Darcy Lewis
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Erik Selvig
Alice Krige	...	Eir

Storyline

Thousands of years ago, a race of beings known as Dark Elves tried to send the universe into darkness by using a weapon known as the Aether. Warriors from Asgard stop them but their leader Malekith escapes to wait for another opportunity. The warriors find the Aether and since it cannot be destroyed, they try to hide it. In the present day, Jane Foster awaits the return of Thor although it has been two years since they last saw once another. In the meantime, Thor has been trying to bring peace to the nine realms. Jane discovers an anomaly similar to the one that brought Thor to Earth. She goes to investigate, finds a wormhole, and is sucked into it. Back on Asgard, Thor wishes to return to Earth but his father, Odin refuses to let him. Thor learns from Heimdall, who can see into all of the realms, that Jane disappeared. Thor then returns to Earth just as Jane reappears. However, when some policemen try to arrest her, an unknown energy repulses them. Thor then brings Jane to Asgard to ...

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Plot Keywords:

open ended | end of the world | adopted brother | funeral | shapeshifting | 

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Taglines:

There was darkness.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thor 2

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$170,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$85,737,841, 10 November 2013, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$206,362,140

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$644,783,140

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat Dolby Atmos Auro 11.1 SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(At around forty-eight minutes) Malekith's thunder burned face is an homage to the classic John Byrne design of the character, whose face was half-purple in the comics. The starburst on his chest armor was also a nod to the original comic design.

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Goofs

(at around 21 mins) When Jane is pulled into the darkness and first sees and approaches the Aether, she is carrying her device in her right hand. When she bends down to look at it, the device is in her left hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Odin: [narrating] Long before the birth of light, there was darkness... and from that darkness came the Dark Elves. Millennia ago, the most ruthless of their kind, Malekith, sought to transform our universe back into one of eternal night. Such evil was possible through the power of the Aether, an ancient force of infinite destruction. The noble armies of Asgard, led by my father King Bor, waged a mighty war against these creatures. As the Nine Worlds converged above him, Malekith could at...

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Crazy Credits

Part of the closing credits are a sequence of illustrated scenes from the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 9 March 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Lobby Lounge
Written and Performed by Robert G. Cressey
Courtesy of ScoreKeepers Music

User Reviews

All style, no substance

The acting was solid. The production value was superb. Everything else was really poor.

The back story and character motivations are laughably sparse. Most of the characters are completely one-dimensional, with the possible exception of Loki. The plot is the most boring and typical of all action plots - some "bad dudes who happen to be really ugly" decide to "destroy the world for no reason other than being evil" and "only our hero can save us all", etc. Moreover, it was lazy writing - whenever an absolute miracle needed to happen, it conveniently did, every time.

Of course this is a mindless blockbuster Marvel movie so we shouldn't expect much. But the thing is that these kinds of films CAN be made with a reasonable plot, pacing, and character development. The writers were obviously just going through the motions to cash in on the surefire moneymaker sequel, and from a business perspective it is hard to fault them. But it says a lot about the sad state of Hollywood in 2013 that this film currently has a 7.7 on IMDb.