That big, blonde, lunkheaded deity is back in yet another big screen fantasy adventure, but before I get into the new movie (which I enjoyed), I'm going to take a look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe entries I've missed since my last Marvel review ("Iron Man 3").
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter
Captain America's love interest, Agent Peggy Carter, played once again by the stunning Hayley Atwell, finally gets her very own short film. Set in the 1940s after Cap has seemingly sacrificed himself over Antarctica to save the world, Carter has to prove herself to her sexist male superiors by taking on a dangerous case all by herself. It's got punchy action, cool cameos, and another strong performance by Atwell, making this my favorite "One-Shot" to date. It also deals with the beginnings of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, which is neat. Word on the street is that Marvel Studios is working to make "Agent Carter" a prime time, full-length T.V. show. Bring it on, I say.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
As of this writing, the series has only aired 6 episodes, but I'm enjoying what I'm seeing. Clark Gregg returns as Phil Coulson, who's back from the dead and leading a newly-assembled team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (and one wild card) to investigate the weird, the superhuman, and the "magical". There are a couple of main mysteries driving the narrative (how/why Coulson is alive, what the nefarious Rising Tide organization is), but the reason I like the series so much is that it focuses on the ants (humans) struggling to survive the stomping of the boot (superhumans) while simultaneously trying to keep it all from spilling over into society. The characters were, at first, kind of bland, Hollywood-pretty cyphers (except for Coulson - he's cool from Day 1), but over the course of the series the onions have continuously peeled back, revealing the characters beneath and opening up a couple more mysteries to be pondered. The action is rollercoaster-y, the humor is occasionally uproarious, and the scale is surprisingly huge. I also dig the many references and tie-ins to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the surprise cameo appearances, making it all one big, fun, cohesive universe to delve into. So far, so good.
Thor: The Dark World
After rebuilding the bifrost (which he destroyed in the first "Thor"), the big Norwegian doofus (Chris Hemsworth) has been spending his time hopping from realm to realm in order to quell all of the rebellions which have sprung up since they lost contact with the "capital realm" of Asgard. Meanwhile, on Earth, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has been combing the fringes of astrophysics, hoping to find a way to reconnect with her lost love (the aforementioned doofus), who didn't give her so much as a phone call when he briefly hopped back to Earth in "The Avengers". How rude. Unfortunately, her search leads her to uncover the Aether, a powerful source of primal energy which the uppity Dark Elves (the original inhabitants of the universe) once used in a near-successful campaign to usurp life as we know it. Now the Dark Elf leader, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston, a.k.a. Doctor Who #9) has awakened, and Thor must not only return to Earth to face Jane's unholy, angry-girlfriend wrath, but free his imprisoned bad boy brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in a last ditch attempt to save us all from destruction.
I thought the first movie had a pretty far-ranging scope, but this one is much larger and more grandiose. Throughout the course of the movie we get to visit every major realm in the cosmos, beyond just Earth (Midgard) and Asgard. Nearly all of the characters return from the first movie in expanded roles, mixed in with some new characters, creating an ensemble that threatens to engulf the main players but, thankfully, never does. There are a plethora of alien critters and spaceship battles, enough to give "Star Wars" a run for its lightsaber, and, of course, there have to be plenty of tie-ins with the rest of the Marvel Universe as well as two post-credits scenes which hint at things to come (coughInfinityGauntletcough). This could have been a mess of a movie, but the writers (overseen by Joss Whedon) and the director, Alan Taylor (the primary director of "Game of Thrones") keep it cohesive, entertaining, and ultimately satisfying.
All the stuff I loved from the original movie is back, but more improved. That crazy mix of science fiction and magical fantasy (I'm sucker for this particular sub genre) is still here, enhanced with a more earthy, gritty, lived-in sheen courtesy of director Taylor. Thor's powers, which were all introduced in the first movie, get utilized in nicely creative ways this time around. The cast is fantastic. Hemsworth still owns the role, and I totally dig his character arc and, in particular, where he ends up at the close of the movie. Portman is also excellent. She gets to participate in more of the action this time around but, unfortunately, she still comes across as "the girlfriend", but the enhanced, butt-kicking roles of Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander) and Frigga (Thor's mom, played by Rene Russo) make up for that in spades. Eccleston's Malekith suffers from some missing character scenes (to be restored in the promised Director's Cut), but he's appropriately, theatrically evil. He's just too one-note (the usual "I will do anything to save my people, which means destroying all of yours" shtick). It's Hiddleston's Loki, though, which is the movie's best highlight. He's always a complete blast to watch, and he clearly loves playing the role, but his turn in "The Dark World" is definitely the most satisfying Loki appearance yet. He's the secret weapon of the Marvel Universe. And surprise, surprise, he still loves his step-mommy.
The abundance of humor is back as well. Some would say overabundant, but I disagree. There are some misses, but most of the jokes are hilarious hits (Thor's confused hammer, his humbling one-liners, every other line out of Loki's mouth, Darcy 80% of the time, the shoe portal, etc.). Unlike DC Comic movies (Batman, Superman, etc.), which are so self-important that most attempts at humor feel forced and creaky, laughs are an integral part of the Marvel feel. It makes "the world" feel far more human and, to me, there's nothing more human than laughing in the face of true danger.
I would say to skip seeing this movie in 3D (except for a couple of shots, it's unremarkable), but the IMAX showing has a fantastic 5-minute preview of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", which is surprisingly, epically cool. Your choice.
I loved the first movie, and this one is better. While it has its own satisfying story arc, it's still part of a larger story, which makes it feel like a middle episode in a series (which it is). I dig the series; I dig this episode. The universe which opened up in the first "Thor" is nicely expanded even further here. As of now, the "Thor" movies have surpassed the "Iron Man" movies in sheer entertainment power.
Next year, we come back down to Earth for "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", then back into space for the far-out "Guardians of the Galaxy", then comes the big climax in 2015's "The Avengers: Age of Ultron". I can't wait!