Marvel's Thor The Dark World: Movie Review

Mr. Maven and I got a babysitter (woo hoo!) last weekend and went to see Thor: The Dark World at the local theater. I really wasn't that excited about seeing it, though I certainly didn't mind watching Chris Hemsworth in action. I honestly thought it wasn't going to be that great (what movie sequel really is?), and I cannot stand watching Natalie Portman try to act. Ugh. But I was pleasantly surprised. This movie was fun and funny and I actually enjoyed myself.

But I have to say that the actor who stole the show was Tom Hiddleston. Man, was he awesome! Loki totally stole every scene he was in, and I just couldn't tear my eyes from him. He is the deliciously tempting bad-guy-you-love-to-love. He's not evil, as I thought in the first movie. He's just corrupted by his desire for power and control. And why not? He's had to live in his big brother's shadow all his life! So it's difficult to hate him. Especially when just about everything that comes out of his mouth is witty and snarky. I want a Loki-only spin-off movie!

Okay, so the plot...umm...I'm not really sure what it was. There were some bad guys, dark elves, led by the big head evil dark elf called Malekith (which I think is a very cool name), and they were mad about...something. I think because Thor's father killed a bunch of them a long time ago? Anyway, they're not all dead and they're coming back to annihilate everyone in their path. And there is some sort of dark gooey stuff that has been hidden for a long time and somehow our dumb "heroine," Jane (Natalie Portman - ugh) has found it. The dark gooey evil stuff has
infiltrated her bloodstream and so she is a living weapon of mass destruction. So Malekith wants her, or the black gooey stuff IN her, and of course Thor cant let him have it. But Thor can't fight Malekith and his elves all by himself so he busts Loki out of prison and they team up.

Just don't think about it too much. The plot doesn't really matter in this one. It's just fun. Oh, and the snarky assistant, Darcy (played by Kat Dennings) is back and she's really fun again. So I recommend you see this film. Maybe if you're not crazy about the Marvel superhero world wait for it on DVD. But if you're a Loki fan, don't miss this one. And just wait until you see the Captain America cameo - brilliant! Four stars from me, for entertainment and eye candy.

BRAVE Wasn't What I'd Hoped

In light of last Sunday's Academy Awards, and the fact that Pixar's Brave won Best Animated Film, I thought I'd share my original review of the movie, which I first posted on my Facebook page last June.

"It pains me to say I was disappointed. Maybe my expectations were just too high; maybe the fact that I love all things Scotland and have been anxiously awaiting this movie for two years just set me up to be let down. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't a BAD movie at all. It just wasn't up to Pixar standards. 

Brave had no heart. Every Pixar movie has heart. Well, I don't really count Cars 2; that movie was awful. But aside from that one, all Pixar movies have heart; they move you and make you feel. Second, Brave has very little character development. I didn't even like Merida, and I so wanted to! By the time the big conflict occurred, I found myself not really rooting for the "good guys." I didn't really care about the characters because they didn't really have any depth to them, and in the end, I found I wouldn't really mind it so much if things didn't get resolved and there was no happy ending for Merida. The plot was formulaic and there were no big surprises, no twists. And there were very few funny moments. Truly, the best laughs are the ones you've already seen in the trailers. There was nothing particularly Scottish about it either, other than the fact that all the men wear kilts. Eh. So what? It could have taken place anywhere; they didn't do anything to make it truly Scottish and that disappointed me. Even the music was a let-down. 

The biggest negative for me was the family dynamics. I take issue with movies and TV shows that make the father out to be a bumbling idiot who can't do anything properly and needs his overly dominating wife to do everything for him. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for strong women! But you can have a strong woman without sacrificing the masculinity of the male counterpart. In so many Disney movies there is only one parent to begin with. Why do they have to emasculate the man when there's finally a two-parent family unit in place? I loved that the father could be funny and playful at times, but they took it too far and made him out to be nothing without his queen wife.

But...the animation is fantastic. I was mesmerized by Merida's hair. I have no idea how they animated it so perfectly life-like. I didn't like Merida too much, and wasn't convinced her story mattered, but I was in love with her hair!

I was glad we had not taken our kids with us to see it. At ages seven and nearly-two, I think it would have scared the living daylights out of them both.

Unfortunately I think the competition may have finally figured out the master formula to a great movie, the secret only Pixar held for the longest time. How To Train Your Dragon and Despicable Me moved me more than Brave did. I didn't even cry. And I ALWAYS cry at Pixar movies! Well, not during Cars 2. But like I said, that one doesn't count.

So there you have it. My opinion. I hope it doesn't keep you from seeing the movie yourself because, like I said, it wasn't BAD. It just wasn't great."

I still stand by my review, and probably won't change my mind. But I haven't given the movie a second chance yet. I plan to rent it from Redbox soon and watch it a second time to see if anything has changed for me.