I know it is unpopular opinion, but I really like this movie. Sure, the dark elves aren’t impressive villains, but it is just a fun and sad movie. I mean for such a silly movie I cried a lot in it. The first time I saw it I cried when Loki died, when I didn't know he was coming back. But it is still a lot more enjoyable then the general consensus around it.
Patty Jenkins was first meant to direct this movie, but left over creative differences. Good for her. She got a much better reputation out of Wonder Woman than Alan Taylor who directed this movie. This movie was meant to be his big breakthrough into cinema after directing some great episodes of Game of Thrones, but that didn't really materialize as this movie is considered to be the weakest link in the Marvel chain. However, I do think that Avengers: Endgame in a way redeemed this movie and reminded us that it is a good movie.
The cast that we got to know and love in the first movie is back. Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki, Anthony Hopkins returns as Odin, Rene Russo returns as Frigga, Idris Elba returns as Heimdall, Kat Dennings returns as Darcy, Stellan Skarsgård returns as Erik Selvig and Natalie Portman returns as Jane Foster, because she wanted to work with Patty Jenkins, no such luck for her. Thor's interchangeable and unimportant friends also return. They are so interchangeable that no noticed that instead of Josh Dallas, we now have a bleached Zachary Levi playeing the role. Maybe people did notice because the bleach does stand out, like Thor's eyebrows in the first movie. Still, all the familiar and mostly good cast is back.
We also get new characters that no one cares about. Malekith, the leader of the dark elves played by Christopher Eccleston who is mostly known for his role as Doctor Who and complaining about his role in this movie. And all the other dark elves that no one cares about. Seriously. They were just another evil faceless army.
This entire movie revolves around the Aether, also known as the reality stone. Marvel did need to introduce another stone in their introduction voyage and it is a suitable place. After The Avengers one stone is already on Asgard so why not bring another one into the mix? Also, I guess that the reality stone can only be used properly by the dark elves, so I guess that's why Thanos couldn't use it in the same manner. He used it as a temporary tool, they use it as a literal reality changing tool. Interesting. There is some inner logic in this manner.
Back at the realm of the plot, for the last two years Thor has been all over the seven realms trying to restore the peace. All realms expect for Earth, because we know how to deal with crisis better than anyone apparently. Another crisis is coming because all of the realms are about to alien for the first time in 5,000 years and that wakes the Aether up and that wakes the dark elves up. Convenient. They want to use the stone to return the world into permanent darkness. A dark universe.
In the meantime Jane has been sinking into depression and is only now starting to recover. After two years without Thor. Darcy interrupts Jane's first attempt at dating by telling her she found an interesting anomaly. When they arrive at the location they find an interesting situation. A place in which sometimes you throw in things and they return from the ceiling and sometimes it doesn't return. Gravity is a bit of a problem there as well. It is pretty funny. Especially when the car keys don't return. Then Jane walks in to a strange reality and finds the Aether. It isn't a stone, but some strange liquid that gets inside of her body. Apparently she is in this none reality for quite some time, because Heimdall notices it, and Thor immediately returns to Earth. Which wins him two slaps in the face from Jane when she returns. I mean he did leave her for two years, no matter how good his reasoning is.
While Jane was away Darcy called the police. She was gone for five Earth hours apparently. When the police approach her the Aether acts like a bomb that shatters everything around it, well it shatters mostly glass. In response the police gets defensive and Thor takes Jane to Asgard. There medicine people try to figure out what's wrong with her, while Odin just gets angry. After he wants Jane returned back to Earth, he too gets a take of the Aether's powers. The Aether is very good at protecting its vessel.
Then the action and boring drama starts. The dark elves feel the Aether and attack Asgard. Frigga takes Jane to protect her and creates a magical duplication of Jane. The kind that Loki really likes doing. But in a heart breaking scene Frigga dies while defending Jane, despite the fact that her battle skills have much improved since the first Thor movie. The funeral that they have for her and all the dead Asgardians is heartbreaking. Also it is really sad that the last thing that Loki said to her is that he is not her son. I guess that one will hunt him, until the end of the movie. It's good thing that the action and drama are good, because the dark elves are boring.
Speaking of drama, Odin refuses to listen to Thor's plan despite the fact that it is a good plan. Thor frees Loki to get his help. Loki is in jail as punishment for his crimes after everything he did in The Avengers movie. And he is still the best Marvel villain at this point. The getting out of Asgard is the best and funniest sequence in the movie. When Loki puts on Captain America's form, when he talks too much, when Thor uses tricks on him, the way all of Thor's friends threaten Loki, the way they fly out of Asgard, it is all hilarious. Especially when Jane slaps Loki for New York. Also, the way that they try to trick the dark elves was super clever. Too bad it didn't work and the elves get the Aether. Thor's plan included the Aether being destructible when it isn't.
Thor and Jane return to Earth through the funny anomaly. Darcy bails out Selvig from a mental institution and they all converge in one apartment. It is still funny how Thor hangs his hammer with the coats. Together they form a plan to stop the convergence as the convergence will strengthen the power of the Aether and allow it to darken all of the seven realms. I don't know how that will darken all of the universe, but I'm nitpicking here. They arrive at the place of the convergence, along with the dark elves and a funny battle commences. I mean really funny. Thor on the subway. Darcy's intern throwing a car at the elves. It is some good stuff. Like all, well, most things Marvel the good guys win in the end.
Thor returns to Asgard to tell Odin that he doesn't want to be a king. He doesn’t know that it is actually Loki sitting on the Throne in disguise. In one post credit scene Thor returns to Earth after two days and he and Jane are reunited. But apparently, they will breakup after all of this journey together. And we see that the Aether is placed with The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) in a second post-credit scene so as to not have two infinity stones too close together. Well, how little do they know. The Collector also wants all of the stones, but they don't know that and he doesn't stand a chance, but he doesn't know that.
In the end, it is just a really good fun movie. Loki and Thor's relationship is the best part of the movie. The humor is pretty great and Hemsworth is a great comedic actor. It all works brilliantly together. Sure the Aether works totally differently later on and that makes no sense, but maybe it does, I don't know, the MCU isn’t perfect after all. Like where are all the rest of the Avengers? Didn’t Stark feeling like giving a helping hand? Well, they do fix that mistake later on so we forgive them for not knowing how much the MCU will succeed and how much people love the Avengers. And logic in their action movies.
Did you think it's one of the worst MCU movies or did you enjoy it?
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