We go from frost giants to dark elves in the world of Thor. So I went and saw Thor: The Dark World today and I found it entertaining. I'll just come right out and say that it was merely okay upon first view in 3-D IMAX. The dark elves were really cool and awesome. They were designed very well and cool, they flew really sweet looking ships; they were completely fantastic villains, which I wish would have been explored more along with why they were trying to destroy the universe aside from the obvious motive of revenge. Aside from that aspect of the film, nothing else really blew my mind away, made me think, or feel any emotion really whatsoever. It was purely an action/fantasy film through and through, but more importantly it was a comic book based film. Perhaps I am beginning to see far too many of those kinds of films and I am becoming bored all they do is attempt to wow the viewer with big, huge special effects and attempt to create intricate fight scenes or chase scenes which only George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are really good at creating.Chris Hemsworth was great as Thor, as was Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, although I would have liked their relationship explored more and her shine more as a character; she seemed relegated to a tertiary role in this film. Tom Hiddleston as Loki was same as before with a few surprises; not a whole lot of dynamism with him or any of the other characters for that matter. Christopher Eccleston was wasted on as the chief dark elf. Anthony Hopkins was also fine as Odin, and a different side of the character was explored more in this film, but it would have been nice to see him go a little further with what he had done. The music by Brian Tyler was impressive; I actually thought that Patrick Doyle had returned to score the second film, but I was mistaken. There were a number of excellent musical motifs throughout the film, but nothing to really hang onto. Did I mention everything about the dark elves rocked, well it is worth mentioning again; this includes design, make-up, costumes, and the coolness factor. The 3-D was alright, but they didn't really shoot the film or utilize the 3-D technique to its full advantage like they could and should have. The director, Alan Taylor, has directed episodes from hit series like Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, The West Wing, Rome, and Boardwalk Empire. He clearly has a great deal of talent which he showed in this film, but I don't fault him for it's mediocre state. The writers: Christopher Markus, Christopher Yost, and Stephen McFeely didn't really do a stellar job with the screenplay; the lackluster dialog and the relatively uncreative plot line with the dark elves and the "aether" didn't play very well. It was like they were trying to write an epic story, have a ton of action, and then more action with cool special effects, and also have comical humor as well while remaining true to the comic. If the writing had been better the film would have been so much stronger, but it wasn't which is why I am giving the film an "Admirable Ability." Don't get me wrong it was entertaining and I'll watch it again, but I don't think that I would own it, or watch it frequently. Life has been busy, I have been sick, God only knows what's going to happen to the American healthcare system, the Philippines have been decimated, I am going to get disciplined for something that happened at work, and my sister and brother-in law just recently celebrated their 1 year wedding Anniversary over the weekend. Paula and Gabriel I love you both! It would take too long to summarize everything that has been going on, so I will just say that graduate school is turning out to be something I didn't expect (in other words I'm not really liking or enjoying it as much as I thought I would). And that I hate the bitter cold along with snow and ice. One thing I have recently discovered is that if you want to stay on top of your job, you have to put in more then 50 hours a week, otherwise you'll sink. I haven't even really mentioned Syria, nor the decimation in the Philippines. A lot of people in the world need help, and I just read something about people protesting in Bangladesh who were attacked by government forces there; another country that could use some freedom. Just remember that even though you can't help everyone; you help those that you can. Good luck and goodnight.Thor: The Dark World preview
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