Save Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the second round of Marvel flicks has been less than stellar, including the insipid Age of Ultron. Law of diminishing returns applies to bloated superhero franchises as much as anything else. At least one of today's movies (naturally, the non-sequel) is entertaining.
Thor: The Dark World (2013, Alan Taylor)
Thor (2011) was one of the Marvel's dark horses. Few expected much, but director Kenneth Branaugh managed the right mixture of pulp seriousness and blockbuster fun. Sadly, Thor: The Dark World falls into the stentorian traps its predecessor avoided.Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns from Earth to pacify the Nine Realms. But Thor's gal pal Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) unwittingly uncovers the Ether, an evil force which summons dark elf leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) at the height of a planetary convergence. Thor's forced to join with turncoat brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to stop Malekith from defeating Asgard and conquering the Nine Realms. That's what the dark elves call Justice of the Unicorn.
Murky and self-serious, Thor: The Dark World is too logy to entertain. The movie gets mileage from Thor and Loki's sibling rivalry, providing sparks of fleeting wit. But the story is a poorly-defined slog, whipsawing between Earth, Asgard and other vaguely Nordic planets as abruptly as Jane's teleporting device. Even the action is wearying swordfights and CGI spectacle; director Alan Taylor manages one memorable scene, an intergalactic Viking funeral which provides some breathtaking imagery. Shame it's the only inventive thing here.
Chris Hemsworth is less compelling without the original film's maturity arc; he's simply solemn and draggy. Tom Hiddleston tricks and snarks his way through stolid material. Natalie Portman goes from useless appendage to walking Macguffin. Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings's cornball comic relief wears thin fast. As Odin, Anthony Hopkins relishes dread pronouncements like "We possess artifacts older than the Universe!" At least he and Hiddleston enjoy themselves.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014, James Gunn)
Guardians of the Galaxy is miles better. Unburdened by ties to previous Marvel movies, its playful, anarchic humor makes it stand out amongst a crowded field.Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is abducted by space pirates and grows into an intergalactic criminal, who calls himself "Star-Lord." Quill retrieves an orb wanted by genocidal Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who's allied with big bad Thanos (Josh Brolin) to conquer the planet Xandarian. Quill's united with Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Thanatos' treacherous adopted daughter; Drax the Destroyer (David Bautista), a vengeful muscleman; Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and his tree sidekick Groot (Vin Diesel). They form an uneasy alliance to defeat Ronan and settle their various scores.
Guardians of the Galaxy starts with Quill staking through a planetary wasteland, singing Redbone to space rats. Director James Gunn keeps the humor at full blast, allowing his protagonists to banter and fight through their quirks. Rocket's profanely amoral; literal-minded Drax can't understand Quill's earthly metaphors; Groot can only recite his name. They're an engaging posse of miscreants that put the first-string Avengers to shame.
Gunn and Nicole Perlman's script plays things light and loose; plot's merely a mechanism for action scenes. Guardians' standout set piece is the prison break; as Rocket and Quill debate strategy, Groot calmly disables the security system. Fighting, gravitational wackiness and prosthetic-snatching ensues. It's refreshing to see most the aliens created through make-up and costuming, though computers help with worlds like the mine-turned-casino planet Knowhere.
Chris Pratt gives a charming star turn, channeling Harrison Ford in his flippant humor and roguish sexuality. Zoe Saldana trades Avatar blue for green, kicking ass and rebuffing Quill's advances. Bradley Cooper's foul-mouthed Rocket steals scenes, with Vin Diesel and David Bautista providing quiet dignity. There are fun character turns for Benicio Del Torro as a flamboyant junk dealer, and Michael Rooker as a redneck alien pirate with a whistle-guided arrow.
That should bring us up to speed with Marvel, right? Oh crap, I forgot Ant-Man. Maybe some other time.
