Every time I think I’m getting sick of superhero movies, Marvel reminds me that they know what they’re doing.
The original Thor (2011) felt almost like it was afraid to embrace the absurdities of turning a Norse god into a super hero. It spent most of its runtime on Earth with a powerless Thor learning the value of humility. I actually like Thor quite a bit. It’s the silliest of the Marvel movies, but its goofy charm is balanced by some solid action and a potent performance from Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
Marvel has just released a second trailer for Thor: The Dark World and it looks like it’s fully embracing the Norse-y-ness of the character. Which is good. Director Alan Taylor, coming off two seasons of Game of Thrones, seems to know how to make the medieval-esque setting work in a modern film. The oddity of Thor is that he’s a god, but an alien, from the past-future where magic and science are indistinguishable. I mean…come on! How ridiculous is that? With the proper touch, this could add up to a charming adventure romp with some solid stakes. I hope that’s what we’re seeing here.
As far as the trailer goes, it feels good. They’re selling the dour-ness of the story, because, well that sells tickets. However, there are two solid, solid moments in the trailer that display the humor of the film that should keep it from getting to self-serious. Because if there’s one thing an alien-god-from-the-past-future shouldn’t be, it is self-serious.
We’ve entered a time in which most every comic book movie needs to mimic The Dark Knight in order to be green-lit by the studio. Which is the exact wrong approach for about 98% of superheroes. Marvel seems to get this. Despite Iron Man 3 being sold as The Dark Knight with Arc-Reactor technology, it turned out to be a film that expertly balanced humor, wit, action spectacle, and small(ish) human drama. I hope the same for Thor: The Dark World.
Final Note: I would see this movie just for Idris Elba alone.
Related articles
- Marvel Debuts Loki-Packed Trailer for “Thor: The Dark World” (comicbookresources.com)
- New Trailer for THOR: THE DARK WORLD Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Christopher Eccleston (collider.com)
- New Trailer For THOR: THE DARK WORLD Debuts (comicbookmovie.com)
- New Trailer for Thor: The Dark World (geeksyndicate.co.uk)
- Video: The new trailer for Thor: The Dark World lands (dailyrecord.co.uk)
Snippets 
3 responses to “New Trailer for “Thor: The Dark World””
A. The new trailer didn’t really give me anything that I hadn’t gotten from the first.
B. I loved Thor! The Asgaard bits were definitely the best part of the film for me, so I’m looking forward to much more in Round Two.
C. Idris Elba had a small role in the first movie, but he was absolutely mesmerizing in what he did!
D. Like you said, glad we finally got to see a bit of humor. The first movie was actually pretty funny. “Found you!” LOLOL
A) Little bit more Loki is always welcome, I feel like the scope of the story was revealed a little bit more in this one, but you’re right, mostly a rehash from the first one.
B) I enjoyed Thor’s personal character arc in the first one, I hope this one gives him something more to do than just hit things hard. Thor worked because of that arc.
C) I don’t know how that guy does it! He brings gravitas to everything he does. Have you seen Luther? It’s an incredible show.
D) Loved Jane smacking Loki “That’s for New York!” Funny, and it ties together the Marvel Universe!
[…] a look at our Avengers and Iron Man 3 reviews by Corey and Liam, respectively, along with our Thor: The Dark World trailer reaction. Even more importantly, check out the comic book background for Thor, courtesy of […]