MCU Commentary Rewatch: Thor: The Dark World
(Cover art by Matt Ferguson, for the Blu Ray release. https://www.cakesandcomics.com/)
I quite like this movie, but the backstory behind its creation is not pleasant. Kenneth Branagh “withdrew” from the project, then Patty Jenkins had it ripped out from under her after her name was used to lure Natalie Portman back.
TL:DR;
Commentary Ranking: #1 of 8
Alan Taylor is a fine director, and the sophomore script from Marcus & McFeely is tight. But it suffers somewhat from the MCU’s growing pains, and is generally considered by critics and fans to be a failure with a global box office take of 664 MILLION BUCKS, after THE AVENGERS and IM3 both made over a billion dollars each.
Let that sink in for a bit. THE DARK WORLD made more money domestically than CA: FIRST AVENGER, INCREDIBLE HULK, and THOR, and more money globally than all of Phase 1’s solo offerings and most of Phase 2.
But it “sucks”, because people are dumb.
I’ll have more to say about this dichotomy as Phase 2 moves on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor:_The_Dark_World
Commentary Takeaways:
I did not fall asleep once, though there were a couple moments of closed eyes.
Alan Taylor and Kramer Mongenthau are nominal participants at best: they exist on the track only to introduce themselves, and then to be mentioned in passing by Kevin Feige and Tom Hiddleston.
Who are MAGNIFICENT. Feige is the definition of the room where it happens, and Hiddleston has an encyclopedic knowledge of where every scene was shot, when, and how. The two pair up for a seamless blend of production stories and character backstories throughout the length of the track, and for a good portion of the credits as well.
I mentioned earlier that critics of the MCU see this as a disappointing or weak film, but Feige does not share that viewpoint at all. TIL that this was the first film completely produced and distributed by Marvel Studios, and the opening credits were adjusted to reflect that. I also learned that the big Odin voiceover was originally not in the film, but test audiences who had also seen THOR demanded there be something like it. So the huge war you see between Malekith’s dark elves and Bor Alfather (Odin’s dad, played silently by the amazing Tony Curran) was created digitally in post, with only three real actors.
According to Feige, Alan Taylor was a perfect director with a lot of great input on the creative process. Which makes it very strange that he said nothing but his name during the commentary track. I’ve likely got more commentaries from him on episodes of LOST, DEADWOOD, and GAME OF THRONES, so I’ll pick up bits of his process eventually.
Due to odd scheduling conflicts, a lot of post-production reshoots were digitally composited from multiple sites. One action scene in particular used a background from Hong Kong, and actor shots from Los Angeles, London, and HK. Christopher Eccleston (Malekith) did most of his shots against green screen, and I heard a rumor once that he and Hemsworth never actually met.
All told, this was an amazing commentary, of which I have described only the smallest part. It’s good enough that I’m tempted to watch it again tomorrow, just to make sure I heard everything.
Plus, I like the movie. And armed with Hiddleston’s running testament of how the shots were put together, I really want to look for the seams so I can appreciate the movie even more.
Commentary Ranking:
1. THOR: THE DARK WORLD
2. CAPTAIN AMERICA: TFA
3. IRON MAN 2
4. INCREDIBLE HULK
5. IRON MAN 3
6. MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS
7. IRON MAN
8. THOR