What are the first words your mind associates with Thor: The Dark World? Disappointment? Lackluster? Weak link? Waste of Christopher Eccleston? You and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins may have more in common than you knew.
The sequel to 2011’s Thor consistently tops the worst of the MCU lists, and for good reason. Thor 2 is uninspired, flat and – worst of all – forgettable. And that’s coming from a hardcore MCU fan. With the exception of a few phenomenal scenes, generally courtesy of Tom Hiddleston, there isn’t anything in The Dark World worth writing home about.
Patty Jenkins Gets Real About The Dark World
Fans of the franchise aren’t the only ones who felt dissatisfied with this entry into the Infinity Saga, as Patty Jenkins herself recently voiced her rather unflattering opinion of the script during an interview with Vanity Fair.
“I did not believe that I could make a good movie out of the script that they were planning on doing…I think it would have been a huge deal—it would have looked like it was my fault. It would’ve looked like, ‘Oh my God, this woman directed it and she missed all these things.’ That was the one time in my career where I really felt like, Do this with [another director] and it’s not going to be a big deal. And maybe they’ll understand it and love it more than I do. “
“You can’t do movies you don’t believe in…The only reason to do it would be to prove to people that I could. But it wouldn’t have proved anything if I didn’t succeed. I don’t think that I would have gotten another chance. And so, I’m super grateful.”
Her thoughts on the Chris Hemsworth-led superhero epic might feel harsh, but her concern is more than understandable. Female directors have had a notoriously difficult time receiving the recognition and acclaim that they deserve, and that tragic and unfortunate reality is only very recently beginning to change for the better. In the Hollywood of 2011, delivering a critical disappointment for Disney could be all it took to tank Jenkins’ career. Thankfully for Jenkins, she made the safe and wise decision, and later went on to create the universally acclaimed Wonder Woman film.
While her directorial work could have improved the film, it’s not as if the actual director Alan Taylor did a terrible job. The biggest issue with Thor: The Dark World was always its story, which is quite remarkable considering that the screenwriting team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely went on to write Captain America: Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War, some of Marvel Studios’ finest work. But when Jenkins said that the script wasn’t strong enough to make for a solid film, she hit the nail on the head.
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It’s clear that Marvel acknowledged and understood the backlash to Thor 2. The follow up film Thor: Ragnarok was a radical retooling of the franchise, and most fans believed that this was for the best. Important Dark World elements such as The Warriors Three, Loki’s apparent death, and Jane Foster were cast off unceremoniously, which really wasn’t all that shocking.
Only recently has the bastard child of the MCU become accepted as an integral part of the mega-franchise moving forward. With Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis returning in WandaVision and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster becoming the Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, big parts of Thor: The Dark World are returning to the forefront of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thor: The Dark World may not be beloved for what it was, but it has grown into something integral to the future of the MCU, and that counts for something. Patty Jenkins went on to achieve great success with the first Wonder Woman film, and fans eagerly anticipate the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984 – which currently lacks a release date due to the COVID-19 crisis. Somehow, everything worked out in the end, and that’s a sentiment we can all appreciate in these troubling times.
Would you have liked to see Patty Jenkins version of Thor: The Dark World? Are you excited for Wonder Woman 1984 and Thor: Love and Thunder? Let us know in the comments below our on our social media pages!
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