It's time for an intervention. Beginning with the theatrical release of Thor
in 2011, Marvel Studios has diligently, almost stubbornly produced
every MCU film in 3D. Which would be great, if the resulting 3D
post-conversions weren't so decidedly average. (With The Avengers being as close to an exception as there is.) So let's play a rousing round of Good News, Bad News. Good news first. Thor: The Dark World's
1080p/MVC-encoded 3D experience is notably better than the
less-than-impressive 3D presentation that dragged down the 2011 3D
Blu-ray release of Thor. When the sun is high in the Asgardian
skies, the 3D version of the film is at its best. The Dark Elves'
initial attack features some of the best 3D scenes in the bunch,
followed by London sequences and prison visits with Loki. There are even
shots with a good deal of 3D pop; the one pictured above, for instance,
and many a similar, well-lit close-up. Several battles also fare
reasonably well -- specifically the opening Vanaheim campaign and the
climactic London assault -- even if crucial encounters on Svartalfheim,
other Realms and in the midst of the Aether underwhelm.So with that said, on to the Bad News portion of the review. The bulk of the 3D experience is serviceable but wholly unremarkable, without any dazzling examples of 3D to speak of. The Dark World is precisely that: an aesthetically dark film, with oppressive shadows, bleak exteriors and even bleaker interiors, and bottomless swaths of black. The subsequent conversion and 3D image is often flat and even, on occasion, devoid of life. Depth? Dimensionality? Just north of decent, sometimes shy of decent; all the sort that will earn a shoulder shrug on the whole. There isn't anything technically wrong with the presentation per se. Aliasing isn't an issue, crosstalk isn't much of a factor (on displays that are prone to ghosting anyway) and the 3D presentation shares all of the color, contrast and clarity qualities of its 2D counterpart. The 3D is just so... average. (There's that word again.)
Fortunately, things improve dramatically when viewing The Dark World in 2D. Taylor's London is overcast and rather colorless, but Asgard and the Nine Realms are teeming with dusky, golden hues, piercing primaries, beautifully saturated skintones, and fittingly unforgiving comic-ink blacks. Contrast doesn't falter either (although it does come on a tad strong), nor is crush really a significant issue, despite the dank, impenetrable depths of locales like Malekith's command ship. And detail? Detail wows at every turn, with crisp edges free of ringing, exceedingly well-resolved fine textures unhindered by aberrant noise, and excellent delineation (given the appropriately dark circumstances). Scenes set on Malekith's homeworld, Svartalfheim, are desolate and a touch murky, yes. A hint of softness even creeps in. But it's all in keeping with Taylor and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau's intentions and the visual tone the filmmakers bring to the war-torn Realm. And with a pristine AVC MPEG-4 encode that isn't subject to macroblocking, banding or any other anomalies that might prove distracting, The Dark World delivers yet another Marvel Cinematic Universe Blu-ray presentation worthy of high praise. In 2D at least...
