Thor - The Dark World: Hard Forged Edition

This is the 2nd time I have watched this edit! I never thought the original was that bad, but this will always be my preferred cut.

FANTASIC EDIT! Never have I seen a fan edit look more professional than the original movie. This edition flows so much smoother than the original and also is much better at revealing parts of the plot only when theyre relevant to the current moment. One thing that stuck out for me after watching both versions side by side was the early scene with Sif + co. The extended cut gives so much more perspective on what was happening and really gives you that excitement when the cavarly arrives. The film title being moved to its new place OMG, such pefection placing it here along with that music im really feeling the vibe. How was it not put here in the original? I also LOVED the way the subtitle scenes were made easier to understand for all ages via a better choice of words. I now have a clearer understanding of what was going on and feel more invested.

I would however have liked to have seen Loki's famous screaming in his cell moment as it shows us such a raw painful moment that was a direct result of his betrayal towards his mother. I feel this is a huge part of his character development where he realises that his actions really do have consequences for everyone including himself. I just wish that marvel had left this moment in their official cut.

Overall this is no doubt the best fan edit ive ever seen. I'd really love to see what you could do with the Avengers first movie as that also had many golden deleted scenes that were necessary for character development

So, unlike the editor, I originally felt that this iteration was the weakest of the first 2 phases of the MCU. While he claims to have just "massaged it" a little, his reworking of the time line and removal of the weak humor and weird characterizations (Loki, looking at you kid) took this from a grudging 6 to an easy 9. A fantastic edit that I think the editor is far too demure about in his descriptions. The editing is flawless to my eyes and ears, and the additions and subtractions all make this a better film than it was. The reordering is the biggest prize though, making a needlessly convoluted plot as simple and straightforward in the telling as it is in its actual contents. Definitely amazing!

I think I am the only person I know who actually liked the theatrical release of The Dark World. I'm constantly defending it, even sometimes when I shouldn't, just so people will give it another watch and see if it surprises them. But this... this Hard Forged edition is truly the definitive version of the film for me going forward. Usually, around halfway through the original cut, I get bored, but watching this edit, I was never bored.

Thank you, TM2YC, for creating a film that is truly worthy of the MCU. It will make a fine addition to my collection.

Oh... my... god...

Never has a film been so legitimately improved by a fanedit until now. This edit is beyond what I've come to expect from faneditors, legitimately going out on a limb to understand the intent of the filmmakers completely rather than going out on a limb to reject them misguidedly. THAT'S what makes this edit stand apart as THE GREATEST FANEDIT OF ALL TIME.

Alan Taylor has spoken of how his film was ruined in editing by Marvel, in favor of focussing on action rather than theme. The theme of this movie is now so clear to me: convergence. The convergence of people who are separated, as exemplified through the character arc of Thor and Jane. Their arcs start occurring on two different worlds, as we cut back and forth between them to emphasize that they are separate. But when the convergence happens, their character arcs unite into one, as they are re-united.

Before, this was made totally unclear by Marvel's ham-fisted editing. They were so eager to make sure the film put action first that they sacrificed this carefully mapped out thematic arc completely. Thus instead of opening with Loki, thus beginning Thor's half of that arc, they chose to open the film with an action prologue that had almost nothing to do with that theme at all out of context of where it actually was in the screenplay. Little mindless tweaking like that make it totally unclear what the meaning of the film was!

By re-ordering the film back to the order Alan Taylor actually intended it to be presented in, and with much longer sequences at each location before cutting to another one, we are more able to feel the contrast that Alan Taylor intended between Asgard and Earth both narratively and tonally. This contrast is part of what helps the theme! Even the different narratives are separated until they converge!

Ideologically profound subtext like this in a Thor film would have flown over my head forever if this editor did not completely restore Alan Taylor's vision. Not only is it entertaining at the very least, as it was in the original edit, but now the entertainment is deliberate towards some larger takeaway. This is by far the greatest fanedit of all time for that reason, and I highly suspect it will be for years to come.

Bravo, Take Me To Your Cinema.
~Silver Screen Samurai~