Synopsis:
Thor - The Dark World' with the narrative in a more logical order, so scenes now flow from one to the other naturally. A new ending has been created more in keeping with the narrative thrust of both this film and the first 'Thor' movie. Repetitious exposition scenes either removed, truncated or used at a point in the story where they actually make sense. Also two deleted scenes have been colour corrected and added back.
Intentions:
I really enjoyed 'Thor - The Dark World' but instantly I could see the potential for a light fanedit. I couldn't see too many big creaking flaws but it was clear that the film had been heavily re-edited and re-shot in post-production leading to it feeling 'choppy' and disordered at times. This isn't a radical recut so if you hated the theatrical cut you'll hate this too (e.g. I've retained all the goofy humour because I loved it).
In some ways this is an 'anti-fanedit' of sorts, as often instead of re-arranging the scenes and footage in new creative ways, I've simply been putting things back in the order in which they were originally scripted (Or I imagined they had been).
Some sequences were impossible to restore to their original state in this way (And I wouldn't have wanted to anyway), so I also include an alternate cut of the first act, that I believe more closely recreates that 'workprint' version. This 30 minute cut includes an additional 3 more deleted scenes (With FX finished "to a point"), a radically different sequence of events and choice of scenes.
Change List:
DETAILED CUTLIST:
00.00.00 Added TM2YC Ident.
00.00.42 Removed Odin's spoken prologue and title sequence (Both used later).
00.01.23 Brought Odin's opening line forward so he now speaks as Loki approaches the throne.
00.01.30 Removed Loki's "I really don't see what all the fuss is about" line.
00.01.30 Brought forward a silent reaction shot of Loki.
00.01.46 Removed Loki's "Give or take 5,000 years" line (and smirk).
00.01.54 Removed Odin's "As a child, cast out onto a frozen rock" line as I felt it was overly vindictive and 'Un-Kingly'.
00.02.06 Removed Loki's "It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just, I don't love them" line.
00.02.36 Added 'Extended Vanaheim' Deleted Scene to show how the battle was going before our hero turns up (First few shots removed to open on the action and recoloured sequence to match it in).
00.02.37 Added new 'Vanaheim' title.
00.06.47 Added 'Thor: The Dark World' title over epic Bifrost intro scene (Chromo keyed out from orginal footage).
00.08.04 Removed Odin's suggestion that Thor should get it on with Lady Sif and the look she gives Thor (Plus it's a continuity error).
00.08.41 Removed 'Celebration' scene as it contained nothing that couldn't be conveyed better with the silent shot of Thor gazing towards the sky (Plus it's another continuity error).
00.11.35 Added in extra layers of car SoundFX.
00.11.37 Removed Jane phoning Eric, Eric nude newsflash and Intern surprise as it's too early to start getting into that subplot.
00.17.39 NEW SUBTITLE - The Aether wakes us, brothers.
00.17.41 NEW SUBTITLE - Again, the Convergence is at hand.
00.17.49 Removed first part of conversation between Thor and Heimdall refrencing the celebration (It was also a minor continuity error).
00.23.46 NEW SUBTITLE - Our people are nought but dust, Algrim,
00.23.50 NEW SUBTITLE - and our past but bitter ashes.
00.23.53 NEW SUBTITLE - Yet we endure and shall be avenged.
00.23.58 NEW SUBTITLE - The Asgardians will suffer no less a fate.
00.24.03 NEW SUBTITLE - call on its power,
00.24.04 NEW SUBTITLE - and return this universe to blessed darkness.
00.26.23 Removed most of Odin's exposition speech in the library and replaced it with the prologue with all of Malakith and Bor's dialogue removed to form a flashback sequence.
00.26.26 Book shot extended.
00.26.44 Removed Algrim's "Malekith, Asgard's forces are upon us" line.
00.27.05 Removed Malekith's "Send in the Kursed!" line.
00.28.17 Removed all prologue dialogue after "...Asgard's army" line and remixed remaining audio and visuals.
00.28.19 Remixed Odin's "He killed them all" line to be louder in the mix to transition out of the prolugue smoothly.
00.28.20 Added in shot of book to slowly fade out of prologue.
00.28.49 NEW SUBTITLE - The time has come my Lord.
00.28.57 NEW SUBTITLE - And you shall be as the stroke of midnight.
00.29.00 NEW SUBTITLE - I am not afraid.
00.29.03 NEW SUBTITLE - To join the ranks of The Kursed,
00.29.06 NEW SUBTITLE - is honour indeed.
00.29.15 NEW SUBTITLE - You will become the inferno,
00.29.18 NEW SUBTITLE - setting the fire that shall engulf our enemies.
00.29.28 NEW SUBTITLE - Burning until the flame consumes your body.
00.29.34 NEW SUBTITLE - Yet not before I have left Asgard but a smouldering ruin.
00.30.27 Removed post-dubbed Loki "Odin continues to bring me new friends, how thoughful" Line and rebuilt soundFX layers and music.
00.32.18 Fixed error where we saw Thor's lips still moving when he wasn't saying anything by removing those frames.
00.36.35 Removed more shots from the weak Lady Sif subplot during the Frigga/Odin chat.
00.47.05 Changed day shot of London skyline to an evening shot to match new scene placement plus added 'London' title.
00.47.09 Brought forward scene of Darcy and the Intern in Jane's flat (Plus all Erik material to form a natural lighthearted break after the funeral).
00.47.55 Brought forward Erik's hospital lecture.
00.48.49 Brought forward scene of Darcy getting Erik out of the Hospital.
00.50.58 Removed scene of Jane having a vision and replaced it with deleted 'Jane Learns About The Aether' scene (Recoloured to match other shots).
00.51.30 Removed middle exposition dialogue and unfinished CGI and instead cut in 3 shots of the Guard's arrival from the theatrical version of the scene.
00.53.42 Removed Odin's odd little chuckle (It just didn't work for me).
00.53.52 Brought forward scene of Thor and Heimdal talking and rescored transition
00.54.15 Rearranged dialogue and recut footage to move Thor's "Malekith will return..." line to the end of the scene to play right into the next scene
00.54.43 Lengthened final shot of Heimdall thinking and rescored transition into next scene
00.54.45 Placed scene of the Dark Elves hovering above Asgard just after Thor's warning that they could would return, so it now confirms his fears.
00.54.52 NEW SUBTITLE - Heal my Lord, heal while Asgard sleeps below us.
00.54.57 NEW SUBTITLE - You will awake to glory, and they to a nightmare.
00.55.02 Rearranged and rescored the opening of the 'night conspiracy' scene. Deleted some dialogue and flashforward shots plus rebuilt soundFX.
00.58.45 Reinserted shot of Jane rubbing her arm back into it's proper place (It had been used in the red vision scene) and recoloured it to match original footage.
00.59.03 Removed another brief shot of the super weak Lady Sif subplot.
01.05.21 NEW SUBTITLE - The army is ready, Lord.
01.05.25 NEW SUBTITLE - Wait.
01.05.27 NEW SUBTITLE - The Aether, it is...
01.05.32 NEW SUBTITLE - It is gone, Algrim.
01.07.14 Removed shot of Thor walking away from Loki so now Loki says "Trust my rage" to Thor's face. This now comes across as both more menacing and more logical, given what is about to happen.
01.07.18 Removed establishing shot of hospital.
01.08.57 Removed Loki's bizarre "You really think I cared about Frigga? About any of you? All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!" post-dubbed dialogue and rebuilt SoundFX layers and music.
01.09.00 Removed long shot of Loki walking up to Thor.
01.09.04 Shortened shot of Thor looking over at Jane.
01.09.06 Removed shot of Loki gloating.
01.09.33 NEW SUBTITLE - He was a prisoner of Asgard,
01.09.36 NEW SUBTITLE - and may yet prove of some use.
01.15.08 Gradually faded Loki's skin across the final two shots of his face, into a blueish-grey as he dies.
01.15.17 Loki's eyes now also start fading to red just before he closes them.
01.18.55 Removed scene of Loki coming back to life and pushed it back into a post-credits scene.
01.26.05 Flipped shot of Hogan so he now appears to be correctly looking at the jets (Plus removed last few frames of him looking randomly about)
01.35.02 Rescored final shot of Thor walking off after his final dialogue with Odin (Music continues into new final scene).
01.35.17 Brought forward post-credits scene of Thor returning to Jane to form a new 'crowd-pleasing' ending, that properly completes the film's narrative.
01.35.34 Rescored final moments with 'The Dark World' main triumphant hero theme. Also recut visuals to time with the beats in the music.
01.35.35 Mixed in additional Sound FX.
01.35.45 Added glimmer of sunlight and slow zoom to make the final shot a little more dynamic.
01.35.59 Timed first shot of the animated credits to sync with the new score.
01.37.32 Added a small passage from the 'Lokasenna' music from the soundtrack.
01.37.55 Removed the final painting of Loki on the throne so it fades on Thor.
01.37.56 Added 'Hard Forged Edition' subtitle to mid-credits title and animated it to match the zoom plus extended and faded the title.
01.45.02 Added Loki's ressurection scene as a re-edited post-credits scene, removing the first shot showing his magic and adding a gradual fade-in.
01.45.11 Added fade-in-and-out over shot of Guard/Loki.
01.45.23 Removed Odin and the Guard/Loki mention Thor and the Aether and again added a fade-in-and-out.
01.45.31 Rescored final shot of Loki's face to sound more ominous.
01.45.39 Added a red tint to Loki's eyes and faded them out slightly slower than the face so they linger for a few frames.
01.45.42 Added fade into Marvel logo and 'Thor will return' title.
01.45.56 Added credits for the 'Hard Forged Edition'
01.46.08 Shot of rampaging monster now forms the final-final post-credits shot.
Original Length: 112 Minutes
Time Added: 2 Minutes
Time Removed: 8 Minutes
Fanedit Length: 106 Minutes
Additional Notes:
GENERAL CHANGES:
- Removed Odin's spoken prologue and inserted most of it into the library scene (As they are essentially a repeat of the same words)
- Recut opening scene between Loki and Odin to speed it up, remove some of Loki's more lighthearted lines and get to Thor quicker
- Removed incredibly weak Lady Sif love-triangle subplot
- Fixed/Minimised Warriors Three being back in Asgard before they get back continuity error by removing the offending scenes
- Rewrote almost all of the Dark Elves' subtitles to be a little more natural yet a little more grand and poetic (Hopefully) and to better provide vital information
- Removed badly post-dubbed Loki dialogue where possible
- Reordered many scenes in a more logical and easy to follow way, that also hopefully enhances the strength of the narrative.
- Given the film a new 'crowd-pleasing' ending that completes the narrative in a satisfying way (Original ending partially retained as a post-credits scene).
- Added back parts of two deleted scenes and recoloured them to match the rest of the film.
Other Sources:
Thor - The Dark World - Blu-Ray Thor - The Dark World - CD Soundtrack Thor - Blu-Ray.
Special Thanks:
Thanks to all that contributed ideas and suggestions in the thread including: Nic, bionicbob, yads, skyled, dangermouse, Leeroy, Dominic Cobb, coinilius, Zarius, baileym43, Aztek463, addiesin and ThrowgnCpr Special thanks to 'hbenthow' for the tireless.