Movie Review: "Thor: The Dark World" Does Not Offer Much That Is New, But Is Still A Lot Of Fun.

Thor: The Dark World

Director: Alan Taylor
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Rene Russo, and
         Anthony Hopkins.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content.

Thor is back! This time he must fight to save the woman he loves along with the fate of the Nine Realms. Thor: The Dark World may not be the greatest comic book adaptation out there, but it does what Marvel has come to do best: entertain.


The film picks up after the events of both Thor and, most recently, The Avengers. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has been left to try and move on in a world without Thor (Chris Hemsworth), while the God of Thunder himself has been battling to restore peace to the Nine Realms that Asgard safeguards. When a mysterious and dark power known as the Aether finds its way into Jane's blood stream, an ancient force of Dark Elves led by the ruthless, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), will seek to obtain the Aether for themselves as the Nine Realms align, and then Malekith will unleash the Aether to cover the universe in darkness. Thor must then team up with his mischievous brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), to defeat this common enemy and save all the souls in the balance, especially Jane Foster.

The plot is really nothing new, and the villain is very one-dimensional: an enemy that is determined to rule over all with his evil ways. No other explanation or motivation needed, right? That is probably the weakest part of this sequel; however, the film is filled with some amazing visual effects, big action sequences, and plenty of humor to keep it fun. The scene stealer, once again, is Tom Hiddleston as the conniving Loki. Hiddleston continues to fully embrace one of Marvel's greatest onscreen villains and it is a delight to see. Chris Hemsworth isn't required to do as much with his character as he was in the previous film, but it is hard to imagine anyone else as the God of Thunder. He inhabits the role with great ease.

Despite the film's title, the movie is actually very light with its humor. Some of the jokes don't always stick, but there are plenty that do that will give audiences much to chuckle at. Thor: The Dark World is fun and action-filled, but does not always stand on two feet. Marvel's Phase Two has yet to see anything as good as some of the installments of Phase One; however, I have high hopes for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Until then, Thor: The Dark World will have to do.

RATING: B