Of all the superhero movies released in the Marvel cinematic universe, 2011’s “Thor” was the biggest surprise. It was the fourth film in Marvel Studios’ highly profitable and generally entertaining world and it was very smart in its execution. It never took itself too seriously and that clever mixture of humor and superhero action proved to be a winning formula.
Combine all of that with a near $450 million box office take and you know a sequel is guaranteed. That sequel comes not during the traditional summer blockbuster season but nestled in November. It’s “Thor: The Dark World” and it continues the story of our Asgardian hero. It’s a busy time for Thor (Chris Hemsworth). He’s just led the final battle in a two year war which brought peace to the Nine Realms and he’s brought Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to Asgard to face justice for his actions in New York City (see “The Avengers” if you’re unfamiliar with Loki’s transgressions). All the Asgardian characters from the first film return including Odin (Anthony Hopkins) whose relationship with his son Thor certainly isn’t as heated as in the first film. Odin is still grumpy and at times arrogant. But his devotion to protecting his people is unquestionable.
Back on Earth Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has relocated to London where she has continued her scientific studies. She stumbles across a portal which exposes her to an ancient force called the Aether. This seemingly sentient liquid enters Jane’s body which grabs the attention of the observing Asgardians. Thor makes his return and takes Jane to Asgard in an attempt to free her of the Aether. But the Asgardians aren’t the only ones drawn to the Aether. An evil Dark Elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) seeks the Aether’s power in hopes of joining with it to take the world back to the dark days before creation – a time where the Dark Elves ruled.
There’s a lot of story there and for the most part the film does a good job of bringing it all together. We have the central conflict between the Asgardians and the Malekith-led Dark Elves. We see more of the complex family dynamic between Odin, Thor, Loki, and Frigga (Rene Russo). We get more of the complicated romance between Thor and Jane. For my money all of the film’s different storylines are told well even though there are a few small shortcomings. First, I found myself slightly bogged down during a couple of the films heavy bits of exposition. There are also things that you just have to accept in a movie like this. If you start questioning them too much you’ll ruin the movie for yourself. They are unavoidable holes that even the best Hollywood writers couldn’t fill.
But put that aside and you have a really fun movie. It doesn’t forget those elements that made the first film a success, mainly a sense of humor. In many ways the first film was a ‘fish out of water’ tale. We get a little of that again, this time with Jane in Asgard, and that offers some funny monents. We also have the return of Kat Dennings as Darcy, Jane’s assistant. I found her to be a bit on the nose in the first film. Her designation as comic relief was way too obvious. In the sequel I felt differently. I thought she was funnier and easily more entertaining this go around. There are several really good laughs in “Thor: The Dark World” many of which are nestled in the middle of some of the film’s bigger action sequences. But the humor doesn’t drown us. This is still a superhero action picture and the action is satisfying. There are loads of really cool special effects and some fun battles that stand out.
But a major reason it all works is the phenomenal cast. Of all the character franchises in Marvel’s movie universe, Thor may have my favorite cast of the lot. Hemsworth is just perfect as Thor. He looks and acts the part wonderfully. I’ve mentioned the big roles played by Hopkins and Portman. But it’s great performances in smaller roles that are just as effective. I love Idris Elba as Heimdall, Asgard’s cosmic watchman. I also really like Jaimie Alexander as Sif (I would have loved to have seen more of her in this film). It’s also great watching Rene Russo in a bigger role and Stellan Skarsgard having a lot of fun reprising his Dr. Erik Selvig role. But as always it’s Tom Hiddleston who steals the show for me. Hiddleston absolutely owns the Loki character and I’ll never get tired of watching him steal scene after scene.
It could be said that “Thor: The Dark World” doesn’t feature a top villain on par with other Marvel heavyweights and there are a few minor plot holes and oversights. But to me this is still a wildly entertaining sequel and another fine installment into Marvel’s cinematic world. At first I had some doubts as to whether Thor had the strength to carry his own franchise. I’m sold now. Thor offers a very different type of film from the other Marvel movies and that freshness works for me. But it’s still nicely tied into the greater cinematic universe. Just stay for the mid-credits and after-credits scenes if you need even more proof of that.
keithandthemovies.com 
Nice review Keith, I just got done w/ mine too. Tom Hiddleston seems to always be the scene stealer in everything he does, love him! I didn’t care for the villain in this one though, hence the slightly lower score than yours.
I’m with you on the villain. As I mentioned in the review he doesn’t quite hold up to the other villainous Marvel heavyweights. It brought my score down a bit but not a lot. I thought he fit well into Thor’s more fantasy based environment. But he is certainly no Loki!
Nice review Keith. Well worth the watch, despite it not being perfect or even better than the first. But who the hell cares when you’re having this much fun?!?!
I actually liked several things in this film better than the first film. But as you said its not perfect but its a load of fun which is exactly what this kind of movie is looking for.
Nice review Keith, enjoyed reading. You enjoyed it more than me but glad you liked it.
Thanks. I had a lot of fine with it. A few issues kept it from being great but the fun factor alone always weighs on my score. I felt it hit most of the targets it aimed for.
Totally agreed. It’s a great ensemble cast for the Thor movies. Glad you stayed for the credits scenes too, even if the very last one was a bit ‘meh’. The mid-scene probably ‘did a Thanos’ and confused the audience, but I liked it. Being on Guardians of the Galaxy!
I liked the credits scene. You’re right, it probably did confuse a lot of people. But I thought it was a hoot. The final extra scene didn’t bother me that much. It was more of a tacked on scene anyway. Plus I did get a laugh out of it. Thanks for reading.
Great review! Really looking forward to checking this out!
Thanks. It’s a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy it too.
With these types of films, as long as there is some kind of plot and interesting dialogue, I’m more forgiving than most. What a great write up, Keith. I’d watch it for Tom Hiddleston.
Thanks Cindy. Isn’t Hiddleston great? The first caught my attention in Midnight in Paris. He was so good in it. Since then I’ve loved every performance I’ve seen him In. Great actor and he’s great here too.
Yes, I’m a solid fan–let’s hope he’s in for a prolific career.
Enjoyed Thor, a lot. Just not as much as the first. Too much light relief/comedy and didn’t think it balanced well with the drama and the BIG dramatic moments felt a bit lost with the imbalance. In my eyes.
It just now feels like all of these Avenger films are just there to spur each other on, rather than be confidant, solid films in their own rights. I understand they want them all to be linked. But … it just feels like it’s at the expense of their own outings for each of the characters.
Those are all fair criticisms for sure. I’ve actually been surprised at how well they have maintained that individuality and cohesive feel. I like this one as much as I did the first. Both had similar issues that I struggled with. But none of those issues hurt the fun I had with the picture.
Great review Keith, same score as me on this one. I had loads of fun with it. Wasn’t fussed on the villain but Hiddleston is brilliant again and it’s genuinely funny in places as well.
Well said. This franchise has surprised me. It could have ended up really stupid. Instead they’ve made it into a really entertaining branch of the Marvel Universe.
Superb review. Hiddleston is just perfect as Loki, should clearly be in every Marvel film from now on, lol.
Yes! I could handle Loki in every Marvel picture. It was interesting, Hiddleston was reluctant to do the movie if he was going to be doing the same thing. We definitely see a different side of Loki but we also see that side that made him such a great movie character.
Pretty crummy villain but that’s been a repetitive problem with marvel films, anyway the fun and adventure saves this film and makes it pretty damn entertaining.
Good review Keith 😀
Thanks bro. I’m with ya. Malekith didn’t have that much to offer. But the fun factor is surely there.
I really hope Ultron is a great villain 😀
Me too! He should be. That said I’m not thrilled with Whedon’s decision to completely rewrite his origin. Ultron has a great backstory. Doesn’t need to be rewritten!
He does have a great backstory but as long as they don’t make iron man the cause I don’t mind a little change.
Not sure how Hank Pym will be relevant to the avengers though
I hear ya! That’s been a fear of mine as well – Stark as the creator. Totally unneeded. And this would have been the perfect introduction for Hank Pym.
I had so much fun during Thor 1 and now the sequel – I felt like Loki was at his best and most complex here. Hemsworth and Hiddleston have such an amazing chemistry, I think that’s one of the things that made those two films work so well.
I agree 100%. Whether or not they are playing off each other in a comedy scene or yelling at each other in heated arguments. Hiddleston & Hemsworth are simple great together.
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Just saw it. I’d probably rank it below Thor, but quite a fun (and visually dazzling) film with the highest stakes yet (at the time of its release).
(And the more I think about it, the more I like it.)