Thor: The Dark World Review

The Thor series never appealed much to me. I like it but the only reason I watch it is because it is a Marvel movie. If it wasn't then I would probably never care for it. Both of the films received mixed reviews. However I feel more strongly against this film because it should have improved upon the first. It does in some ways but in others it doesn't. Production was kind of doomed from the beginning. Rumors circulated that Natalie Portman was forced to come back to the sequel. And she was furious when Patty Jenkins, the first attached director, was removed. But more on that below. Thor is probably the weakest series in the Marvel Universe so one can only hope that the third one blows everyone out of the water.

In ancient times, the gods of Asgard fought and won a war against an evil race known as the Dark Elves. The survivors were neutralized, and their ultimate weapon -- the Aether -- was buried in a secret location. Hundreds of years later, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) finds the Aether and becomes its host, forcing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to bring her to Asgard before Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) captures her and uses the weapon to destroy the Nine Realms -- including Earth.

Thor was a surprise hit back in 2011. It introduced the character in a solid way. The downside is that so much of it took place on Earth. At this point in the series, we know that there is life out there and that some of it wants to destroy humanity. But all we saw were glimpses of the cosmic world. In this film, more than half of the film takes place in the cosmos. And it is great to see somewhere other than Earth for once. Chris Hemsworth is still great as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki is great too. Idris Elba is still great as Heimdall and newcomer Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is memorable as Kurse. Kat Dennings was fine in the first Thor but in this one her scenes seem forced. Stellan Skarsgard doesn't do much in the film. The sets are wonderful. If only the rest of the film followed suit.