Thor: The Dark World

"I had things under control!"

"Is that why everything's on fire?"

After the Chitauri attack on Earth, Loki (Hiddleston) is sentenced to life imprisonment in his father's dungeon.  Meanwhile, the warriors of Asguard, led by Thor (Hemsworth), have been settling skirmishes in the Nine realms.  Thor and his friends, Sif (Alexander), Fandral (Levi), Volstagg (Stevenson), and Hogun (Asano) are successful, but Thor's heart is on earth.

On earth, Jane Foster (Portman) and her team have uncovered a scientific anomaly.  The anomaly sucks Jane into another world and infects her with an ancient substance called the Aether.  The Aether is a dangerous weapon that could be used to destroy all Nine realms, so Jane is taken to Asguard for protection. Malekith (Eccleston) and his Dark Elves want to use the Aether to plunge the world into darkness and have a grudge against Asguard.  Can Thor protect the ones he holds dear and save the world from darkness?


Marvel Studios proved it could make quality sequels with Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, but could they do it with Thor?  Thor director Kenneth Branagh did not return for the sequel and was replaced with Alan Taylor, who is best known for his work on Game of Thrones and Mad Men.  They also chose to focus more on Asguard, with a few scenes back on Earth.  The focus on Asguard allowed the writers the ability to delve more into Thor's world and the people that are important to him.  They also showed the repercussions for the events of Thor and The Avengers.

Once again Chris Hemsworth delivers as Thor.  But once again Tom Hiddleston steals the show as Loki.  The film is best when they are on screen together, especially the scene in the hallway (which features a funny cameo).  Christopher Eccleston is a fascinating villain.  He is creepy in appearance and has a menacing voice, which is a major difference from his time as the Doctor on Doctor Who.  I wish he had a little more screen time, but he makes the most of what he has.  Idris Elba is great, love everything about his character.  Zachary Levi replaced Josh Dallas as Fandral and is a great addition to both the cast and the Warriors Three.  Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano returned to their roles as Thor's friends.  I was expecting more screen time for Jaimie Alexander, and was disappointed that she didn't get to do more.  Natalie Portman is phoning in her performance and hopefully will not return for future films... she is a fine actress, but is just boring here.

This film is the second in Marvel's Phase 2: Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: Age of Ultron and finally Ant-Man.  The film had a trailer for Captain America and the scene after the credits sets up Guardians of the Galaxy, which should both be interesting films.

Another hit for Marvel, an interesting story with a strong cast (and the potential to tie-in with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Thor: The Dark World (2013) 112 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Christopher Eccleston as Malekith
Jaimie Alexander as Sif
Zachary Levi as Fandral
Ray Stevenson as Volstagg
Tadanobu Asano as Hogun
Idris Elba as Heimdall
Rene Russo as Frigga
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim / Kurse
Kat Denning as Darcy
Stellan Skarsgard as Eric Selvig