Review - Thor: The Dark World

If someone had said to me a decade ago that we would have at least one new superhero movie a year, I would have told them that they were off their rockers.

Back then there would be a lengthy period between superhero movies. They were more of a risk and because of efforts such as Batman & Robin, people were just not sure whether to trust them.

Fast forward to present day and superhero movies are in fashion at the cinema. I mean we have already had 3 in 2013 prior to Thor: The Dark World with Iron Man 3, Man of Steel and Kick-Ass 2 all gracing the big-screen. For me, Thor: The Dark World was better than all of them. 

Thor: The Dark World finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) still in Asgard fighting to keep peace amongst the nine realms. He does so with the knowledge that he will one day take over as King of Asgard from his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins).

The peace that Thor has tried so hard to keep comes under threat in the form of the Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who are searching for the Aether, a powerful weapon that can bring worlds to an end.

The Dark Elves were thought to be destroyed by Odin but his worst fears come to light when the Aether is awoken and attaches itself to Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) back on Earth. Thor is reunited with Jane and takes her back to Asgard.

When Asgard is attacked by the Dark Elves, Thor must go on both a dangerous and personal quest to protect both Jane and Asgard. He must lead Malekith away from his home and take the fight to him elsewhere. To do this, Thor needs the help of his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), as he is the only one who knows another passage out of Asgard that does not involve the Bifrost.

Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on Asgard

One of the better things about Thor was the fish-out-of-water feel the character had in his scenes on Earth. It provided a lot of the comedy for the film and while there are scenes with Thor on Earth that do bring the laughs, most of the action takes place in Asgard.

Jane is the one in an unknown world this time round but it is not played for laughs here. The tone here is more serious and, as suggested by the title, a little bit darker than before. Not that there is no comedy at all. This is a Marvel film after all and if there's anything they know what to do with their films it's to have fun.

Another change from the first film is the director. Kenneth Branagh did such a great job with Thor but for Thor: The Dark World, Marvel decided to bring in Alan Taylor. Taylor is best known for his work on hit TV show Game of Thrones and it comes as no surprise that the battle scenes in Thor: The Dark World, particularly the first few, have a more grounded feel to them. 

The film looks as lavish as before, Asgard once again just feels magical and London provides a familiar backdrop for the big finale, though I'm sure Greenwich locals might not like what happens. 

The returning cast members all have no problems in fitting right back into this universe and we even see some characters get to show off with more screen time. Heimdall (Idris Elba) proves that he isn't to be messed with when he takes down a Dark Elf aircraft with just a knife and Frigga (Rene Russo) shows us that she is quite handy with a blade, with Malekith finding out first hand.

However, there is one character who again steals the show. Loki makes a welcome return and it was no surprise to hear that extra scenes with Loki were filmed after primary shooting as the studio felt the audience would want more of him. They were not wrong.

Tom Hiddleston is just fantastic as Loki. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe there have been some actors that have done great jobs. Some would say Robert Downey Jr. was born to play Tony Stark and Chris Hemsworth was tailor-made for Thor but above them all I would have to say that Tom Hiddleston IS Loki. 

Hiddleston and Hemsworth share a lot of screen time and their on-screen chemistry as brothers is very believable. They obviously have lots of fun playing off one another.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston)

The most annoying characters in this film for me were the interns Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Ian (Jonathan Howard). One intern would be enough but two of them gets a little bit irritating after a while.

Keep your eyes peeled for a brilliant cameo from a familiar face that is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. Judging by the audience reaction in my screening it was a major success. 

There are two post-credit scenes in Thor: The Dark World, one in the middle of the credits and one right at the end. In my opinion they would have been better off switching the order of them. If you have heard about Marvel's next film Guardians of the Galaxy then the first scene will get the excitement building for next summer. 

So Marvel Studios have done it again. What at first seemed like a huge gamble has turned into one of the major success stories in Hollywood history. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sign of what ambition can do and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.

Verdict: 4/5