It's time to gear up yet again for the Marvel Universe. Thor is back and this time better than ever. While the first Thor may have been lackluster in many eyes, Thor: The Dark World makes up for that. Which isn't that hard, mind you. It's not that Thor was a bad movie. But the creators have now had two movies to see what their strengths are.
Asgard comes to life and looks as inhabitable as any location on Earth. It's touched upon a couple of times in the movie, but the visual really sends it home. These are not benevolent gods that simply watch over mankind. They are people too, that simply live much longer and are more powerful.
Loki also returns and he steals the show. Tom Hiddleston revels as the trickster god. He dances through the plot never sure what side of the line he is on.
The only real gripe is the ending being very Hollywood. Which isn't really a problem, just a "I've seen this before," complaint.
The cast also shines with surprisingly Natalie Portman being the weakest link. It's sad to see so many great actors in minor roles. Though they did give Idris Elba a larger part of the story from the original. if only we could see more of Thor's cast in the other Marvel movies.
Also, don't forget to hang around through the credits. Marvel continues to lay down the seeds for future movies, possibly Avengers 3?
Check it out in theaters. Go ahead and save yourself a few bucks and op for 2D. There is nothing special for 3D.
4/5 stars.
