Thor: The Dark World

"Thor: The Dark World" is the latest installment in the Marvel Studios "Avenger" series, it follows the years earlier "Iron Man 3" as the two most current follow up's to 2012's superhero mash up "The Avengers". Thor probably ranks behind only Iron Man as the most popular Avenger and a lot of that has to do with the good will that the original "Thor" brought as well as his role in "The Avengers". Most of this is due to star Chris Hemsworth's ability to bring a human side to the half man half god Asgardian. While its a good sequel the problem with "Thor 2" is that it suffers from a lot of the same problems that plagued "Iron Man 2" in that it preoccupied with setting up future installments of "Thor" and other Marvel entities.

With a : title such as "The Dark World" its already a preconceived notion that most of this adventure will take place in other realms other than Earth, unfortunately this portion of the nearly 2 hour film is the weakest and to be blunt: boring. The story begins with the return of an old enemy of Thor's home planet of Asgard. As this is the main villain at hand this is the main problem I had with "Thor 2". The villain known as "Malekith" is basically a dwarf that looks like something cut of "Lord of the Rings", he doesn't really talk and is not a very imposing figure unlike the much more charismatic, glam rock star in waiting "Loki" who is also featured and is just screaming for his own stand alone movie. Malekith also disappears for times and while its a welcome absence there is no feeling for his return and in turn never poses a threat to Thor and or the overall picture.

What does work is anytime Thor is on Earth. He does reunite with his true love "Jane Foster" played again by Natalie Portman who does look annoyed at times but never the less does a admirable job as the scientist/damsel in distress. "The Dark World" sets are often dark and dusted with charcoal and CGI that makes it look more like a video game. Thor on Earth plays like a fish out of water which adds to the comedic and relatable elements for the audience. The final battle scene ranks up their with the finale of "The Avengers" and a lot of this has to do with the human elements it brings with being based mostly on Earth. Other cast highlights include Anthony Hopkins as Thor's dad King Odin, I always enjoy seeing actors with such a high caliber as Hopkins delivering slightly over the top dialogue while overacting, if Shakespeare ever wrote a Hollywood blockbuster I hope it would be something like Thor. Kat Dennings, one half of TV's "2 Broke Girls" offers a lot of comic relief as Portman's intern and the depressingly underused Rene Russo returns as Thor's mom Frigga.

As a whole "Thor 2" works even with some parts not working at all. If you've followed the characters through their miscellaneous adventures you will find enough here to stay entertained even with the massive fails that occur during the middle portion. As with any Marvel feature be sure to stay until the last end credits roll as you get not one but two Easter eggs one of which sets up the big screen adaptation of the lesser known Marvel comic "Guardians of the Galaxy" featuring an almost unrecognizable Benicio Del Toro as "The Collector".