Anthony's Film Review - Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor is back in a new adventure that somewhat pales in comparison to the first but is still fun...

Whether or not you've seen Marvel Studios's first Thor movie, let me provide a quick recap of one part of its ending. When we last left the titular character (played by Chris Hemsworth), he was longing for the woman he fell in love with: astrophysicist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman). In fact, the feeling is mutual. She began to long for him as well. The two characters are from different worlds far apart, he on Asgard and she on Earth, but that distance doesn't stop them from believing that, somehow, they will one day see each other again.

What happens in this sequel to Thor, called Thor: The Dark World, is that there is strange and unusual phenomena related to gravity and wormholes. Just as Thor had previously found himself on Earth, it is now Jane's turn to be the fish out of water, when she winds up in Thor's world of Asgard. Yes, she and Thor reunite! Now, it's not exactly happily ever after. There are things happening in Asgard. One of them involves a threat from Dark Elves.

This group is led by the evil Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). He is seeking the Aether, a stone that contains great magical power. It's the kind of thing that could mean the difference between existence and nonexistence, between life and death, between light and dark. A long time ago, the Aether was buried deeply so that it could never be recovered. But that's not stopping Malekith and the Dark Elves from trying to seize it.

Believe it or not, Malekith isn't the only villainous character here. If you remember the first Thor movie, there was Thor's brother, the devious Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston). He is back in this movie, now a prisoner for his recent unlawful actions. Not surprisingly, he isn't imprisoned for too long. The real mystery, though, is what he decides to do afterwards. Does he fall back to his old villainous habits, or does he firmly stand on the side of good?

I'm not going to really talk about the plot because there isn't much that is super exciting. It moves along, sure, and things do happen. What I do want to talk about a bit more is the climax. Actually, two climaxes. There's one that takes place in and near Asgard. The other occurs on Earth, and that's where a crucial moment involving perfect alignment of multiple worlds is about to take place. The actions of the characters at this moment will have important consequences, determining the fate of the universe, so to speak.

This Thor movie isn't as character-focused as the first one, at least in my opinion. That's largely the reason why my rating for Thor: The Dark World is lower than Thor. But all is not lost. The plot is at least decent, and the action is good. Best of all, the way it ends will leave you wanting more. What I mean by that is that the very last moment before the end credits roll is something that sets the scene for whatever is next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's a reminder that the MCU is an ongoing web of stories. When one ends, another shall begin.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Thor: The Dark World, visit the Internet Movie Database.