It's only been a year since we've seen Thor and his luscious flowing blonde hair in The Avengers, but two years since we've seen the whole gang, who all return in this second stand-alone outing Thor: The Dark World. With this second installment the stakes are higher, the humor is funnier, and the action is prettier. Oh, and we get to see Chris Hemsworth with his shirt off, that'll sell the tickets.
The problem with these sequels is that none of them seem to be quite as impressive as The Avengers, as was the case with Iron Man 3. But The Dark World takes the series in a different direction and strictly focuses on the destruction of Thor's home world of Asgard, so there are brand new stakes to be raised and it feels new and fresh. Towards the end it does fall apart when the sub-plots don't converge as well as they should, but the sheer entertainment factor is enough to salvage it a bit. Plot holes seemed to fill the third act more often than not, but it still managed to remain plausible with solid payoffs to looming questions that lingered throughout the film. One subversion in particular worked well, but may get fans of the comic book a tad upset.
Solid direction from Alan Taylor helps to keep the film moving in forward motion, and while it's still not quite as good as the first film, it's a good step forward in many different aspect. While it's not quite as lean, it's funnier, and it looks ridiculously awesome. The performances are great which is to be expected. Chris Hemsworth is always likable as the lead hero, Tom Hiddleson is phenomenal when he's on the screen, and it was nice to see Idris Elba getting more screen time.
The real problem with Dark World is in the writing. It's not entirely bad, it's just too ambitious, it takes a lot of ideas from other superhero sequels but it doesn't always capitalize on the set ups. Most of the humor works, but there are times when it is exceedingly dull, especially with the side characters that felt out of place in the first place. With a little more refining some characters could have been taken out and the film could have been leaner like the first installment. The subplot with the intern and Darcy just didn't feel fresh and felt flat. The villain wasn't as bad as other previous Marvel villains but he wasn't the best or the most necessary.
The sheer spectacle and action is reason enough to see the film and it might be needed for the next Avengers film. It'll please Marvel junkies and superhero fans alike, but it won't win any new fans. It's a great looking film with familiar characters and decent central story. With poor subplots and side characters, and a couple cop-out moments it keeps The Dark World from really shining. It's better than a lot of previous Marvel outings, but it surely isn't the best. It's worth the price of admission, and it's nice to see our friends from Asgard once again. I give Thor: The Dark World 3.5 stars out of 5.
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