As far as sequels go, it's tough to capture the magic of the original, most of the time at least. In the case of the only other film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has spawned a second (or third) film, that sentiment is on it's way to being true. With the Iron Man films, the sequels were more re-hashes of the original, but then Tony Stark stole the show in The Avengers. On the other hand, Thor was the Avenger who took the back seat in that film, but in his own sequel, he proved he can still carry a movie.
Thor: The Dark World focuses on an ancient enemy, the Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccelston), who are out to bring the universe back to complete darkness, a second attempt after being foiled by Odin's (Anthony Hopkins) father 5,000 years ago. On Asgard, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is being held for his crimes as depicted in The Avengers, while Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is out policing the Nine Realms. In London, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is searching for any indication that Thor might return to Earth, but stumbles upon the locked away Aether, the weapon that Malekith hopes to use to destroy the universe. The uncovering of the Aether awakens Malekith and his forces, setting into motion the battle between good and evil for the rest of the film.
Most of the cast from the original film returns this time around for the sequel, it's some of the crew that changed though. Stepping in as the director this time around is Alan Taylor, a veteran TV director who is tackling his first big budget motion picture. Taylor is best known for his work on various HBO shows, including The Sopranos and Game of Thrones, of which the latter certainly helped, having already worked with big budget fantasy elements before.
With more time spent on Asgard this time around, Thor's companions get a lot more screen time than they did in the first film. Siff (Jamie Alexander), Fandral (Zachary Levi), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) and Heimdall (Idris Elba) all get a chance to get in on the action, and each showcases their talents in their respective scenes.
Even with all the supporting characters getting increased screen time, it's still Tom Hiddleston as Loki that completely steals the show. Hiddleston seems to have a heck of a lot of fun playing Loki, and it shows. The best scenes in the movie are easily when he's on screen, and the non-action scenes when he's not tend to drag a little.
Thor: The Dark World is at least on par with the first film, which is definitely some good praise. As far as sequels go, not counting The Avengers into that category, this film beats out the second and third Iron Man films, going further than just re-creating the same story with different villains.
As is Marvel tradition, there is a nice scene about half way into the end credits, this one setting up next summer's Guardians of the Galaxy.
image: EPK