Review: 'Thor: The Dark World' Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Natalie Portman

At one point in Marvel's superhero sequel Thor: The Dark World, the devious Loki (Tom Hiddleston) exclaims confidently "If it was easy, everybody would do it!" That sentiment could describe Marvel's genius construction of their cinematic universe, a perennial cash cow that only seems to be getting more lucrative by the film, especially in the wake of the $1.5B-grossing The Avengers. While an assemblage of Earth's Mightiest Heroes was always a shoe-in to be a hit, the solo films have been more of a challenge, and none more so than Thor. And while that first movie did well despite its many problems, the sequel surpasses Iron Man 3 in terms of scope and focus to be one of the most entertaining superhero movies yet.

The mandate is pretty clear for this one from the beginning: Do everything bigger!! The sheer spectacle of Thor: The Dark World stands on par with The Avengers, and while nobody is going to say the film is better, it's impressive the number of elements director Alan Taylor is able to juggle successfully. A Lord of the Rings-style flashback, complete with dark elves that look like orcs battling Asgardians with swords and axes, introduces us to the villain Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). There's a bit of mumbo jumbo about the alignment of the Nine Realms and Malekith's desire to plunge the universe into eternal darkness using a powerful destructive force known as the Aether. Defeated, Malekith is forced into slumber and the Aether hidden away where it can never be found, until of course it is found years later quite accidentally by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) while searching for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who has been missing for months.

So where exactly does one hide a blond chiseled slab of godly beefcake, anyway? Well, you don't, and in the wake of the attack on New York City in The Avengers, Thor is seen delivering Loki to an Asgardian prison where he'll sit for the rest of eternity. But even when behind mystical prison walls Loki is good at getting under one's skin and that includes his mother Frigga (Rene Russo), who gets a greatly expanded role this time as the mediator between her two sons. As Thor gets on with the business of protecting Asgard and the Nine Realms, while also catching the eye of his warrior colleague Sif (Jaime Alexander), he's still torn by his love for Jane. Returning to Earth to find her, he's greeted by a couple of nice slaps to the mug, but after discovering she's been bonded to the Aether it's off to Asgard they go. Before she can finish awkwardly meeting Thor's parents, Malekith is awoken and stages a devastating attack that leaves Thor, Loki, and the almighty Odin (Anthony Hopkins) struck to their core.

And what a battle it is. Really, Malekith's attack on Asgard is the film's biggest set piece, and it looks absolutely incredible. It benefits by the impressive direction by Taylor, the Game of Thrones vet giving Asgard a more grounded, recognizable look than the fake, comic book look favored by previous director, Kenneth Branagh. This Asgard actually looks like a place people could inhabit, which fits with Marvel's clear mandate to make Thor fit into a realistic world. Since the bulk of the action takes place away from Earth this time, it also affords the chance to really dig into the Shakespearean drama that is Thor's family line. Bad blood continues to boil between Thor and Loki, with Hemsworth and Hiddleston both playing their parts extremely well. Let's face it, Hiddleston has been the rock star of the entire Marvel Universe up to this point, and every time he's on screen the film has a dangerous vibe that is undeniably fun. We're presented different shades to Loki's scorned child selfishness that were missing in the first film, and mark him as more than someone out for vengeance. Hemsworth too has really grown into a solid actor, as we saw recently in Ron Howard's Rush, and this version of Thor is one who is feeling the weight of responsibility and family obligation wear him down. The family dynamics of the Thor movies are unlike anything else Marvel's movies can offer and they are consistently fascinating.

Less interesting is pretty much everything that has to do with Jane Foster and her irritating pal, Darcy (Kat Dennings), who had been a scene-stealer the last time around. Less is more with a snarky character like Darcy, and she's around so much that eventually one starts to wish Malekith would pay her a personal visit. For what it's worth, Portman gives her all imbuing Jane Foster with a measure of strength, but she's still basically a damsel in distress waiting to happen. She gets a few moments to flash her intellect alongside the returning Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), but any explanation of the overly-complicated plot just sounds like gobbledygook ripped from an episode of Doctor Who. Idris Elba gets a little more to work with as the fierce protector Heimdall, including a brief but thrilling action sequence that was probably designed just for his fans. One problem that continues to trouble Marvel films are their lackluster villains, and Malekith is another in a long line of them that don't feel all that important.

Effortlessly combining sci-fi, supernatural, and fantasy elements, anything can and often does happen in Thor: The Dark World, and that unpredictability is a big part of why Marvel has struck gold (or is it lightning?) one more time.