Much, much better than expected

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2013)

I have just returned from watching Thor: The Dark World and I have nothing but praise for it! For some reason i was expecting to be underwhelmed by this outing but am extremely and pleasantly surprised by the quality of this film....the acting, particularly from Hemsworth & Hiddlestone is genuinely first rate, and the direction skillfully engages you and even more skillfully avoids falling in tired cliché which is extremely impressive as the Dark Elf plot line is, to be honest, nothing new.
As a reader of the Thor comics it is fantastic to see the characters of the main protagonists being fleshed out in line with their comic book portrayals. The Loki that Hiddlestone has slowly shaped over three films is now, for my mind, the Loki of the comic books. It's this kind of thing that really pleases me. Hemsworth's Thor is now much more rounded and fleshed out (pun intended, my girlfriend was extremely impressed with one particular scene). The effects for Mjolnir and indeed for all of Thor's powers were much more considered and impressive than in previous films . Nice to see.
As others have said, the main pulling point in film is the relationship between Thor and Loki and it's this that gives the film a really satisfying depth and interest.
This is a highly enjoyable and impressive film and I will be seeing this again, (in 2D though as 3D adds nothing) and whole heartedly recommend this to others. 9/10