Thor 2 Rocks!

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2013)

The mighty protector of the Nine Realms soars once again in the very first movie made of arguably Marvel Comics' strongest Avenger, the Mighty Thor! Yes, I said "first movie", and this will be expounded on later. Anyway, "The Dark World", besides being an actual Thor film, may also be the greatest "Masters of the Universe" film ever made as well. Watching the beauty of Asgard and the other realms, or the combination of science fiction and fantasy tropes(Elves wielding laser guns! Rocket-powered flying longboats with energy missiles!) reminded me of Eternia and the struggles of its Heroic Warriors versus the Evil Warriors(I prefer the 2000s Masters of the Universe versus the Evil Warriors). In fact, while thoroughly enjoying Marvel's latest cinematic offering, I wished that some movie company would produce a new He-Man film, using "The Dark World" as a springboard.
The film revolves around the titular hero(played by Chris Hemsworth) who, after fighting in the Battle Of New York, has returned to his duty as the champion of the Nine Realms, striving for peace between them after the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge in the first film installment. Meanwhile, Jane Foster(Natalie Portman) and Darcy(Kat Dennings) have been searching the Earth for the Thunder God for the last two years, while their companion Dr. Erik Selvig(Stellan Skarsgard), suffering from the effects of Loki's(Tom Hiddleston) mental manipulation in "The Avengers", has seemingly gone "bananaballs", ranting about protecting the Earth in "The Convergence" of the Nine Realms.
However, his delusions are justified by the film's main villain, Malekith(Christopher Eccleston), the ruler of the primordial Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, who wants to return the mulitiverse to the darkness that predated creation. Aided by his number two, Algrim(Adewale Akinnuyoe-Agbage), he searches for "The Aether", a liquid-type weapon of pure darkness that he created millennia before to do the horrendous deed. Luckily(or unluckily), the weapon possesses Jane Foster, setting the conflict between Thor and Malekith in motion.
And where is Loki in all of this? Well, you would just have to see, now will you?
"The Dark World" is an awesome cinematic science fantasy struggle against good and evil, finally giving fans an exploration and expansion on Marvel's version of Teutonic/Norse Mythology. From the desolate blackened crags of Svartalfheim to the gilded spires of Asgard, we finally get to see Thor in his natural element, battling giant stone men, partying with his fellow Asgardians(to a minor degree), and having heart-to-heart talks with his father Odin(Anthony Hopkins) and all-seeing Heimdall(Idris Elba). Thankfully, the references to the Avengers Universe are minor, a detriment, in my opinion, of the first movie.
In fact, with the focus being only on Thor, the Thunder God comes across as a character worthy of comparison to the Distinguished Competition's Man of Steel, as powerful, immortal, protector of planets with adventures on global and universal scopes. Close your eyes, and Asgard shares many similarities with Krypton(of course, it would be the other way around, as Asgard predates Krypton by several millennia). As a benefit of this, the film expands on the roles of Thor's supporting cast, including Heimdall, Freya(Rene Russo), and Odin, while adding a new Fandral(Zachery Levi) and shrinking Hogun's(Tadanobu Asano)'s role. Fans also get a chance to see Nine Realm technology, such as the longboats and armed Elves I mentioned beforehand. The humor, one of the only positives of the first movie, is still here as well, whether it is how Darcy gains Jane's attention when she was on a date to how Dr. Selvig dresses when he has to "think".
I saw nothing wrong about this film. It is a very entertaining superhero action movie. Beyond Hogun's reduced role, and maybe the glossing over of a love triangle between Lady Sif(Jaime Alexander), Jane, and Thor, this film still gets an A from me. However, as I mentioned before, I consider this the actual FIRST Thor film. The one before it was not a Thor film to me, and is one of the weakest entries in Marvel Studio's library. Why? Because it was more about introducing Thor and Loki for the following "Avengers" film than introducing any of Thor's actual comic mythology. At least "Captain America: The First Avenger" explored his origins and mythology, while telling an awesome superhero yarn. The first "Thor" was more of a by-the-numbers introductory hero chapter, more set-up for "The Avengers" than anything that could stand on its own.