Bigger, bolder, darker and...better!

Rating: 9/10 (11 August 2014)

This is in no way a knock on the first Thor because I enjoyed it a lot, but, as said with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World impressed me more. The look of the film is wonderful, Asgard is just as colourful as it was in Thor yet also darker too, matching the darker, bolder tone very well. The photography and editing are stylish and the locations, especially Iceland, are stunningly vivid. The special effects are even more dazzling than in Thor and the same can be said for the stunts. The music score by Brian Taylor is dynamic and never repetitive or pedestrian, adding to the action sequences rather than detracting. Speaking of the action sequences, they are packed with thrills with battles almost on scale of Lord of the Rings and smack-downs that are enough to crush the bones. But Thor: The Dark World is not just about action and spectacle, it has substance too(or at least it did to me), laden with humour that will genuinely make you laugh but doing so without over-powering the dark nature of the story or the tense sparring between Thor and Loki. The story is compelling with the right doses of action, humour and drama, it's bigger in scale and bolder in tone than the first Thor but also more expansive in characterisation. The acting is top-class with most of the cast getting more to do, Anthony Hopkins is always dependable and Natalie Portman brings a touch of class and Stellan Skarsgard has some very funny moments but the acting honours do go to Chris Hemsworth, who's more robust and poised than he was in the first Thor, and especially Tom Hiddleston, who is terrific as Loki and pitches his mellifluousness and serpentine-like malevolence perfectly. My only complaints here are Christopher Eccleston having very little to do so he gives a somewhat one-dimensional performance that exudes moody menace but not much else and Loki surrendering and Thor forgiving him too easily and quickly. All in all however, a truly excellent follow-up that improves even more over the first Thor. 9/10 Bethany Cox