Set your expectations low!!!

Rating: 4/10 (23 January 2015)

Thor: The Dark World 3.5/10- I loved all of the Marvel movies, with the exception of Iron Man 2, and I thought the trailer made this movie look awesome. It was an understatement to say I had high hopes for this movie. It hurts me to say this, but I left a little disappointed.
The beginning of the movie to me did not start off well. I thought the idea of the movie beginning with Thor restoring peace to the nine realms was good, however, I could not stop but from thinking that it all looked silly. The costume design looked like it was just mashed together at the last minute and I thought they could have picked a better setting to at least add some tone of seriousness to the opening scenes.
I did like how all the Marvel movie including this one continue to offer good laughs through out the film. Unfortunately, there is a time and place for those laughs. Thor: the Dark Work did a relatively good of monitoring where to put those jokes until the final fight scene. The final fight should have had some intensity to it. I'm not gonna lie, I did laugh along with everyone else, but I was still expecting something more. This part that I was waiting for never came and because of this, the movie felt incomplete.
The brightest light of the movie to me was Tom Hiddleston. His acting continues to grow and I thought he was even better in this movie than in the Avengers. He is the perfect choice to play Loki, the devious brother of Thor who is not sure which side he is on. Hiddleston dominated every scene he was in. Chris Hemworth delivered another solid performance as the hammer-wielding God Thor. He adds good humor to the character and does the best with the story line that he is given. Natalie Portman does an above-average job at playing the pretty yet extremely clever scientist Jane Foster. Anthony Hopkins seemed like he was not really giving his best effort as he was playing Odin, king of Asgard. Still, Anthony Hopkins worst is still better than most others best.
The only time I thought the plot was well-written when the ending came which really got everyone in the theater thinking and that Tom Hiddleston's great performance finally resulted in something good. Now, just like any other Marvel movie, there is a scene after the credits. I was confused by what it meant, but I would be lying if it didn't leave me intrigued and excited for the next one.
Was this movie the best in the Marvel series? No, not by far. Aside from its predecessors, the movie still offers enough good laughs and some solid action to make your experience entertaining. Still though, I was expecting a lot more than it gave.
For more of my reviews, go to my website at reviewsbywest.com