Not Bad, Not Great.

Rating: Null/10 (31 October 2013)

After seeing Thor: The Dark World, I'm puzzled as to how it's scored 8.0 on IMDb, when the far superior prequel gained only a 7.0? What's noticeably missing is Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean touch, the whole grandiose spectacle of it all. Everything which made Thor charming is missing from this and even cast changes (Zachary Levi as a replacement for Josh Dallas and surprisingly, quite a forgettable Fandral, seeing as he was the original choice.) Poor Ray Stevenson doesn't have much to do, and Jaimie Alexander casts a bitchy stare at Jane Foster, but nothing else ever comes out of it.
Whereas in the first movie, we all gawped at Chris Hemsworth's magnificent physique, we now get a Loaded Weapon 1 moment, where I half expected to see one of those "unmotivated butt-in-the-moonbeam walks." Chris Eccleston isn't used to full villainy advantage as Malekith and wasn't really sure what his true motives were (nor did I actually care.) The first half is OK, while the second is more entertaining, if very far-fetched. Alan Taylor may have directed outstanding episodes for Game of Thrones, but here, he's delivered an uneven package with lacklustre action and forced, hammy dialogue for actors who deserve better. That said, Tom Hiddleston does have fun and seems to be the only one. Kat Dennings routine as Darcy should be getting stale by now, but does provide some comedic highlights.
If Marvel wants to rival the greatest film franchise in history (James Bond of course) it had better pull its socks up. Sure, 007 has had its misses but it also knew how to reboot itself and stay fresh. I'm not convinced neither Stan Lee or Kevin Fiege have a game plan and this could be their downfall. This was a kiddies outing, but when you look at the richness of The Avengers and Joss Whedon's literary prowess, they need that kind of impetus to stay afloat.
I'm now convinced that Captain America: The Winter Soldier, will be my most anticipated superhero sequel (as it's a surefire bet that Singer will mess up Days of Future Past and turn it into Wolverine 6.)
More fun than kickass (with a great cameo in the middle) this gets 7/10.