Probably not as dark as you might think it is, not bad though

Rating: 7/10 (8 November 2013)

The title of this second instalment of "Thor" may lead spectators to believe this is a dark movie and less humorous than the first one, but that is very far from the truth. Actually this second film is even more comical than the first, for the good or for the bad.
I say this because the frequent humour in "The Dark World" bothered some fans while pleased others. As I was watching it I did think some of the comical scenes were a little over the top and others even unnecessary, but generally I very much welcomed the humorous touch. Some of the scenes that put a completely characterized Thor through trivial human situations were very funny. Cameos were also very well used (there's even a special appearance from one of Thor's colleagues from The Avengers). Stan Lee's cameo in this one was one of my favourites from all Marvel films.
Another thing that some fans complained about was the motivation (or lack of it) from the villains, the dark elves. Well, it's hard to put in a 2 hour action movie too many explanations without taking the risk of spoiling the pace of the movie. However the explanation in the beginning seemed clear to me, even being quite superficial. I don't read comic books (so I don't have any reference from them), but when the narrator said that dark elves are a race born prior to the birth of light and they want to spread again the dark energy across the universe, their motivation was pretty clear. I mean, unlike humans or asgardians (who were born from light), dark elves were born from dark energy and they simply want that energy taking over light as the moving force in the universe. Dark energy, which is represented in the movie by the alchemical element known as "aether", is considered a natural force in many mythologies and philosophies and is also a widely accepted theory among today's astrophysicists. So asking what is the purpose of the dark elves is the same as asking what is the purpose of dark energy, and that is a philosophical question.
The spaceships battle scenes in Asgard were also a point that raised complaints. The movie creators were definitely inspired by Star Wars here, even the spaceships designs are quite similar (X-Wings for the good guys and Tie Fighters for the bad ones). I was not bothered as I saw the movie because I am a big fan of Star Wars (especially the original trilogy), but I understand that crossing fantasy/mythology with science fiction might not please some people, even if this crossing has always been present in Thor. I also have no complaints about CGI or sound effects, I think the movie is technically great (as every other movie produced by Marvel).
Lastly, characters and acting. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddlestone) are the movie's stars and they are perfect in their roles. Along with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Chris Evans as Captain America they are the best casting in The Avengers, in my opinion. I have no criticism to their work. Anthony Hopkins is again excellent as Odin and Rene Russo is just average as Frigga (she certainly does not inspire majesty to me). Stellan Skasgard is again exceptional as Dr. Erik Selvig (crazier than ever) and Cristopher Eccelstone plays a just reasonably evil Malekith (I was much more afraid of the excellent Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim). Natalie Portman as Jane Foster does a good job despite her character being a little too bland; she plays much more the "defenceless little girl" type than in the first movie and that was a bit disappointing. The rest of the cast did well as they did in the first movie, some playing comical parts (Kat Dennings) and others more serious ones (Idris Elba).
So Thor: The Dark World is one more movie from Marvel Studios that combines action, comedy and science fiction, but with the "bonus" touch of Nordic mythology. If you enjoyed the first one I recommend you to check this sequel.
My rating: 7/10