Thor: The Dark World

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2013)

The first Thor film based on the popular Marvel comics, directed by Kenneth Branagh, was a good watch, and I was looking forward to seeing this sequel, not just because it looked really good, but it was also a continuation and crossover of the Avengers Assemble plot. Basically thousands of years ago Bor (Tony Curran), the father of Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins), fought in the great war between the Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who wants to destroy the universe with the weapon called the Aether, they are defeated, the Aether is hidden somewhere in a stone column, and while imprisoned Malekith, his lieutenant Algrim (Lost's Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and other Dark Elves escape in suspended animation. In the present day on Asgard, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is being imprisoned for his war crimes on Earth, there is a possibility that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will take over the throne from his father Odin, meanwhile on Earth in London astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her former intern Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who herself has intern Ian Boothby (Jonathan Howard), are investigating unearthly things. In abandoned warehouse Jane, Darcy and Ian find an invisible portal that makes things disappear into thin air, sometimes coming back and going through again, sometimes not, then all of the sudden Jane is teleported to another world, and there she finds the stone containing the Aether, which infects her, and she returns to Earth unaware of what has happened. Back in Asgard a rare alignment of the Nine Realms is imminent, it also means portals to the other worlds appear at random, Thor is told by Heimdall (Idris Elba) that Jane disappeared, he goes to Earth to see she is safe, he takes her to his home world to see healers, they do not know how to treat her, Odin warns that the infection of the Aether will eventually kill her, and that its return means a prophecised catastrophe. The Aether release has awakened Malekith, and he and his group make an attack Asgard, and during the battle Thor and Loki's mother Frigga (Rene Russo) is killed, Odin orders Thor to do nothing, but against his father's wishes he releases his malevolent brother, as he knows Malekith's secret portal, they will attempt to use Jane to lure and confront him, and he makes a deal that Loki can have revenge for the death of their mother. Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and Fandral (Zachary Levi) assist their getaway and escape from the Asgardian soldiers, they commandeer a Dark Elf spaceship and with Jane transport to Svartalfheim, once there they eventually find Malekith, Loki tricks him into removing the Aether from inside Jane and absorb it himself, Thor fails to destroy it before it enters the enemy's body, and Loki appears mortally wounded in a short fight, before he apparently dies Thor promises his brother he will tell of his sacrifice. Thor and Jane find another portal, the same that took her from Earth to the stone, so they teleport back to Earth and reunite with Darcy, Ian and Jane's mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), who recently came out from an institution following a breakdown after the New York attacks, they work out that Melekith will attempt to destroy the universe in the centre of the Convergence, in Greenwich. The Dark Elves spaceship crashes through the city square, and Malekith and Thor battle going though the various portals, Thor's hammer going back and forth to find him, finally Malekith is transported to Svartalfheim before he can destroy the universe, the spaceship collapsing to the ground is transported too, and he is killed crushed by it, the Earth is safe. In the end Thor is asked by Odin to take his place as king of Asgard, he declines and tells of Loki's sacrifice, and when he walks away Odin turn out to be the living Loki in disguise, and in the mid- credits a villain called The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) is given the Aether by Volstagg and Sif to look after, it is obvious from his final words that he has other things to collect for an evil plot. Also starring Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Clive Russell as Tyr, Chris O'Dowd as Richard, Chris Evans as Captain America, Talulah Riley as Nurse, Alice Krige as Eir Stan Lee as Patient. Hemsworth once again is great as the strong willed and heroic warrior, Portman is still sweet as the hero's love interest, Ecceleston is almost unrecognisable with his deep voice and makeup and makes a menacing presence, Hiddleston is still lovably malevolent and snide with his quips, and Hopkins in his time brings his usual good seriousness. The story is a little technological and bolder than the previous fantasy film, with much more being destroyed and many more battles on Earth and in outer space, so plenty of great special effects to create the spectacle, its interesting to see it going on in Great Britain in an American made film, and you feel the doom and gloom moments too, all this combines to make a much better than the first, highly entertaining and exciting action adventure film. Very good!