Not Thorful, But Not Thorsome Either

Rating: 6/10 (22 December 2013)

Thor: The Dark World expands on the beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe, quite literally, this time with one of the least exciting Avengers taking the spotlight for Hammertime.
Despite the devoted fan-base of this incredible world of Marvel superheroes, you can't help but feel that Thor: The Dark World is the first instalment in the franchise to feel most contrived and out of place. Yet, this sequel is still a mild improvement on its predecessor, though together they combine for the weakest in the series of superhero films, even though Thor is probably the strongest out of the bunch. The film finds Thor doing his thing in Asgard, before his lady love Jane Foster conveniently stumbles upon a weapon known as the Aether, which the Dark Elf Malekith intends to use to destroy the universe. Asleep yet?
Negativity aside, Thor: The Dark World is a mostly enjoyable comic-book flick with some superb action, actors and, I can't think of another word that begins with 'a' so, humour.
For an incredibly cheesy character, Chris Hemsworth still has the oh my demigod factor to bring a great balance of confidence, charisma and physicality to the role of Thor. This can be said of all of the Asgardians, including Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Tom Hiddleston's fan- favourite portrayal of Loki. While narratively Thor: The Dark World is predominantly yawn-inspiring, the presence of Hiddleston's Loki compensates as fans are genuinely interested to see his current personality and relationship with Thor following the events of The Avengers in 2012.
It is the human characters that are the dull, annoyingly cheesy and unnecessary obstacles that often get in the way of the overall pleasant 112 minute sequel. Notably, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is used as a pathetic damsel in distress signal masquerading as a character with any significance, while Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) is pretty much the idiotic joke machine waiting for her cue. These characters, along with the contrived villain Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) are really the Aether to what could have been a very promising second outing for Thor. With no disrespect to these actors whom deliver fine performances, it is their characters that suppress absolute enjoyment of Thor: The Dark World.
Apologies for this tennis match I am having with myself in complementing and then hammering Thor: The Dark World's qualities; still I'll continue to play. More positively, the film is possibly the greatest comedic achievement for the superhero squadron on screen to date. One moment had the audience in an uproar of laughter; those that have seen it will know the moment, and those that are yet to see the film will know when they bear witness to its hilarity. Even during other scenes where the humour feels slightly inappropriate given the circumstances, you'll easily yield with laughter, or at the minimum, a low-key grin.
It's almost superfluous today to commend a modern blockbuster for its CGI quality. However due to its stark visual improvement over its 2011 predecessor, Thor: The Dark World is certainly worth mentioning as an aesthetically potent force which makes the movie a Thorful lot of fun!
Whilst the Thorsome Asgardian actors, humour and visual effects are enough to keep Marvel fans entertained for two short hands around the clock, it doesn't take too long to realise that Thor: The Dark World is probably the most forgettable and forced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though by no means the first for Marvel (I'm looking at you 'Amazing' Spider-Man). Thor's lack of character development since the end of Thor, along with the villain out of nowhere and no care Malekith make this sequel feel pretty purposeless in the grander scheme of things. And that's not even mentioning Jane Foster: Marvel's version of Daphne from Scooby-Doo, except more pointless, boring, unconvincing and no fun for anyone.
After a Thortless and needlessly dull opening 45 minutes, Thor: The Dark World has plenty of surprises along the way to amuse the fandom inside of devotees, that'll shadow its flaws until you really start to think about the film, but it's some fun while it lasts.