Came for Thor, Got a little More

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2014)

MINOR Spoilers; Nothing on what happened, just some scenes I wasn't a reader of the comic books. I didn't get to adore Thor till I saw the film. So being a "newbie" (as I bet most comic book geeks would label me) I felt that Thor: The Dark World was the first of the films that was a little too concerned with shifting the universe smoothly from its second phase to its third. Don't get me wrong Thor 2 was a fun film to watch, and a good one, but as much as it feels that it picked right up after Thor 1 (or the Avengers, I think that's the correct chronology) there were some character inconsistencies and a patchy ending that felt as though it was putting a band-aid on a gashing cut.
The biggest dynamic is the shift of chemistry from Thor's relationship with Jane Foster to Thor's relationship with Loki, that sonovagun Loki. When they team up in the film its hands down the most enjoyable part. Their brotherly banter, with Loki as the nagging little brother and Thor as the "shut up bro" older brother feels real. The looming question, Is Loki good now, or is he still bad, builds more suspense than the final showdown between Thor and the bad guy. Tom Hiddleston kills the role. As long as Loki remains a big of a part to the universe, we'll be seeing him in future "Top 10 Villains of all Times" lists. Apparently the ritual sacrifice to holy brotherhood was the love story of Jane Foster played by cutie pie, Natalie Portman. Bottom line is that a love scene would have kept the romance interesting (and the film PG-13). Thor and Jane Foster's relationship was a big reason why the first film was so good. The notion that Thor wasn't able to see her ever again was the biggest question I wanted to see answered in The Dark World. Despite the bi-frost being totally destroyed in Thor 1, Thor is sailing from realm to realm (apparently for two years) kicking ass and taking names before he casually plops on Earth to see Jane. Common girlfriend line, "Where were you my superhero hunk? You never called" is answered with, " Babe, I was too busy making sure the realms were free of ugly creatures." I wasn't a fan of how they "band-aided" that situation, and I wasn't a fan of the romance-less between the two. I think they kiss twice, and one of those times is in a post-credit scene.
Our Earthlings, Darcy, Eric Selvig, and a new intern, are really, really un-interesting: the worst part is they play a part in the resolution. Selvig's dive from the responsible moral voice in the first film to "running around naked in public" crazy scientist is one of the easier character inconsistencies to spot. Darcy's a bunch of one-liners. Chris O' Dowd (cop from Bridesmaid) plays an earthling interested in Jane Foster, but he's really there to set up a jealousy quip by Thor. Ironically these earthlings feel more like aliens than the Asgards.
The gatekeeper is still awesome. Thor's fighting sequences are still awesome. Odin is still awesome, although a bit meaner and questionable in his choices (character inconsistency #2). We all agree Loki is awesome. The humorous, relaxed feeling that we get from all the Marvel Universe films (except Hulk) is awesome. A touch of Star Wars is awesome. Essentially The Dark World delivers on the promise that it's going to be just as entertaining as the original. However it's too concerned with progression of the cinematic universe that it forgets Thor is what we picked to watch. You'll realize this in the end if you truly think about how the "twists" are actually cliffhangers to set up what's next. The patching to go along with a forgettable villain that's almost an illusion to distract us makes this a downgrade from the original, but it's another day another adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that's always worth watching. 7/10