Thor: The Dark World (3D - 2013)

When it's over, I liked it, but I didn't love it. The story continued where Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012) left off. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must sacrifice everything to battle an ancient race, known as the Dark Elves, whose leader is set on bringing darkness to the universe. The main cast returned for this second Thor installment, but they did not get the development they deserved. Generally, the idea of a sequel is not only to move a story forward, but also to help the returning characters grow. In the case of The Dark World, I felt the characters had not evolved. Thor remained much the same. There were no prevalent changes in his character. Thor’s three loyal Asgard warriors, Fandral, Sif, and Volstagg (Zachary Levi, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson), had less presence in this film than the previous, which was a shame, since we got to know Thor previously, through their eyes. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) seemed passive, and I expected more from the feisty scientist and Thor’s love interest. Perhaps some scenes showing her willing to fight to survive would have helped. Instead, Foster was a helpless damsel in distress. I thought Loki (Tom Hiddleston) got the most development, and Hiddleston was fantastic. I loved watching his mischievous ways unfold. I despised him and relished his naughtiness at the same time. The visuals were great, and the unrelenting action never allowed for a dull moment, but its thrills were at a price. The fast pacing made the story move too fast, racing from beginning to end, leaving little opportunity for small scenes to become great. A perfect example would be the Asgard funeral(s), which took, maybe, five minutes onscreen. More thought, time, and emotional punch should have went into this critical scene, because it set in motion the actions Thor and Loki would take to claim their revenge and justice. Lastly, what happened to the love story, the chemistry between Thor and Jane? Their kiss or would be kisses felt staged. I did not get that sense of ‘Wow’ as I did in the first film. They acted more like friends than two people in love. A good sequel, but not great!

My rating: 3.5 out of 5