Thor: The Dark World: Marvel's latest superhero film brings some new elements but also is missing something

Today, I look at one of the most anticipated movies of the Thanksgiving season, which is funny, because usually superheroes are summer movie fare.

Thor, The Dark World:
Two years after the events of Thor and about one year after the attack on New York in The Avengers, Thor is somewhat upset in Asgard, as he still hasn't been able to see his love interest Jane Foster, and feels truly hurt that his adopted brother Loki has gone crazy and become a war criminal, and now is locked in the Asgardian dungeon. Thor eventually reunites with Foster, but must then team with her and Loki to stop an ancient evil from destroying the entire universe. The Dark Elves, an ancient race of beings born from darkness, attempt to rise again and cover the universe in blackness, and their leader, Malekith the Accursed, tries to get revenge on Odin and the rest of Asgard for destroying his world. Can Thor and Loki stop Malekith before he destroys everything, or will the nine realms be consumed in shadow? This new film may not be as good as Iron Man 3 or Captain America or even Thor, but it's a very entertaining, albeit somewhat short and underwhelming, superhero fantasy film. The cast, including returning actors and actresses such as Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Renee Russo, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba (The Wire, Pacific Rim, Luther), Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, and Tadanobu Asano. They all do a great job, especially Hiddleston, who, as usual, completely steals the show as Loki, who manages to be humorous, sympathetic, and menacing all at once. Christopher Eccelston (Doctor Who, G.I. Joe) plays Malekith. Despite being covered in heavy makeup and having a digitally altered voice, Eccelston is able to give a good villain performance. Even though he isn't nearly as memorable or interesting as Loki, Malekith is still a decent bad guy, and has a pretty threatening presence when he's on screen. Zachary Levi replaces Joshua Dallas as Fandral, one of the Warriors Three. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays Malekith's right-hand man Algrim, who becomes a powerful monster called the Kurse. Irish comedian Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids, The Sapphires, This Is 40) also has a small role. These new actors do a good job, and I was barely able to tell the difference between Levi and Dallas, which is a good thing, that shows Levi's ability to slip right into the character. There isn't much action in this movie, but some action scenes, such as the ending fight and the attack on Asgard are pretty cool, especially the ending fight, which is extremely small compared to The Avengers, but was still satisfying. The music by Brian Tyler can be a bit bland, but it's not that bad, just nothing that iconic. The visual effects are excellent, and the set and costume designs are perfect. Alan Taylor directs, and although he isn't nearly as experienced as Kenneth Branagh (director of the first film), he does a nice job. Although this film isn't as satisfying as some other Marvel films, it's entertaining enough, and it's worth seeing for Hiddleston's performance and the after-credits scene alone. Thor: The Dark World is a pretty enjoyable superhero film, with some good acting, cool action sequences, excellent visual effects and costumes, and a great antihero in the form of Loki. 3.5/5 stars.

Notes: Stan Lee makes a cameo in a mental ward in the film. Chris Evans makes a cameo as Captain America in a small scene.

My reviews of the other Avengers films:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-movies.html
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-movies-part-ii.html
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/05/iron-man-3-is-it-possible-to-really.html

(SPOILERS BELOW POSTER)

 (Image: Wikipedia)



(SPOILERS): In the middle of the film, Loki is killed by the Kurse in battle. Later on, it's revealed he has survived and has manipulated Thor, and has been posing as Odin. This leaves the door open for more Loki in more Marvel movies, which I have no problem with! In a mid-credits scene, Volstagg (Thor's friend) and Lady Sif (Thor's ally and possible love interest) arrive at a strange alien museum/warehouse. They hand over a mysterious canister to "the Collector" (Benicio del Toro), and state he must not let it fall into the wrong hands. When the Collector questions them about the canister in relation to the Tesseract, the Asgardians state that they have the Tesseract in custody, but they did not want two "Infinity Stones" so close together. The Asgardians depart and the Collector tells his assistants "One down, five to go." This sets up the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie and possibly an Infinity Gauntlet plot for the next Avengers. In a post-credits scene, Thor and Jane reunite on Earth, and a scaled, horned creature (who escaped to Earth from Asgard at the climax via a portal) roams the streets, playing with birds. (I think this is supposed to be the "Bilgesnipe" Thor was describing in The Avengers.) (END OF SPOILERS)