Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World (UK Rating: 12A)

First things first, the movie starts directly after the Avengers movie; Loki has been arrested and is sent to prison by Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins). On Earth, weird things have started happening with gravity going wild in some places, and Jane Foster, played by the lovely Natalie Portman, goes to check things out. One thing leads to another and Jane ends up absorbing something that the Dark Elves want, something called the Aether that could end the universe when all nine worlds are aligned, and thus once again she has to be saved and protected by Thor.

The film is better than its predecessor. Thor no longer has to prove his worth with Mjolnir always being in his possession, there's quite a bit of humour carried over from previous Marvel films, and the special effects were great with production values being very high. Tom Hiddleston, as always, plays Loki very well and brings most of the humour with him.

Idris Elba yet again makes an appearance as the gate keeper, and even though his scenes are generally short, he does play a great part. The same for Anthony Hopkins as Odin - viewers are really able to feel his power as the King of Asgard. Thor's friends, the other Asgardians, don't appear very often, but they do play important roles in the story, with Chris O'Dowd and Jane's friends adding some comic relief.

The bad guy - Maliketh played by Christopher Eccleston - was set up to be a very powerful and very menacing old enemy that Thor's ancestor's beat to stop the universe ending. However, besides a few fights, he is hardly in it, with most of the time spent on Thor and Jane's story. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, since it also means viewers get to see more of Loki.

Throughout the film it leaves people wondering what might happen next, with a few unexpected twists along the way. These were played out well although the final twist was very obvious at the end, leaving room for another Thor movie, with the usual after credits scene seen in all Marvel movies. This particular scene hinting at a new enemy that might not necessarily be unique to Thor…

9/10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Overall, Thor: The Dark World has a good story with an abundance of humour. It really follows on well to continue the story of Thor and although the ending may be predictable, it still leaves viewers wanting more, especially if they are Marvel fans!