Thor: the Dark World

Really, I had greater expectations about this movie than actually were fulfilled.

Thor, the Dark World tells you what happened after Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Asgard. Because of Bifrost (the bridge that connects Asgard with the other eight realms) being broken after the events told in the first movie there have been unrest in some of the other realms and Thor and his friends have been sent by Odin to restore order. Thor is busy but his heart cannot forget the human Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who she met two years ago in Midgard (Earth). In the meantime, a cosmic event that takes place after a very long cycle is happening again: the Nine Realms are aligning and random portals between dimensions are opening which has attracted Jane Foster's attention. Accidentally, she accesses one of the portals and immediately she is taken to a place where a doomsday weapon called the Aether is kept in secret. The weapon is highly advanced and soon invades Jane's body. Seeing that Jane's life  is in peril Thor returns to Earth and takes Jane to Asgard to find a way to separate the weapon from Jane's body. It turns out that the Aether was created by a very old race of beings called the Dark Elves beings of immense power led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) whose only goal is to destroy every other race so a universe in darkness would be his only. In the past the Dark Elves were defeated by Bor, Thor's grandfather, and his army and it was Bor who hid the weapon knowing it was impossible to destroy it. The Dark Elves retreated and for a long time waited for the aligning of realms to occur again and now after awakening from their millenia-long slumber, their first action is to strike Asgard feeling the Aether is now there and in the process Malekith kills Frigga (Rene Russo). Thor manages to have the Dark Elves retreat temporarily which is time enough for Odin to regroup and thus avenge his wife's death. Thos feels they will not be able to resist a second attack and believes they should take Jane somewhere to withdraw the Aether from Jane's body and for that he has devised a crazy, desperate plan that includes the collaboration of his mortal ennemy, the Trickster god, Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

It is advisable that you see the first part because to the many references to that movie. The visual aspect is really remarkable with visuals perhaps better than the first though it is unnecessary to see this film in 3D, the 2D format is good enough. The music is another plus: quite appropriate for this epic. The general tone is not as serious as the first, I would say is lighter with lots of funny moments alternating with non-stop action. The problem with that is the little character development there is and as a result, a villain such as Malekith with so much potential is presented as a very flat character. In the end the reason many people wanted to see this sequel was because of Hiddleston's extraordinary impersonation of Loki. It is him who saves this movie in  many aspects even overshadowing a seasoned actor such as Anthony Hopkins.

There are two goodies in the post-credits sequence one at the beginning and the other at the very end. The last one is a bit funny and the first sets the stage for what is to come. Sadly only if you are a true fan you will see in Benicio Del Toro's character, the Collector, the next bad guy, and in the object that is given to him there is the source of yet another problem for the Asgardians because he is given one of the Infinity Gems. They are six and if commanded all at the same time they can do anything (emphasis in anything) their possessor wishes them to.

That and the cameo appearance (kind of ) of one the Avengers.

Three stars out of five.