The previous Thor film was my favorite of the Marvel Comics films to date. There was a lot of heart and humor to it. And Chris Hemsworth's approach to playing the Thunder God works so well: He's brash, yet thoughtful; funny, yet menacing.
He's a guy with the power and family connections (his father, Odin, is the top Norse god) to have anything he'd like. Yet, he falls in love with a mere mortal and can't help continually, and wrongly, providing his evil brother, Loki, with the benefit of the doubt.
All Marvel superheroes have a weakness. Thor's is that he's a nice guy.
As I said, Hemsworth makes Thor fun to watch. You're constantly awaiting to see how he'll respond to different situations. Will he smack someone with his hammer, or will his more human side win out? Thor is constantly debating whether he should act as a dispassionate god, or as a caring human being.
Unlike the first film, which was set mainly right here on planet Earth, the "Dark World" takes place primarily in the godly city of Asgard. That means a whole lot of CGI (although the resulting blend of fantasy and sci-fi is pretty impressive) and a lot more focus on Thor's family.
Sir Anthony Hopkins is the cranky Odin. Renee Russo plays Thor's sympathetic, yet tough, mom Frigga and Tom Hiddleston is back as the devious Loki. Jaime Alexander also has a bigger part this time out, as Sif, the Asgardian Amazon who's in love with Thor.
The first film's amusing Earth-bound supporting cast is back, too, with Kat Dennings providing comic relief as best pal to Thor's love interest Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, who also has a much bigger role in this film. This is the best performance I've seen by Portman, who is lively and funny in the film. Oftentimes, she comes across on screen as stilted and remote. Maybe it's because she's given more to do than just stand around and make goo-goo eyes at Thor, although she does that a fair amount here, too.
I'd forgotten that former Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston was in the film and I didn't recognize him under all the makeup as the villain of the piece, Malekith. He's suitably menacing, but the whole plot of his scheme to tap a source of immense cosmic power and essentially wipe out everything in existence is pretty much beside the point.
This film is about Thor, sometimes humorously, sometimes poignantly, dealing with his family and deciding his ultimate path in life. And, for that reason, even though the main character is a god, it's a very human film.
I enjoyed it more than the third "Iron Man" film, which made me think that Marvel had lost its footing after "The Avengers." "The Dark World" demonstrates that a solo hero can still sustain his own franchise. I'd certainly see a third Thor film and the new Captain America flick looks promising, too.
Watch out for a fun cameo about mid-way through and stay until the very, very end of the credits.
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