Among all of the superhero films that Marvel Studios produced before The Avengers, there were two films that I didn’t really enjoy all that much. The first one would be Iron Man 2 and the second would be Thor. The reason why I didn’t like Thor was that, for a good chunk of the movie, Thor is just an ordinary guy. Sure, it was fun to see him trying to acclimatize himself to the customs of a normal Midwestern town but I came to see The God of Thunder, not some chiseled, good-looking homeless guy.

No need to thank me, ladies.

So, when Thor: The Dark World was announced, I already said to myself that this would be superior to the first film if Thor keeps his powers for the film’s entirety. Well, I just watched the movie and he does keep his god status throughout the movie but Thor: The Dark World suffers from some major flaws that keep it from being better than the first installment.

By the way, I’m going to make this review as SPOILER-FREE as possible! In fact, because the trailer doesn’t really reveal much of the story, I can’t discuss that as well! Suffice to say, Thor has to enlist the help of his adopted brother and archenemy, Loki, to take on an enemy that has the power to, not only destroy Earth and Asgard, but all of the Nine Realms.

While I don’t have a problem with the overall plot per se, I do have a problem with how the story is presented because, honestly, a lot of the time, it felt like I was watching a science fiction movie set in space rather than a movie where mythical gods and creatures fight each other.

For example, the Dark Elves, who are the main villains, speak in a different language so there are subtitles so you can understand them. I get what they were trying to do (ooh, they’re aliens) but it just seems totally unnecessary and out of place. Also, the Dark Elves use (and I’m not kidding) spaceships equipped with cloaking devices to travel around the galaxy and are armed laser blasters instead of swords and spears. If you didn’t know they were “Dark Elves,” you may actually think the Asgardians are fighting Klingons!

And they don’t look particularly intimidating, either!

Another problem I have with Thor: The Dark World is it only focuses on a handful of characters. Remember in the first film where you can see The Warriors Three (Sif, Volstagg and Frandal) assist the de-powered Thor against the Destroyer armor? They were great characters, showing that they were very capable in battle. Here, they’re more like background characters, given only the smallest of roles to push the plot forward. I was very disappointed with the diminished role of Sif. I really wanted to see a jealous Sif talk to Jane Foster since I think that would be a great scene.

The acting is hit-or-miss in my opinion. Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins do a okay job in portraying Thor and Odin, respectively. However, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster came off a little weak and stilted. Also, I wasn’t impressed by the leader of the Dark Elves. Of course, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki practically steals every scene he’s in. Hiddleston comes off charming and playful as the God of Mischief and is extremely fun to watch. The surprise for me was Kat Dennings as Darcy, Jane Foster’s intern. Her role’s been expanded upon heavily and, while the character may be obnoxious if she were real, she’s a joy to watch here (unless you hate her in 2 Broke Girls).

Sadly, unlike in this pic, you never get a clear shot of Kat Denning’s cleavage in the movie.

All-in-all, would I recommend Thor: The Dark World to others? Yes but it’s not something you just have to go out and watch on the first day. It is a decent movie, however. The action sequences are plentiful, the jokes actually work and it’s not really a boring movie. It’s nothing brilliant but it is a movie that I would be okay watching again in the future.

Theatrical Poster for Thor: The Dark World.

Oh, and please stay during and after the credits as there are two extra scenes at the end.

Have you watched Thor: The Dark World? What did you think of it? Please leave your thoughts about the film in the comments section below.