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The next movie in the "Marvel-thon" is the follow-up to the last present-day Phase One solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that is Thor: The Dark World.
It has been two years since the events of the first Thor, and Loki has been jailed for his involvement in the Battle of New York. Thor and his friends are working to bring peace to the Nine Realms, and it is during their latest battle where they learn that the Convergence, an event that aligns the Nine Realms, is coming again. Portals begin appearing out of nowhere, including one in London where Jane Foster and company are. After Jane comes in contact with an ancient weapon known as the Aether, Thor brings her to Asgard. This reawakens Malekith and his Dark Elves, who seek to use the Aether during the Convergence and destroy all Nine Realms at once.
What Worked: Most of the returning cast are really good. Chris Hemsworth continues to be excellent as Thor, as does Tom Hiddleston as Loki, who is more of an antihero this time around because he still finds ways to irritate Thor. The same also goes for Anthony Hopkins as Odin, showing here that he can be very apprehensive about bringing outsiders into his home. The Warriors Three still get some good moments, and even Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif gets some of her own, as does Idris Elba as Heimdall.
The action is better here than it was in the first one, and as a result, it's paced better. The tone is more consistent here. While there are scenes that take place on Earth, more take place on Asgard this time, and even some on other realms here and there. The Earth scenes feel more important here.
The effects look better here, as well as the appearances of the Dark Elves.
The direction by Alan Taylor, who replaces Kenneth Branagh from the first one, is pretty good. It shows that he's accustomed to doing a fantasy setting, as he's worked on Game of Thrones.
What Didn't Work: First of all, the Earth characters, while their performances are still good, don't have much significance other than Jane. Of course, Darcy, played by Kat Dennings, may have come across as annoying in the first one, and she may even more so here for those who didn't like her in the first one. She didn't bother me too much in either case, but it's still worth addressing.
The score by Brian Tyler (who previously scored Iron Man 3) is decent, but for the most part, not all that memorable, aside from one track in the middle of the movie. It comes after a significant event happens, which if I delve into it, would be a huge spoiler.
Much like Iron Man 3, this also has a problem with the villains. Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston, is the main villain here, and while he does have a purpose, the only real significance involving him is the object he's after, which becomes very important (only much, much later). He ends up being kind of a forgettable villain. His performance is fine, but the character should have been developed better. I will give him this: how the movie gives him the appearance his face has in the comics was a nice touch.
Aside from that, when the main villain's lieutenant is more interesting than him, there's a problem. His lieutenant comes in the form of Algrim / Kurse. The best way I can describe him is this: look out for a creature that looks like the Predator. He's a more interesting character because he is sent to go after Thor physically, and when he becomes Kurse, he does inflict quite a bit of damage.
Even with the balance of one forgettable villain and one interesting villain, in the grand scheme of things, they don't leave much of an impact other than what they're after.
Overall: Thor: The Dark World is one of the weaker movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like Iron Man 3. It's basically in the territory of "good, but not great." Both movies have their moments, but this one has an edge over Iron Man 3 because its plot centers around something that becomes important later, so keep that in mind. This is especially true when you get to the mid-credits scene*, which ties back to that object and sets up a character who gets his time to shine two movies from now.
Also, it does have a better post-credits scene than Iron Man 3 did because it also ties into part of this movie in an amusing way. It still could have been stronger, but it is better than that one. (And yes, there is "that cameo.")
After two still decent movies, Phase Two does get better from here, starting with the next movie.
*That's right, it's like The Avengers; it has both a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene.