Alec Evans reviews the highly anticipated Thor: The Dark World

Coming from the same company that gave us the Iron Man and Avengers Assemble films, the first Thor film produced by the franchise (2011), featuring Chris Hemsworth as Thor, was largely well received commercially and critically, despite some criticism of being more commercially-minded than true to the original Marvel creation.

It will please many comic book enthusiasts to hear that Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second Thor film, Thor: The Dark World is a more serious and generally darker affair. It retains everything that made the first film so enjoyable; Hemsworth’s fantastic delivery, exciting but not over-the-top visual effects, powerful one-liners and a cinematic-sized soundtrack, this time composed by Brian Tyler (who also scored Iron Man 3), that accurately represents the ferocity of battle alongside more solemn adagio sections. This edition contains a more interesting further exploration of Thor’s relationship with his family, particularly Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and even with some welcome light humour, manages a better appropriation of mood throughout.

In this film, there is a better flow between the two worlds of earth and Asgard, in contrast to the slightly forced nature of Thor’s first appearance on earth in the previous film, as well as being a film that should delight long-time Marvel fans and a wider audience alike. Where bad sequels have the potential to turn a well-loved film into something predictable and tired, Thor: The Dark World only expands and progresses from the original, hinting at great things to come from Thor and Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole in future.