Review of Thor: The Dark World (2013) by Griff C — 23 Sep 2017

Easily the weakest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films to date, in my opinion, edging out The Incredible Hulk (2008). However, if your franchise's weakest film still rates a 3/5 on my scale, you're still doing something right.

Thor: The Dark World, in the grand scheme of things in the MCU, is not overly memorable. The villain, Malekith, is not overly compelling as his motivations aren't greatly defined, which is a shame considering he was played by Christopher Eccleston.

The most interesting element of the story is the Thor-Loki dynamic post-The Avengers. While a compelling thread, it is not a big enough point to carry the film or make it more interesting. Having said all of that, the cast still does a great job and the action is superb.

Don't let my criticisms of the movie lead you to believe that this is not an entertaining film, as it still very much is. It's just that it feels like Alan Taylor and Marvel Studios could have done so much more than what ended up as the final product.

Though still fun, it doesn't nearly reach the level of expectations set by many of the other MCU movies. I would still recommend this to any avid comic book fan looking to get into the franchise or for those looking to brush up on their Thor prior to the release of the third film in November 2017.

However, those who are fair-weather fans of the series could probably skip this one.