Thor: The Dark World

By Jaclyn Gangi
Staff Writer

Everyone’s favorite hammer-wielding superhero is back in the new film, “Thor: The Dark World,” released on Nov. 8. Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as the gruff and humble Asgardian prince. Unlike its predecessor, this film focuses less on Earth and more on Thor’s home planet of Asgard, as well as another planet the new antagonists are native to.

The film opens with Thor’s father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), telling the story of the Dark Elves; a race of outer-Earthly creatures who waged war against Asgard. The Dark Elves are led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who seeks to destroy the nine realms of the universe by the means of a weaponry force, called the Aether. This prologue ends with the Dark Elves supposed demise, and the hiding of the Aether. While this build-up does not feature any of the main characters, it is necessary to understand the film, and the motivation behind the antagonist.

When the story turns its attention to Earth, it focuses on London, a setting differing from other Marvel movies. The quirky group of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), and Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) all return, due to strange readings coming from an abandoned factory in London.

The factory ends up possessing a gap in physics, where objects can disappear into another realm, or simply hop back and forth between Earth and the other realm. Jane and Darcy, along with Darcy’s new intern Ian (Jonathan Howard), unknowingly uncover the hidden evil of the Aether.

Fan-favorite, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), makes an appearance in the second scene of the film. Loki is sentenced to life in prison due to his actions in “The Avengers.” Hiddleston portrays Loki with the same mischievous grin and quiet wit, which causes so many to admire this villain, whose gears perhaps shift to an anti-hero role in “The Dark World.”

Senior Film major Jeremy Benavides said, “I’ll just say that Loki was the best thing about it, and it had some cool action scenes, but otherwise, I was disappointed with the story, villain, and humor.”

Other students, some who have not seen it yet, are excited. Sarah Taylor, a junior Musical Theatre major, said, “I loved the first movie. I’m really excited for the second one and I’m excited to see Chris Hemsworth again.”

This film is a solid sequel with action, special effects, and a light-heartedness that is standard in most of Marvel’s movies. Thor’s character development from the first movie, through “The Avengers,” and to the present has also made him a more likable lead. He’s been fleshed out since his earlier moments of arrogance and brawn witnessed in “Thor,” and has truly, as Odin states, proven himself a worthy hero.