By Zach Schanzenbach 

Staff Writer 

There are hundreds of superheroes nowadays, but how many of them are gods? At least one, that’s for sure.

When Marvel’s demigod from Asgard made his big-screen debut in 2011, Thor’s film didn’t have quite as big an impact as Iron Man or Captain America. But it’s still a good watch. Thor returned a year later alongside our aforementioned heroes and others to stop his brother Loki’s evil plans in The Avengers. Now after another year, Thor is back for more.

Thor: The Dark World engrosses its audience more than its 2011 predecessor.  While Thor placed more focus on the Asgardian’s character development than on super awesome action scenes those superhero movies are known for, The Dark World involves a lot more action than anything.

So what is our demigod hero (Chris Hemsworth) up against this time? An evil elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) wants to destroy the universe with a destructive weapon known as the Aether (must be a South Pole elf…). With a crazy dimensional fissure of sorts coming to Earth, the destructive liquid finds a way to seep into the bloodstream of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Thor’s human love interest from Earth. For about the first 50 minutes, nothing goes right for our hero and he is finally driven to such desperation that he actually busts his brother out of prison.  This is where the film gets much more interesting, starting off with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) making some rather hilarious comments that make Jane’s comic-relief intern look rather bland.

As for the crazy dimensional fissure that comes to Earth at the climax of the movie, well, let’s just say that gravity is defied and a portal of sorts is created. When I say portal, don’t be thinking of Loki’s portal at the climax of Avengers. This one is much more chaotic.

The story as a whole is well-done, although it leaves a little ambiguity about what’s become of Thor’s father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Hemsworth and Hiddleston do a fine job creating tension between the two brothers, and ultimately the viewer’s expectations are turned completely upside down.

When all is said and done, if you thought Thor was somewhat slow compared to other Marvel productions, then you’ll have no problem with The Dark World.  It’s a worthy watch.