Sadly, it’s the villains that lack any real depth. The motivations of Malekith and his enforcer Kurse feel vague at best. They want to make the universe dark, okay but then what? Their roles are treated as little more than the basic varieties of big boss and brutish underling that we’ve seen again and again. They never have opportunity to captivate the audience, and have little impact on the film. A little more artistry would have gone a long way in developing these characters.

Related: The Avengers Review

Comedy can be a tricky thing in these films. Some mirthful moments involving the scatterbrained Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and aloof Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) succeed at bringing the comic relief. Then again, there are moments that just feel so out-of-place. For example, when Thor takes the subway during the film's climax just so a female patron can press up against him and become all dewy-like (We get it lady, he’s hot). A scene like that may have worked under less dire circumstances, but with all worlds about to end, scenes like this detract from the moments Urgency.

Thor: The Dark World may lack some of the wonder and heart of its predecessor, but it is a far cry from a horrible installment. Even with an overly simplistic plot, The Dark World should succeed at being entertaining enough to keep audience off their iPhone’s.

Well… at least for for most of the Film.

Final Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)