Last Sunday the kids (haha, by kids I mean fresh college graduates) from my subdivision and I went out to see Thor: The Dark World. It was more than just a little random as far as outings go; we randomly messaged each other on Viber and voila, ten minutes later we were on our way to the mall.

A a couple of nights prior to seeing the film, I posted a survey on my Facebook page asking how my friends who’ve seen the film would rate it. Most of them didn’t quite give it raving reviews so I went in expecting the worst.

Well here’s my round-up: (Note that there may be spoilers. Read at your own risk.)

THE GOOD:

1. Chris Hemsworth’s neck. Seriously, this dude lost a lot of weight. I so don’t remember his neck being that long from the first film, it’s almost ridiculous. His body’s still buff as ever though, and viewers are rewarded a full half-minute’s worth of a glory shot. Amazing that this actor refuses to make this about his body, unlike some other actors out there *cough*Jacob from Twilight*cough*

2. Tom Hiddleston. Need I say more? The man is fantastic and it’s a total joy to see him onscreen. He’s brought out so many layers to Loki that it almost seems like the character’s an onion. A very hot, very pale onion with a posh British accent.

3. Kat Dennings. Yes, one can argue that Kat Dennings is just playing the same character over and over (and over) again but hey, if t’s not broken,right? She’s given a bigger role in this one and Darcy does more than just spit out entertaining quips; she actually pushes the plot forward. Well, sort of.

4. Asgard. I saw the first Thor film in 3D and I regretted it; now I regret not watching this one in 3D! I remember that they made Asgard out to look like a very modern place; now it looks more whimsical, more like the place where magic really happens. I don’t known how they did it, but they gave the place character. How..?!

5. Christopher Eccleston!!! Was this the reason why he’s not in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special? Granted, he’s underused in this film but hey, at least they didn’t have to use any effects to alter his voice.

THE BAD:

1. That it’s all about the girl. Very early into the film they made sure that the audience knew that this was going to be all about Natalie Portman. I guess this is the direction that Marvel’s taking with their post-Avengers movies? I mean, remember what this dis to Pepper Potts in the third Iron Man installment? I sort of don’t fight t because unlike Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman’s actually likable.

2. Zachary Levi as Fandral. No. Just, no. It just didn’t work, man, even if he was pulling from his inner Flynn Ryder.

3. Post-credit clip #2. Okay, it was put there to close out any questions about Jane and Thor but it was a bit annoying that that was what was waiting for me at the end of an eight minute credit roll. I guess at least they gave us two clips?

THE UGLY:

1. The Star Wars battles rip off. Okay, since I went into this film with no expectations whatsoever, it’d be pretty hard for anything they throw at me to piss me off. But this one did. I mean, what the hell was up with those cheesy battle scenes? They were obviously ripped off from Star Wars (hell, maybe ever Star Trek), it’s insulting. I get that it’s an alien battle and everything, but, but, but, they could’ve presented it in a more fitting way. They spent all that time making Asgard look mythical and they destroy it with lasers. Really? Really?

2. The gaping plot hole in the end. Yeah, I didn’t quite get that.

So that’s Thor: The Dark World from yours truly. Quite good, actually, and miles better than the first film. If anything the humor did it for me. Well, the humor and Tom Hiddleston.

Rating: 8.3/10