Very entertaining, but a few things keep it from being great. The film follows up nicely from the first “Thor” film and “The Avengers.” All the major storylines with each character gets addressed in some form. The designs of all the characters and sets took what they had in the previous film and add a bit more grittiness to everything. However, there’s a very Star Wars vibe to all the new technology and many of the action sequences. This is not a bad thing, but there’re a few moments in the finale where the humor is almost too much. It’s not Jar Jar Binks bad, but it kills the mood a bit. The dynamic between the main characters keeps you invested, particularly between Loki, Thor and their parents. This includes an incredibly moving and visually stunning sequence in the middle of the film. The new villain, Malekith, is a bit of a letdown. While he looks cool and is a major threat, his motivation isn’t much more than him being then him being evil. There are two post credit scenes to watch out for. One a few minutes in and one after the credits are completely over. I ended up seeing the 3D version of the film, which was not bad as far as 3D goes. It was almost worth it just for the exclusive “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” footage.
***1/2 out of *****