Film has known nothing like the cinematic universe that Marvel has created. What Marvel has been able to pull off in the past five years has been unseen before in the history of film. Its comic book universe comprised of its finest heroes has been carefully planned and executed, creating an empire worth billions upon billions of dollars. “The Avengers” in 2012 introduced the world to the idea of bringing multiple superheroes together and fitting them all on one screen, culminating the careful work of the past five movies. The superhero team up film ended the first phase of Marvel movies in their new cinematic universe. “Iron Man 3” kicked off Phase Two, and now the world sees another Avenger bear the big screen. “Thor: The Dark World” welcomes back the God of Thunder, and pits him against a new enemy bent on controlling the universe.

Looking back, the 2011 predecessor “Thor” was nothing special; a successful attempt at introducing another Avenger. The film featured a good origin story, yet was marred by silly situations, ill-placed humor, and often-poor camera work. Perhaps the biggest issue, however, was the time spent away from Thor’s home, Asgard. Marvel has an immensely interesting universe to explore; yet instead, Thor is stuck on Earth keeping up with sub-par storyline. Even further, the absolute worst aspect of the original film was Kat Denning’s character. Her whole character was predicated on stupid one-liners and being as useless of a character a movie can create. Now, in 2013, we look ahead to the sequel in hopes that these problems are largely fixed, and that we can relish in the amazing superhero universe before our eyes.

“Thor: The Dark World” welcomes new director Alan Taylor, as the film departs from former director Kenneth Branagh. Taylor helms the movie that consists of a plot built from the story of Malekith, an ancient elf on a search for the Aether, a mythical weapon that could help him control the Nine Realms and spread his violence throughout. In all honesty, the main plot and the villain in the film are seriously under-par. First, the plot falls flat and is largely uninteresting, never truly captivating an audience and investing them into the storyline. Second, Malekith sure is a menacing looking villain, but he too is unexciting and never rises to his true potential as a character. The film still does have two other big bright spots that make the sequel a huge improvement over its predecessor. One of the chief problems the film fixes is the time spent on Asgard. Now, Thor can be seen fighting all over his own world instead of wasting time on Earth. The audience gets a chance to discover the beautiful and remarkable world that Marvel has created, often delving deep into various spaces of it’s complex universe. Also, Marvel’s best character, Loki, is front and center, receiving a great amount of screen time, still leaving fans wanting more and more of the amazing character.

Next, the writing in “Thor: The Dark World” is nothing special, yet gets the job done in moving the plot along. Both Earth and non-Earth characters are written well for the most part, and give the film a sense of character. One of the blemishes, however, comes in the often ill-timed and ill-placed humor. The jokes are condescending, sometimes taking an audience out of the moment.

Moving forward, the acting is one of the huge pluses of the film. There exists no better person that Chris Hemsworth to play Thor. He fits the role so perfectly, and executes the character almost flawlessly. Christopher Eccleston as the main villain Malekith is good, and while I conveyed my disappointment with the character as a whole earlier, Eccleston is not at fault, as the shortcomings of the character go in the writing and directing. Natalie Portman as the leading lady, Jane Foster, was fairly good, yet she was often taken down by bad writing and put in silly situations, much like the first Thor. Stellan Skarsgard as Dr. Erik Selvig was great, having the best comic relief moments in the whole film. The legendary Anthony Hopkins, returning to his role as Odin, is also great, receiving an increase in valuable screen time over the first film.

Let me take a moment to vent my anger towards Kat Dennings, and more specifically, her character Darcy Lewis. First, I have never seen Dennings in any other role, such as her popular role in CBS’s “Two Broke Girls,” so I do not know the full range of her acting abilities. But dear God, she is so unbelievably bad in this movie. Literally, her whole character is written on dumb and unneeded one-liners that detract from the movie as a whole. Also, her love interest with some sort of intern in the movie is so stupid and completely unnecessary. If only Marvel could simply kill her character off, but I can only wish.

Let me also dedicate some special discussion over who I believe is the best character in the entire Marvel cinematic universe: Loki. Tom Hiddleston is utterly perfect as Thor’s adopted brother, and he brings the character to life every time he pops up on screen. Loki’s interplay with other characters, specifically, Thor, is great, and all audiences could ask for is more of this marvelous character.

In the end, the biggest takeaway from “Thor: The Dark World” is it’s sheer aesthetic beauty. This is perhaps the best a superhero film has ever looked. The cinematography, special effects, practical costumes and makeup make this film an absolutely beautifully spectacle to look upon. The fight sequences, the changing between worlds, the simple scenes of dialogue all look gorgeous and are accompanied by wonderful sound, lighting, and editing.

Without spoiling anything, the film features an incredibly funny and totally appropriate cameo, and an after credit scene that puts a cherry on top of the film. It is the mid-credit scene, however, that deserves special attention. Again, without spoiling much, the mid-credit scene is absolutely perfect, and sets up Marvel’s future nicely.

“Thor: The Dark World”, even with it’s sub-par plot and villain, along with its misplaced humor, is truly a magnificent superhero blockbuster, worthy of the Marvel cinematic universe. Its lush cinematography and incredible special effects mixed with the unforgettable characters of Thor and Loki all create a film that is a true spectacle to enjoy and cherish. The world that Marvel is creating in film unparalleled, and as dedicated fans and normal moviegoers alike, all we can do is appreciate what is before us