Thor: The Dark World

Theatrical Release Date: 2013 11 08 (USA - 3D) / 2013 11 08 (USA)

UPC: 786936841091

Studio: Walt Disney

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Sci-Fi Violence]

Summary: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to do battle with Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), the vengeful leader of a primordial race that seeks to destroy the Nine Realms, in this big-budget comic-book adventure set after the events of Marvel's The Avengers. With even Odin (Anthony Hopkins) unable to protect Asgard from the approaching darkness, the god of thunder reunites with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the world from certain destruction. Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, and Tadanobu Asano co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Fantasy

Features: Marvel one-shot: All Hail The King - an all-new Marvel short film!
Never-before-seen extended and deleted scenes!
Check out the hilarious gag reel!
Exclusive Look - Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier-
take a spectacular first look at the upcoming movie and its incredible cast of characters, including Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, Steve Rogers' new ally Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, and a mysterious emeny from the past...the Winter Soldier.
A Brother's Journey: Thor & Loki-explore two of the most iconic characters in the Marvel Universe with stars Chris Hemswort and Tom Hiddleston.
Scoring Marvel's Thor: The Dark World with Brian Tyler - go behind the scenes with the filmmakers and acclaimed composer Brian Tyler for a look at the creation of the movie's stunning original score.
Audio commentary- with director Alan Taylor, producer Kevin Feige, actor Tom Hiddleston and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau.

Thor: The Dark World

Release Date: 02/25/2014

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DHMA

Runtime: 112 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Jason Buchanan

Tony Stark may be brilliant, but Thor of Asgard earns his rightful status as Marvel's mightiest Avenger by smashing through the Shakespearean stuffiness of Kenneth Branagh's misguided origin story to deliver a genuinely satisfying sequel. Sweeping, smartly paced, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, Thor: The Dark World feels much more in tune with the playful tone of The Avengers than its own predecessor, thanks in large part to dedicated performances by a supremely talented cast and director Alan Taylor's talent for seamlessly blending awe-inspiring action with lighthearted comedy.

Having recently defended Earth from a massive interdimensional threat as part of the Avengers, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns home to restore the balance of peace to the Nine Realms as his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is sentenced to an eternity in an Asgard prison. Meanwhile in London, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is doing her best to move on when her eager assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) discovers an anomaly that defies the laws of physics. Upon further investigation, Jane is transported to the place where Odin's father Bor had once hidden a powerful, formless weapon -- known as the Aether -- after defeating the Dark Elves and preventing their malevolent leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) from using it to spread darkness throughout the universe.

Now infected with the Aether, Jane soon reunites with Thor, who transports her back to Asgard in the hope of healing her. But he's already too late, because Malekith has awoken from his centuries-long slumber and knows that Jane is the key to his plot.

With an important cosmic event known as the Convergence drawing near, Malekith wants to use the Aether to accomplish what Bor had once prevented. Using his evil assistant Algrim (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) to gain access to Asgard, Malekith launches an all-out invasion of the kingdom in a determined bid to recover his weapon. But Thor has other plans, and with the help of his allies on Asgard and Earth, he must destroy the Aether and make sure that Malekith is defeated once and for all.

In 2011's Thor, Kenneth Branagh endeavored to instill an air of nobility in a film genre typically known for featuring chiseled heroes in spandex suits. But despite his best efforts, the movie suffered from lackluster action, a muddled script, and awkward attempts at comic relief. Two short years and one wildly popular blockbuster (The Avengers) later, however, prolific television director Alan Taylor (Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Deadwood) and screenwriters Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely prove that you can teach an old god new tricks with a crowd-pleaser that succeeds at widening the scope of the first film while simultaneously giving the sibling-rivalry subplot real gravity. Somewhat unexpectedly, the massive melee that kicks off Thor: The Dark World feels more like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy than anything out of the Marvel universe. It's a smart move that not only plunges the audience right into the action, but also offers Taylor the chance to immediately display his comfort working on a larger canvas. And as the movie returns to Asgard, the writers shift their focus to the seismic tensions between Thor and his renegade sibling Loki, allowing the charismatic Hiddleston to once again steal virtually every scene he appears in.

If the writers can be accused of making any misstep, it's the fact that they once again fall back on the tiresome world-destroying-weapon-and-the-villain-who-covets-it scenario. Although, to be fair, Eccleston is genuinely chilling in the role of Malekith, and Taylor keeps the action moving at a satisfying pace that distracts from the comic-book clichés of the plot. His efforts are perfectly complimented by top-notch costume design by Wendy Partridge (Blade II, Hellboy), who outfits the Dark Elves in some eerily unsettling armor, and a rousing score by Brian Tyler, whose compositions summon an appropriate sense of majesty without ever growing overbearing.

From Anthony Hopkins to Zachary Levi, the cast of Thor: The Dark World all perform admirably in their roles, nailing the jokes and heroics with equal conviction (special mention goes to Stellan Skarsgård and his tighty whiteys for providing the film with some of its best comic beats). It all adds up to one of the rare sequels that surpasses the original in just about every way imaginable. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Carter Burwell  Composer (Music Score) 
Stan Lee  Executive Producer 
Louis D'Esposito  Executive Producer 
Alan Taylor  Director 
Nigel Gostelow  Executive Producer 
Brian Tyler  Composer (Music Score) 
Kevin Feige  Producer 
Victoria Alonso  Executive Producer 
Alan Fine  Executive Producer 
Christopher Markus  Screenwriter 
Stephen McFeely  Screenwriter 
Craig Kyle  Executive Producer 
Christopher Yost  Screenwriter 
Chris Hemsworth  Actor 
Natalie Portman  Actor 
Tom Hiddleston  Actor 
Stellan Skarsgård  Actor 
Idris Elba  Actor 
Christopher Eccleston  Actor 
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje  Actor 
Kat Dennings  Actor 
Ray Stevenson  Actor 
Zachary Levi  Actor 
Tadanobu Asano  Actor 
Jaimie Alexander  Actor 
Rene Russo  Actor 
Anthony Hopkins  Actor 
Alice Krige  Actor 
Clive Russell  Actor 
Jonathan Howard  Actor 
Ramone Morgan  Actor 
Obada Alassadi  Actor 
Imaan Chentouf  Actor 
Claire Brown  Actor 
Henry Calcutt  Actor 
Ava Estella Caton  Actor 
Abbie McCann  Actor 
Thomas Arnold  Actor 
Sam Swainsbury  Actor 
Connor Donaghey  Actor 
Royce Pierreson  Actor 
Annabel Norbury  Actor 
Sophie Cosson  Actor 
Chris O'Dowd  Actor 
Justin Edwards  Actor 
Gruffudd Glyn  Actor 
Richard Brake  Actor 
Stan Lee  Actor 
Steve Scott  Actor 
Brett Tucker  Actor 
Talulah Riley  Actor 
Richard Wharton  Actor 

Country: USA