Movie sequels are an inevitable part of life in today’s society. Where once a movie receiving a sequel was strange, its even stranger for a movie to not get a sequel. Some sequels change movies for the better, some for the worse. Fortunately, Thor: The Dark World improves upon the mediocre showing that was Thor.

The cast may be the same as the original, but it’s new director, Alan Taylor, has brought about a quite dramatic change. He’s no miracle worker though, and Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth still lack enough chemistry to make the audience really care about their relationship.

What they lack in chemistry is more than made up for with the chemistry between Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The brother dynamic, which was introduced in Thor and then more fleshed out in The Avengers, comes into prominence here. This is good, because the best moments are when Hiddleston and Hemsworth are onscreen together.

When talking about Thor: The Dark World, Lord of the Rings comparisons are inevitable. Much of the plot seems to be derived from Lord of the Rings, as well as many of the fight scenes. Unlike Lord of the Rings, however, the plot is a garbled mess, although it never actually impedes the flow of the movie. The movie begins with an elaborate fight scene reminiscent of the beginning of The Two Towers. Both of the these movies excel in costumes, with special mention going to the design of the dark elves. Additionally, while Thor had an almost cheap quality to it, Thor: The Dark World has excellent computer generated imagery, with one of the most believable CGI fantasy cities to be found anywhere.

Although Thor: The Dark World is one of the weaker Marvel movies, it is an entirely enjoyable fantasy action film.  If you can get past Natalie Portman’s horrific acting, that is.