Of the Phase One movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor was the one that seemed least likely to succeed.  Iron Man felt familiar as a superhero story, while Captain America had a mass appeal, but Thor was unusual.  It had a Shakespearean family drama involving gods combined with a fish-out-of-water story and a bit of romance.  The question was whether viewers could buy an immortal, Norse god as a superhero on the big screen.  It was a surprise success, however, and in my view was the key film in setting up The Avengers, both in laying the plot foundation and in expanding the expectations of audiences.

So here we are two years later with Thor: The Dark World.   Continue reading →