By Karan Dholakia

Thor 2: The Dark World is the next entry in Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The allusions to the other films in the universe really does get you pumped up for what's set to come.

The involvement of Christopher Yost as a screenwriter and Alan Taylor at the helm just made the film that much better; with Yost's background already in the Marvel Universe and Taylor with a significant amount of experience Directing some notable works, including a number of Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, to name a few.

Watching The Dark World, the first 30 minutes or so do not feel like a Marvel film. Sure, there are the little nods to the Universe, but it felt more like Game of Thrones (Which isn't a bad thing), minus the Dragons. This time around, we get to see a lot more of Asgard, and it really is beautiful. It's not just the view of the organ pipes. No no. We're talking people, fauna, other locations and vehicles, too. This is a lot more than just a Marvel film. This was exploring the character of Thor as well as the relationship between himself and Loki. We also got to see a couple of the other Nine Realms; Svartalfheim and Vanaheim.

It's after this initial half hour that things really start to kick off.

Once we leave Asgard we get to see a  get back to Earth we see the second part of the action begin. What follows is some of the best action we get to see in a Marvel film since, I guess The Avengers. Which is only two films ago. Okay, still, the point remains.

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are on top form here, Hiddleston certainly took the spotlight though, his timing and delivery made his scenes hilarious and memorable. Hemsworth, naturally, did fantastic as The God of Thunder.

As far as humour goes, The Dark World contained far more than the first, and allowed for a better watch. There's a special cameo that was unexpected, but it was sheer brilliance. Kat Dennings had a lot more room to shine, the first film she existed merely to provide a small amount of comic relief, but this time around, the balance of the characters' humour allowed Dennings to be more than just comic relief.

The development and involvement of some of the minor characters from the first was a nice touch, notably Idris Elba as Heimdall, who was given a tad more screen time and dialogue. It was especially interesting to seem him sit at a table having a 'normal' conversation with another character. Heimdall almost 'loosened up'; and it was fun to see.

Towards the end we see Thor make certain decisions that will directly impact the future. Take note, there are TWO post-credit sequences. The second is more significant than the first. It's this one that leads straight into Guardians of The Galaxy, which is the next film after The Winter Soldier, Captain America's next outing on the big screen. Hopefully it'll provide more than the first flick did.

Thor: The Dark World is an awesome entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's only the second film in Phase Two. It's about to get better.

8.5/10