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Portman's Still not Working as an Astrophysicist Thor: The Dark World (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS The writers of Thor: Dark World (112 minutes) decided to steal from Tolkien, replacing the Big Bad Frost Giants with Big Bad Dark Elves, and that's not the only change. The glittering clean, bright color scheme used by Thor director Kenneth Branagh is supplanted by Dark World director Alan Taylor's (Game of Thrones) grittier, dusty canvas. Branagh's emphasis on Shakespearean father/son conflict is replaced with a more tepid and wannabe clever subplot involving bringing Loki (Tom Hiddleston) back into the fold and counting the minutes until his inevitable betrayal of Thor (Chris Hemsworth). I preferred the original, but I'm not a huge fan of Thor anyway. Most of the original cast returns; Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) and Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander) are back. New to the cast is Zachary Levi replacing Joshua Dallas as Fandral. For the most part, these characters are afterthoughts. While I didn't do a time comparison, it seems like they get less screen time and have less to do. Plot summaries insist that this sequel explores the Thor/Lady Sif romance angle but frankly, I didn't see it. A few significant glances and some banter do not a romance make. Also returning is Stellan Skarsgaard as Dr. Eric Selvig, apparently getting paid big money to act like a complete lunatic and run around in varying states of nudity. His explanation? Some prattling about how being possessed by a god was disorienting. Natalie Portman returns as Dr. Jane Foster, still completely improbable as an astrophysicist but with fabulously smoky eyes. The film begins with a sort of fairytale. Bor (Tony Curran), the father of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), battles dark elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston, the 9th Doctor Who) and Algrim (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Malekith loses, despite his habit of using mysterious red-veined rocks to turn his soldiers into super- powered dark elves who die at rates that conveniently vary from sooner to later. He manages to escape into suspended animation with a few trusted wingmen, leaving his secret weapon called "Aether" behind. So, can this powerful weapon be destroyed so as to eliminate any future threat? No? Ok then, let's just store it in a handy stone pillar and assume that no other evil forces will bother to look for it. In present-day Asgard, the plot picks up soon after the events depicted in The Avengers. Thor is working with The Warriors Three (plus one Lady) to pacify the nine realms following the reconstruction of the Rainbow Bridge that was destroyed in the first Thor. I wonder if Thor has made any plans to visit Jane on Earth now that the bridge is fixed since he didn't manage to stop by the last time he was on Earth battling aliens? If not, she is going to be sort of mad. Speaking of Jane, she is hanging out with Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). They have found an anomaly which eventually sends Jane to the stone pillar where the Aether is stored, which finally gets Thor to stop by and say hello. Then, some other stuff happens that sort of sounds science-y but which is mostly made up nonsense. Then, Thor decides that destroying the Aether is not impossible, so he will take care of that with his hammer and they will be home in time for tea (Spoiler: He's wrong). Plot "twists" abound, and we get to see Queen Frigga (Rene Russo) fight with a sword and Loki work on his Daddy issues. All in all, not a terrible entry for the ninth addition to the Marvel Universe series. Stick around for the two after credit sequences. Now showing at Wynnsong HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandMarket Fair 15. comingweekly.com. We Are Your Credit Union You are eligible for membership as an employee of: The City of Fayetteville The County of Cumberland PWC Cape Fear Valley Health System All Federal Employees Anyone who lives or works in Cumberland County, visit our website for a complete listing www.BraggMutualFCU.com Several Convenient Locations: 2917 Village Drive • Fayetteville, NC • 910-488-3515 219 N. Main Street • Spring Lake, NC • 910-436-1894 201 Hay St., Ste. 101C • Fayetteville, NC • 910-484-2379 20 UCW NOV. 27 - DEC. 3, 2013 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM