Thor: The Dark World

When the invading aliens spoke gibberish and the audience was shown subtitles, I realized that the Shakespearean Ice Giants from Kenneth Branagh’s first movie were long gone, and that the latest chapter of "Thor" wouldn’t be about the invaders or the plot. It’s about Thor’s relationships with his father, his brother, and the woman. And that’s not a bad thing. It doesn’t make for a lot of world-ending jeopardy or juicy, comic-book mayhem, but it strengthens Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of Thor so he’s not just a ruggedly handsome douche-bag in a cape. It’s an enjoyable and entertaining chapter of the saga, even if the stakes are low.