'Thor: The Dark World"

Another year, another Marvel movie. The story begins several thousand years ago, when the warriors of Asgard stop the Dark Elves from using their mega-weapon, the Aether, to destroy the universe. Elf leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) escapes and lies low for a few millenniums.

Fast forward to the present day, when Malekith awakens, the Aether is reactivated and the peace within the Nine Realms as policed by superhero Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is shattered. On Earth, scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) — Thor's long-distance girlfriend — is sucked into a wormhole and emerges with strange powers. A concerned Thor hurries to Earth, against orders from his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins).

Thor's attempted partnership with brother Loki, who wreaked havoc on the whole universe peacekeeping thing in

"The Avengers," is hard to swallow. Still, it's a mighty enjoyable romp (sorry), though our very own Tadanobu Asano as Hogun gets a thin sliver of screen time before exiting. A shame. He could have done more good among those muscular blondes.