Hiddleston dominates ‘Thor: The Dark World’

by Alexis Gentry · Published November 8, 2013 · Updated June 13, 2014

Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth as Loki and Thor in 'Thor: The Dark World'

Believe it or not, Chris Hemsworth’s outrageously chiseled bod wasn’t my favorite part of Thor: The Dark World. While our titular hero was gorgeous and entertaining, this second entry in the stand-alone Thor movies (those of the non-Avengers variety) was dominated by none other than Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s charmingly villainous brother, Loki.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

In this installment, Thor and the gang from Asgard must fight a dark elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccelston) who seeks to unleash the power of the Aether, an all-powerful dark energy source that seems to take the form of gooey red liquid, to bring darkness to the Nine Realms. The Aether requires a human host (for some reason) and—wouldn’t you know it—Thor’s girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), just so happens to accidentally come in contact with the mysterious fluid and become it’s carrier. Portman and Hemsworth have fun on-screen chemistry and their scenes convey heart, humor, and just a little bit of sexiness.

Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth in 'Thor: The Dark World'

But Thor needs help in his quest to stop Malekith from using the Aether during the rare alignment of the Nine Realms, and even his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), can’t swoop in and save the day. So, he has to fight fire with fire and employ the aid of his brother, who kinda-sorta almost destroyed New York in The Avengers. Loki’s in big trouble for his psychotic antics, and Thor is uncertain if he can trust him, or if he will be double-crossed, just as he has been in the past.

Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins as Odin in 'Thor: The Dark World'

This is where the fun really begins. As much as I love Portman and Hemsworth, as much as there are funny moments between Darcy (Kat Dennings) and her new intern, Ian (Jonathan Howard), as much as I enjoyed seeing Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) go full-on cray cray at Stonehenge, and as much as I enjoyed getting a lot more Heimdall (Idris Elba), Tom Hiddleston totally owns this movie. He’s such a delightful villain, as we all saw on display in The Avengers, and he’s a joy in every frame. Just like Thor, you want to trust him, but you also know his reputation and assume that a malicious turn is coming. Loki is just so much fun to watch.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki in 'Thor: The Dark World'

While the film doesn’t quite live up to the 2011 franchise debut, it does feature big effects, some great, hammer-wielding fight sequences, and those famed Hemsworth abs—which was basically reason enough for me to see it. Overall, it’s a fun action movie that will make you root for the charismatic bad guy…while also enjoying the gorgeousness that is Chris Hemsworth.