The best part about “Thor: The Dark World” is walking out of the theater into the world and wondering why it doesn’t look like Asgard anymore.

Better than the first film, “The Dark World” brings suspense, laughs and a little bit of romance into a story that’s more fantastical than any other Marvel movie.

The first five minutes of the movie are a lesson in Nine Realms history.  But while Anthony Hopkins, as Odin of course, narrates a war of old, the viewer can’t help but think that it is more Middle Earth than Marvel Universe.

The universe started as darkness, you see, and out of that darkness bore the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves resented the light, so they attempted to use a powerful and mystical force called the Aether to return the Nine Realms, earth included, to darkness.

Odin’s father didn’t like this and managed to destroy the Dark Elves before the realms lined up and the Aether could be unleashed … or so he thought.

Turns out Malekith (Christopher Eccelston), the evilest Dark Elf and antagonist, escaped with some troops.  After sleeping silently in space for 5,000 years, the realms are ready to align and the Dark Elves are fighting for darkness once again.

In comes Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who while investigating an anomaly comes into contact with the Aether. Cue Thor.

The rest of the movie continues, as you’d expect: the powers of good fighting the powers of darkness, with some humor and some romance thrown in along the way.

Although Chris Hemsworth put in a solid performance as Thor, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) stole the show. Loki constantly keeps the audience guessing, but it’s best when the brothers are interacting with each other.

When unforeseen circumstances, caused by the Dark Elves of course, force Thor and Loki to work together, the audience is on the edge of their seats. Beneath every line of witty banter, lies the question every character in the movie and audience member is asking, “Will Loki betray Thor yet again?”

In my opinion, the best part of the movie is the dialogue. There were quite a few one-liners that had the whole theater laughing. The clever wit of the characters and even some physical humor in this action movie made me laugh more than most comedies do.

Besides the humor, the movie is visually impressive. The majestic and sparkling Asgard looked phenomenal, especially when contrasted with the desolate planet Svartalfheim, home of the Dark Elves. Even the effects on Earth were striking, with amazing tricks and angles thrown in to add to the confusion of battle.

Because what is a superhero movie without a battle? As far as epic fight scenes go, this one was excellent in my book. It didn’t overpower the film, as some movies are wont to do, and it wasn’t long enough to cause boredom.

The character relationships were a stronger focus in this film than the battle. I enjoyed watching the characters interact with each other, although, besides Loki, they are all very static.

Dynamic characters are something that this film lacks. While Thor can fire out a comeback to Loki’s quips, he is a relatively shallow character for a superhero. His personality is very one-sided, and although the film isn’t any worse because of it, it would be better with a little more character depth.

Another aspect that was lacking was the relationship between Thor and Jane. While it drove the plot of the movie in the beginning, there just wasn’t enough chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman to make the love seem believable. They seem more in love with each other when they’re talking about each other than when they’re actually together.

While the main characters remained static, what made up for it was the excellent work of the secondary characters. Towards the beginning of the movie, we see Jane on a date with “Bridesmaids’” Chris O’Dowd. Although he’s in the movie for a total of about ten minutes, he ends up being one of my favorite characters, due to his comments and his impeccable timing.

Kat Dennings as Jane’s intern also does a great job.  She’s funny and has a great relationship and great dialogue with all of the other characters.

Overall, I would recommend going to see “Thor: The Dark World.”  If you liked the first one, chances are you’ll like this one even more. There are twists and turns, laughter and tears and even an Avenger, who will remain nameless, makes an appearance.

And who knows?  Just maybe you’ll get the chance to escape to Asgard too.