While Thor 2: The Dark World might not be the best movie in the Marvel Universe, it’s a story that has to be told – much like how Ironman 3 was. If you come for the clash between hero and villain, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. If you come to swoon over Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, that’s more like it. But if you want to get the most out of this film, look past “The Dark World” and instead look at the stunning character growths this film explores.

Note: For the sake of spoilers, I will try to keep this review as general as possible. For a deeper look into the film and its Top 5 Moments, please see my article by the same name.

The film opens with a quick history lesson on Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston, and ‘The Dark World’ he rules over. Though despite having all this information thrown at you right off the bat, a lot of its associated plot seems very second gear. Yes there are plenty of fight scenes between Thor and the other Asguardians against Malekith and his Dark Elves. And yes, the final climax of this movie is Thor trying to stop Malekith plunging the entire universe into chaos. But it all seems placed on a second level of importance, as if its just background filler.

From the moment we see Loki talking with Frigga, his and Thor’s mother, we know that Loki’s place in this movie is more than just tying up loose ends from The Avengers. At the very center of this film, it’s all about family. Whether finishing a task Odin’s father should have finished or seeing if these two brothers can actually work together, the dynamics of Thor’s family is the real focus here.

Loki asks for Thor’s trust

Let me clarify that I think Thor 2: The Dark World is a great movie as well as a must see. There are some extremely important ideas and characters introduced which will not only play a huge role in the Avengers films, but also in Marvel’s more pressing Guardians of the Galaxy, which is set to be released July 31, 2014. What this film does for story is good, but its exploration of these characters is second to none.

One final thing to remember is that this is a Marvel movie. So stay in your seats until the credits are completely finished. There are two post credit scenes: One for the romantic in you, and another that is just as pivotal as when Nick Furry approached Tony Stark in the post credits of Ironman. Again, for an explanation of these scenes and more, please check out The Top 5 Moments of Thor 2: The Dark World.