Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns in “Thor: The Dark World,” a hilarious film with gorgeous views and amazing special effects.

The Nine Realms are finally at peace thanks to Thor and his warriors, but a powerful weapon is found for the first time in millennia. Thor’s human girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), came into contact with the weapon and is now being used as a host body.

The Aether is a weapon of darkness and destruction that, if used at the right time, can revert all the realms back into their original state of darkness. The convergence, the one time every 5000 years that all the realms overlap, is occurring in a few days.

The Dark Elves, the enemies of the Asgardians, return to continue a war from before the time of light. To accomplish their goal of bringing the nine realms back into darkness, the Elves need the Aether which is currently using Foster as a host.

The Dark Elves are, quite ironically, led by bleach-blond Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). Whether he hopes to become a brunette by using a weapon that turns everything into darkness is unclear.

Malekith and the Elves prove to be quite a handful for Thor, forcing him to resort to asking Loki (Tom Hiddleston) for help. Loki agrees because Malekith killed his mother Frigga (Rene Russo), Loki’s most cherished person besides himself.

Loki provides the audience with dramatic scenes and dry humor. By playing dead after getting stabbed in the chest, Loki weasels out of an agreement with Thor and is later able to realize his dream of becoming king. The scene with Loki’s “death” is so dramatic that it’s almost humorous. The camera constantly switches from Thor’s anguished face to Loki’s paling one, making Loki seem chalk-white when he finally “dies.”

“Thor: The Dark World” provides the audience with the most breathtaking view they have seen all year. Its beauty far surpasses “Gravity” and even the gorgeous and surrealistic “Ender’s Game.”

The Elves’ raid on Asgard leaves the queen and hundreds of soldiers dead, leading to a stunning scene. Fire, endless waterfalls, and crystalline-white spheres combine to create a mesmerizing and unforgettable scene.

This movie is an action/adventure and sci-fi/fantasy with a runtime of 101 minutes. It is rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and intense sci-fi action/violence. It is directed by Alan Taylor and stars Hemsworth, Portman, Eccleston, Hiddleston, Russo, Stellan Skarsgård, and Idris Elba.