Thor (Marvel, 2011)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

All you Norse god lovers out there, there's new casting news out of Marvel Studios about Thor!

http://jainhollie.com/random/thor.jpg
Thor - Chris Hemsworth (recently seen as James T. Kirk's father in Star Trek)

http://jainhollie.com/random/loki.jpg
Loki - Tom Hiddleston

http://jainhollie.com/random/janefoster.jpg
Jane Foster - Natalie Portman

Article Link (http://marvel.com/news/moviestories.8745.Thor_Update%7Ecolon%7E_Portman_C ast_as_Jane_Foster)

Marvel Studios announced today that Academy Award® nominated actress Natalie Portman has been cast to star as Jane Foster in the studio's highly anticipated movie "Thor."

In the early "Thor" comics, Jane Foster was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation.

Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce "Thor." Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the US on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

[Dasquian Belargic]

oh hey Thor is pretty bada


Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.

ffffffffffffffffffucccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk

[Darth Phantom]

:(

I was excited about it until I saw that.

[Captain Untouchable]

I'm not sure that Kenneth Branagh will do a bad job, actually. I've seen some of the other stuff he's directed from way back, and while they were Shakespeare and a little dated (late 80s / early 90s), the direction involved in adapting them from a stage production to a "live" movie type thing was pretty good. His version of Henry V was the "best" of the ones we were forced to sit through in English classes.

He seems to pretty much specialise in converting stage-plays into movies, so he's used to thinking about things in that way. He's perhaps not the obvious choice, but that he won't be able to pull it off.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I suppose it's a mercy that he isn't actually starring in the movie. That's when I find him the most insufferable (see: Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing in particular) :x The man just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.

[Hartus Kenobi]

I thought he was a pretty good Professor Lockheart. Anyway, this is the movie I'm most nervous about, but if its good, it'll be my dream come true. Thor was always a huge favorite of mine growing up.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Well, he was pretty much playing a self-obsessed ass then so of course he did it well :mneh :lol and anyway, he didn't direct himself in Harry Potter. That's what I take issue with, but as I said, he isn't actually appearing in Thor so maybe he will do a good job and give the movie the epic grandeur it deserves!

[Lilaena De'Ville]

New casting news - Anthony Hopkins has joined and will be playing Odin, Thor's father.

http://weblogs.variety.com/bfdealmemo/2009/10/hopkins-joins-thor-.html

[Yog]

Anthony Hopkins multiplies my interest level in this project by a factor of 5.

[Darth Turbogeek]

Anthony Hopkins multiplies my interest level in this project by a factor of 5.

Why? It's an easy payday, he'll phone it in.

[Droo]

I have to agree with Mark here. I love Anthony Hopkins but lately, the things I've seen from him, have been a bit lazy and unimpressive.

[Yog]

Maybe he has been on autopilot lately, but I can envision him as an one eyed God. He fits the role perfectly. He also has the experience. I'm more concerned about his younger colleagues whether they will pull off believable performances.

[Dasquian Belargic]

http://www.collider.com/2010/07/20/thor-movie-image-new-chris-hemsworth-comic-con/

Another image of Thor himself. Oh my.

[Tear]

Anyone else worried about how ridiculous the costumes for this movie look?

[Droo]

George Kirk has beefed up! :eek

Edit: The costumes are gay.

[Vansen Tyree]

It's a movie based on characters from a comic book. Why on earth would we be worried about gay-looking costumes?

Surely that's a fate we should have resigned ourselves to already? :mneh

[Tear]

It's a movie based on characters from a comic book. Why on earth would we be worried about gay-looking costumes?

Surely that's a fate we should have resigned ourselves to already? :mneh

Dunno, I would have to disagree there. You can usually tell a lot about how good a movie is going to be by it's costume design.

Batman and Robin vs Batman Begins for example. Especially one with goofy looking rubber suits with nipples on them. BUT, I am just looking at stills of the actors in the costumes so who knows how good it'll look on screen. Hopefully it comes off more like armor/chainmail, then rubber.:lol

[Lilaena De'Ville]

That picture where he's all wet is... *fans self* HOT.

I'm going to see it no matter what the costumes look like, so I'll reserve final judgment for after I've seen the final product.

[Figrin D'an]

I would expect the costuming for Thor to be a bit over the top. Norse gods and subtlety aren't exactly synonymous.

On another note, I actually kind of like the adaptations to the Captain America costume.

[Lykaios]

Here's Odin, Loki and Thor

http://marvel.com/news/moviestories.13218.thor_movie~colon~_first_look_at _thor,_odin~and~loki

[Dasquian Belargic]

...Odin :lol:lol:lol

[Malick Raine]

Well at least Loki isn't wearing that silly Horned crown thing he does in the comic's. Little bit disapointed in there choice for Thor. Simply because I prefer the Thor that comes off as somewhat frail and weak before he finds the Hammer then transforms into mister muscles.

[Arya Ravenwing]

http://www.collider.com/2010/07/19/thor-movie-image-hall-asgard-high-resolution-supporting-cast-image/ Silly horned crown thingy you say? :mischief

[Atreyu]

Comic-Con's Thor trailer has been leaked online:

Linky poo (http://thefilmstage.com/2010/07/29/thor-trailer/?utm_source=wordtwit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wordtwit)

[Darth Turbogeek]

Comic-Con's Thor trailer has been leaked online:

Linky poo (http://thefilmstage.com/2010/07/29/thor-trailer/?utm_source=wordtwit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wordtwit)


Someone leak it back, it's crap

[Dasquian Belargic]

http://www.geekosystem.com/thor-official-trailer/

Official trailer :)

[Oliver Queen]

I want this movie's babies.

:ohno

[Jedi Master Carr]

It looks pretty good, who is the big bad guy in the armor during the end of the trailer? I am not up on Thor's villains besides Loki.

[Darth Turbogeek]

Yawn. Looks like another CGI fest without a plot or a clue

[Droo]

Yawn. Looks like another CGI fest without a plot or a clue

I agree, that trailer lacks any kind of appeal for me, sadly.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Some new TV spots: http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/161340-better-quality-thor-tv-spots

I am actually pretty excited about this.

[Atreyu]

Those TV spots probably have some of the best shots seen thus far, but I can't seem to get myself interested in this film - my reactions to this have been the polar opposite of Captain America (which has been getting me more and more excited with each new trailer and photo). :\

[Lilaena De'Ville]

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Little Thor :3

[Mu Satach]

:lol

that was awesome

[Darth Turbogeek]

So I was bored and caught a pre-screening.

It's surprised me in being not awful, the trailers really arent good but the movie itself is ..... passable entertainment. Well maybe better than just passable, it's utterly silly, it's self aware it's silly but it's rather engaging too so it thence gets a quality to it that works. VERY good effects I must say.

I wouldnt line up to see it but eh, there's worse movies to see, that's for sure.

[Captain Untouchable]

Saw this yesterday, straight after work.

SPOILER FREE:

I really enjoyed it, and I think Ken has put together a really well-balanced movie. The plot is ellegantly simple: if you've seen the trailers, you can pretty much piece together most of what happens. If you've read a comic, or a wiki page, then you can pretty much see everything coming. Rather than try to work against that with a twisty, turny plot, Brannagh has reduced it down to the simplicity of a myth or legend, and spent the movie focussing on telling the story in the best way possible.

I don't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment by over-hyping it, so the only other thing I'll say outside of spoiler tags is: STAY TO THE END. Unlike in the previous three Marvel Studios / Avengers movies, the after-credits scene actually reveals plot points for the Avengers, rather than just being a token cameo. For those who don't know, that's the cosmic cube that Fury has: an artifact that the Red Skull is trying to get his hands on during the Captain America movie, which comes out next month.

THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE:

Awesome hammer is awesome! They did a really good job of making the whole throwing a hammer around look fairly cool.

I loved that Loki wasn't just a villain. They played the whole adoption thing really well; they also wove the trickster elements in a very clever way. I loved that scene where he visited Thor in the cell... fantastic development for both, and incredibly well played by both actors.

I love how the movie left us wanting more - not because it held back, but because it alluded to things along the way. The best example of this is the band of mighty adventurers at the beginning: I would love to see a prequel made about those six (Loki included - hence a prequel!), just because the interplay between them worked so well.

They actually did something with the fan service. Rather than a cameo by Hawkeye after the credits, they worked it into the movie in a constructive way... though they did have the "nod to the fans" bit when he picked his bow over a gun. The Donald Blake reference had the nod with the name badge on the clothes, but was then actually turned into something meaningful later on in the story, with it's use as a fake alias. And the after-credits scene actually being used for a plot-driven purpose, rather than just being a cheesy cameo, was awesome. Added Captain America spoiler: The after-credits scene in First Avenger is going to have Cap transported to the future and meeting Nick Fury: so again, that's actually serving a plot purpose, rather than just going "Look, look! Avengers! Wooooooo!"

There was pleanty of fighting, but it isn't mindless "action movie" fighting. They put the main fight scenes at the beginning, and used them to establish / showcase the characters, so they didn't need to do any fan service at the ending. That allowed the final battles to be character-driven and beautifully short. Thor gets his hammer, and the destroyer is toast inside sixty seconds. There was no "epic boss fight" with Loki: Thor could have smashed Loki to pieces, but he didn't - he achieved his victory another way. I really like that approach, and hope the next batch of superhero movies were taking notes.

The casting was superb, as was the characterisation. I already mentioned the awesomeness of Sif and the Warriors Three. Nathalie Portman was perfect, though I think any woman I ever meet is now going to be a terrible disappointment. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleson were great.

The stand-out "casting surprise" for me though was Heimdall. After so much uproar on the internet about the choice of a non-white actor, I was genuinely impressed. He carried the part off so well, and with the deep voice and the cliché "stoic black guy" style, I'm surprised that no one thought to have a black Heimdall before now. Like the whole movie, it just hit the nail right on the head.

THEORIES FOR SEQUELS:

In mythology - and the comics - Sif is Thor's wife. When Thor goes to Earth (in the comics) he looses his memory, falls in love Jane Foster, and then we get the an awkward love triangle. Knowing that Joss Whedon is a massive comic fan, and having seen what Ken did with this one, I'm expecting some sort of romance to start between Thor and Sif in Asgard (as Thor looses hope of being able to get back to Earth). Maybe not a full-blown thing, but I'm definately expecting them to go there.

Selvig is now posessed (?) by Loki. With the Bifrost broken, I think it's a fairly safe bet that Thor returning to Earth is going to be a significant part of the story, rather than him just being around as and when needed. I would guess then that Loki is going to be involved in the plot in a big way, but I don't think he alone is a big enough threat to warrant the Avengers coming together. First Avenger may prove me wrong, but my money is on Loki somehow manipulating Hydra into trying to get the Cosmic Cube back: rather than the movies resorting to an alien invasion as per the comics.

That said, the Avengers is a Joss Whedon movie. Even if he doesn't involve the Skrulls directly, I wouldn't put it past him to set them up to possibly feature in Avengers 2.

[Zereth Lancer]

Just got back from seeing it. Amazing. I cannot say anything that was not said above. It is definitely one of the best comic book movies made so far, right up there with Iron Man. The scene where Thor gets his hammer, and powers, back had me genuinely wanting to jump out of my chair and cheer.

[Mu Satach]

Fine high quality cheese. Will be added to the home collection someday.

That is all I have to say.

[Park Kraken]

CGI Fest, but in a good way. Never saw any of the Thor comics or cartoons, same with Avengers, but I was rooted to my seat for most of the moive anyways. :lol

The only scene that really suprised me though was Loki's double cross of the Frost Giants. Knowing none of the background on the series, I was expecting his heritage revelation to sow the seeds of him betraying Azgard completley.

[Tom Harriman]

Interesting fact I discovered while reading researchy type stuff earlier - Laufey is (according to mythology) a girl. She's certainly a very manly girl in the movie... :uhoh

Gotta agree, Park - that last double-cross was the only scene that surprised me as well. I thought for a moment there'd be a glimmer of "heroic" redemption for Loki: that it was all some ellaborate trick to lure the king of the Frost Giants to Asgard, and kill him in a way that was politically "acceptable" for the other Aesir. Only for a fleeting second though... turns out Loki is a wounded child; which somehow makes him seem all the more dangerous. How can you reason with a petulent child?

[Anna Fernandez]

Saw it tonight- it was awesome! Highly recommend you go see it. :D

[Crusader]

I had some mixed feelings. My girlfriend and I had the feeling that not much happened in those 2 hours but those 2 hours went by pretty fast.

[Anna Fernandez]

Ok a better review from me:

I really enjoyed this movie - I didn't know what to really expect from a Kenneth Branaugh directed comic book movie but Thor certainly delivers on everything you want from a movie, let alone a super hero movie about a being from another world with god-like powers. Chris Hemsworth's performance was amazing, and I'm not just talking about his incredible physique. His emotional arc from self-centered prince to - well i don't want to ruin it but lets just say it was utterly believable. There was a lot crammed into this movie, but it never felt overstuffed. The pacing was quick but not confusing. All in all IT WAS SO GOOD go watch it right away.

And yes his body is incredible I want :ohno

[Tom Harriman]

There was nothing good on TV this evening, so I got over my wariness about seeing this a second time (in case it wasn't as good), and went to my local cinema. I've never been in there before: the screens are tiny, the projector was slightly lopsided, and it wasn't the 3D IMAX experience I had the first time.

I think I actually enjoyed the movie more, if that's possible. The thing that struck me this time was the violence. It's not overdone. These people are either Gods, or the next best thing: we get our epic fight scene when the superfantastic sextet beat down the Frost Giants. The rest of the violence in the movie, whether it's Heimdall dispatching two Frost Giants with two strokes of his sword, Thor and Loki beating on each other, the Warriors Three and Sif doing their awesome teamwork attack on the Destroyer, or Thor pretty much exploding the Destroyer in one or two hits, is right in the Goldilocks Zone. It isn't too easy... but it's just enough to describe exactly what the scene needs it to, without devolving into a actionactionaction movie.

I'm sorry though, Nathalie Portman... Liz told me you're a vegan, so I'm afraid I've gone off you now. Jaimie Alexander on the other hand... :love