The first trailer for the sequel to Marvel’s “Thor” is out. “Thor: The Dark World” takes place after the events of “The Avengers” and in it, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must battle an ancient race of Dark Elves who are threatening the entire universe.
In this trailer, we get some glimpses of action as well as romance — Thor’s human love interest, Jane (Natalie Portman) is back and this time she gets to visit Thor’s home in Asgard. Also, back? Thor’s deceitful brother and Avengers’ big bad, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Looks like he might still be up to a few tricks this time around, but will he step up to protect his home and even his brother? Those of us with siblings know that it’s one thing to pick on your own brother or sister, but it’s not cool for someone else to do it. Loki’s only briefly in this trailer though, so speculate away as to what his plans are.
“Thor: The Dark World” will be in theaters November 8, 2013. Alan Taylor, whose work we’ve loved on “Game of Thrones,” directs.
What happens when you take the classic story of Snow White, crank up up the dark and supernatural dial, have it take place in Westeros or Middle Earth, and throw in breathtaking landscapes and visually stunning battle scenes? You are off to creating an incredibly intriguing film. Now you add in Twilight star Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Thor hearthrob Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and the Oscar Winning Charlize Theron as the evil queen Ravenna. Now your film is about to blow itself up because it is full of so much awesome.
But is a uniquely adaptive idea, killer graphics team and actor-arsenal of big names enough to make what has the potential to be one of the best films of the summer? (Come on… we all know The Dark Knight Rises already has a placeholder for that title)
The answer is… eh, sort of.
I definitely give Snow White and the Huntsman an A.
A for Awesome Almost Awesome. and this is why.
All hype aside, this film does have a lot of really great things going on. First of all, the dark adaptation is incredibly appealing- especially when compared to ‘Mirror Mirror’, the other Snow White adaptation starring Julia Roberts, which came out just a few months prior. The landscape, graphics, color schemes lighting and costumes are all top notch and set up incredibly well. It is such a visually appealing film there are scenes and images that will forever be in the OMG THAT WAS AMAZING section of my brain, in the film section of course.
Example 1: Castle on a beach with charging horses and stormy skies
Example 2: Sam Spruell’s haircut (no current image avaialble, but TRUST ME… its awesomely awful)
One of the best things about this film is the story telling. The editing, and visuals are top notch and they really tried to take their time to set the stage by showing the back story to the situation that the majority of this 2 hour film focuses on. They also mix in flash backs and short scenes from the past to give a little more depth to the evil queens past. It is all done well, strategically placing things in the perfect moment while moving forward with the main storyline. I was honestly impressed by what all they were able to squeeze in.
However. It wasn’t enough. There were so many things they began to touch on or began to tell us but all they accomplished was making the audience ask more questions. They just didn’t give us enough to fully understand. So many things start to be revealed and are not fully resolved.
Now it wouldn’t be right to have Kristin Stewart’s character not be involved in a love triangle, so they totally had a little bit of a love triangle subplot involving Snow White, her childhood companion William (Sam Clafin) and The Huntsman. However there little to no focus on this. I appreciate the lack of love story however they needed to have left it out completely or changed up the plot to make this more significant. So what if it is classic snow white to be woken up by a kiss… doesn’t mean you have to do it. And even when they did it it felt unexplained and underdeveloped.
Then there was the whole enchanted forest scene with the dwarves, oh yea there are dwarves. They were not in the film nearly enough nor were they featured much in the trailers, but I loved every second of them on screen.There were other fantastical creatures, and fairies and a big white Stag made out of butterflies that have a long drawn out moment with Snow White which is, once again, underdeveloped and leaves everyone asking why?
Enough for being negative.
Here are the dwarves(among them is Bob Hoskins as the elder far seer type dwarf named Muir)
Here is Charlize Theron eating a little girl’s face (not to be confused by the recent Zombie attack in Florida)
And there here is Charlize Theron screaming while bringing down the glass from the ceiling (similar to the epic Voldemort and Dumbledoor duel from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
The chards of glass turn into glass demons to fight off William, The Huntsman and other soldiers while Ravenna tries to have her way with Snow White. Watch the trailer below to see glimpses of the glass creatures, because it is awesome.
I definitely recommend seeing this film, expect to have a great time. Beware that there are a few parts that drag on and are slow, and then there are others that will just make you walk out of the theater asking why, but also wanting more.
Avid movie goer, music aficionado and Netflix junkie. I also strive to quote Jurassic Park on a daily basis and I sing like no one is listening when in the car.
“Once upon a time” — we all know how all fairy tales start and we all know that they end with a “happily ever after.” “Snow White and the Huntsman” stays true to the fairytale formula, but introduces some new elements and ideas to the classic story. Some of these work spectacularly, but some leave a lot more to be desired. In short, “Snow White” is a beautiful and unique adaptation that simply falls short of expectations.
One thing that is undeniably fantastic in this story is the magical realm that is created. The setting in director Rupert Sanders’ world is simply stunning. The castle with the ocean crashing against it breathtaking. A dark forest scene is the stuff of nightmares. Then that forest contrasted with the sunny fairy wood makes the home of the fairies all that more beautiful. Then the portrayal of the mirror room is worthy of its own mention. I loved how the mirror just oozes into the form of a person. There’s been talk of spin-offs already regarding this film and the filmmakers would not be lacking in beautiful landscapes to explore.
The acting is another great element. As is expected from what was shown in the trailers, Charlize Theron is a wicked blast as the mad queen. You can really tell that she’s loving the chance to play as insane as she’d like. One second she’s acting seductive, the next she’s been shown as vulnerable in front of a mirror and then in a flash she’s yelling and chillingly crazy. I loved how she was able to change her moods at the drop of a hat and I loved the idea that the queen wasn’t just mad with jealousy, but literally mad. I also loved the introduction of the queen’s creepy brother. This is a character not really in any other story that I’m familiar with and I love how he plays this sniveling pedophiliac/possibly incestuous puppet. In regards to these blonde-haired siblings though, I couldn’t help but compare them to “Game of Thrones” Lannister twins. The comparison helped make them all that more interesting, but it also left me expecting more. The titular huntsman as played by Chris Hemsworth is given a lot more depth than what the stories provide and he’s probably the most rounded character. We learn a lot about why he’s a drunkard and though I hated the stuffed in revelation about what (well, who) exactly happened to his deceased wife, it did continue to help make him the most complete character. Hemsworth does an admirable job in the role, but it isn’t a huge departure from his now well-known Thor. Instead of a hammer, he is now wielding an ax, although, he is a lot more vulnerable than Thor. I’m excited to see Hemsworth continuing to explore more diverse roles. The dwarfs and the James Franco look-alike “prince” character (in this case a Duke’s son played by Sam Claflin) are actually minor roles in this film, albeit fun ones. The dwarfs definitely have some of the more humorous dialogue, so I’m a bit sad that they weren’t even introduced until halfway through the film. In regards to the polarizing Kristen Stewart, for the Twilight haters, know that she’s not atrocious in this, but she also didn’t have that much to do in this film. Her dialogue was fairly minimal (which was nice because I’m not sure how I felt about her accent). But she does do the wonderment look well for her many scenes and Twihards will be pleased that she’s still the center of yet another magical reality.
As previously mentioned, this film still falls short of expectations. Pacing and follow up is a constant struggle for this story. The queen is easily one of the most enchanting elements of the story and the film looks ready to give her more depth and back story, yet it builds her up but then leaves too many gaping holes. For example, in the scene where her brother catches her talking to the fantastically portrayed mirror, it looks to him as if she’s just talking to herself. This glimpse into just how insane she might really be is an interesting notion, but one that is as swiftly dropped and never explored again. We also hear a lot early on about why men are not to be trusted, but then we never get to learn why she hates men so much or what the deal is with her relationship with her creepy brother and why he’s the one exception to her anti-men rule. The Snow White character is even more uneven. The film starts to explain a magical reason for why the queen would need Snow White’s heart – something more than just petty jealousy, but again, this interesting idea is yet another underexplored element. We also learn that the whole “true love” kiss thing might be more complicated than fairy tales make it out to be, but the second this complication is introduced, it is again abandoned. The whole “love story” thing left me feeling really conflicted. On the one hand, I loved that this story didn’t hinge on a fated romance and that the love stuff was minimized, but on the other hand, this story does hinge on a fated romance so it did need to be explored more. Characters were just too accepting of things that should have been questioned more – “Oh, Snow White is really this being of magic and life itself? Okay, then,” “That pretty deer that let her pet it was enough to make me want to follow her into battle,” or “Oh, Snow White is back from the dead? Let’s not worry about how this happened or celebrate her return from death or anything. Let’s just charge into battle.” This uneveness really left me bothered when we’re introduced to yet another fascinating new element: the village of the scarred women. These women have lost all their men to battle and to keep their daughters from being taken by the queen, they mar their own beauty by scarring themselves. They also seem to know a lot of prophecy and hint a lot to Snow White’s greatness, but they are notably missing from the story’s conclusion. I would have taken even a brief reflection on their prophecies, or a glimpse of them helping with the final battle or something. Just something more resolving their contribution to the story. Dang it, “Snow White,” stop hooking me with the cool new story ideas only to abandon them!
Yet in a time when the far more uneven “Once Upon a Time” is one of the most popular network TV shows, this film will be a fine enough way to appease the appetites of fairy tale lovers. You may be hungry for a bit more, but it is still a fancy feast for the eyes.
Snow White and the Huntsman’s June 1st release date will be here before you know it, but if you are like us then you will be pumped to catch a glance at 30+ new images, some behind the scenes. (see the gallery below)
And if you also happen to be a Florence + The Machine fan, then you should be doubly pumped up at checking out the new music video for “Breath of Life” , the first single from the Official Motion Picture Soundtrack – available for pre-order now.
In the epic action-adventure , Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.
The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.
MTV has started announcing presenters for the 2012 MTV Movie Awards.
Presenters will include Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg. These film stars will join indie rock band, fun., whom are scheduled to perform at the event.
Categories for the awards include the expected “Best Female Performance” and “Best Male Performance,” but also the less traditional “Best Kiss” and “Best Fight.” All categories are open for voting now on mtv.com. “Movie of the Year” voting will remain open for voting throughout the live show.
The 2012 MTV Movie Awards will live on Sunday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. The premiere of Teen Wolf, Season 2, will follow.
Ever since the first “Iron Man” teased “The Avengers” in 2008, people have been counting down the days until the release of “The Avengers.” At long last it’s time to assemble and see this highly anticipated film. Boy, was it worth the wait!
“The Avengers” is about a team of superheroes (and a few regular, but talented, humans) that come together to take on a manipulative foe, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who is bent on the imprisonment and destruction of the planet. There’s the rich, brilliant and strong Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr); the God of Thunder with his mighty hammer, Thor (Chris Hemsworth); the brilliant Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) with his indestructible alter ego, The Hulk; the super soldier Steve Rodgers/Captain America (Chris Evans); the spy Natasha/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the sharp archer Agent Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). At the center of this power play is a cosmic energy object called the Tesseract. Depending on who has it, this could be a powerful, life-providing energy source or a terrible weapon of mass destruction.
Though the villain isn’t particularly strong or incredibly brilliant in comparison to our heroes, he is smart enough to spot how to turn situations to his advantage. So like the true dictator he is, Loki gives the heroes a lesson on freedom and plays them like puppets, trapping them in their own inner boxes.
“Freedom is the biggest lie in life,” Loki tells Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), early in the film. It’s an abhorrent thought, but one that is easier said as wrong than it is to actually disprove it. Loki is constantly staying one step ahead of the Avengers and showing them how trapped they are by their own arrogances and flaws. In one scene, Loki is trapped in a prison – one strong enough to hold the Hulk, and the rest of the Avengers are pacing nearby, unhappy to be called to duty. At that moment in the film, Loki is the only one who doesn’t seemed trapped. He seems to be exactly where he wants to be, yet the good guys walking around in “freedom” seem to be trapped under their obligations, insecurities and lack of trust. So is Loki right? Is freedom a lie? As the movie is kind enough to point out, there was another man who had similar thoughts; a man who like Loki, wasn’t necessarily stronger or smarter than anyone else, but who had a powerful voice and knew how to prey on the thoughts of others…in one of the more subtly powerful scenes, Loki is cast as a modern Hitler. It takes a skinny, old man – not a buff, super powered being — to stand up to Loki and say he won’t give in to men like Loki. It’s funny – you’re watching a film about superheroes, but it’s the average Joes that prove where real strength lies. Unfortunately, it takes our heroes a while to learn this lesson. The heroes first must learn that sometimes they’re their own biggest adversaries. Saving the day isn’t just about who is the smartest, strongest, fastest or strongest. Real power comes from the heart (Hm, maybe Captain Planet was on to something). Of course, this film is true to the superhero movie formula, so as dire as it gets in the middle, you can guess who wins in the end. But what makes this film so great is the fantastic journey to get there.
With an all-star cast, some amazing special effects and witty writing, this film is the whole package. But those same things could have been a recipe for disaster – when you have so many major characters together in one film it would have been easy to make a special effects heavy film with big names, big explosions, but no substance. Fortunately, we had Joss Whedon behind this film and not Michael Bay (though some of the final fight looked a lot like a fight out of “Transformers”). Despite his sometimes lukewarm reception from the masses, Marvel/Disney couldn’t have found a better man to direct “The Avengers” than Whedon (Buffy, Firefly).
Whedon’s writing wit and quick quips have often been one of his more polarizing features – people either worship him for it or hate him – but the sharp dialogue was just another of the many elements that helped keep the film moving at a great pace without bogging old fans down in lengthy back story meant for the newcomers. Take the scene where Iron Man first has an unsteady meeting with Thor. ”You know not what you’re dealing with,” says Thor. “Shakespeare in the Park?” quips Iron Man. This scene does a great job introducing the cockiness that Thor and Iron Man have both always struggled with, but it also throws in the double-edged quip of a Shakespeare reference (The “Thor” movie was directed by Kenneth Brannagh, who is mostly known for Shakespearian films). In another humorous scene, those unfamiliar with how deep Thor’s relationship is with villain Loki get a quick explanation in a scene that’s equally hilarious for new and old fans. “He’s of Asgard…He’s my brother,” Thor tells the other Avengers. “He killed 80 people in two days,” retorts Black Widow. “He’s adopted?” shrugs Thor. Of course, as great as the dialogue is, Hulk shows us in some scene-stealing moments that sometimes actions speak louder than words.
As fan boy himself, and a master of working with ensemble casts, Whedon delivers a well-paced film that does justice to each of the mighty characters in the film – it’s what any fan could hope for. For those that followed the comics and the five films leading up to “The Avengers,” Whedon does a good job making sure that those stories and those character developments already established are not compromised. Yet he also makes sure that new viewers don’t get too bogged down in the references to the other movies. The characters are each given their proper screen time and big moments of character growth. This balanced attention to each of the characters is most notable in the character Black Widow, who came across as a bit flat in “Iron Man 2,” yet in this film there is some surprising insight into her past and we finally understand her motivation for doing what she does.
While this movie can’t be praised enough, it’s not completely flawless. As mentioned before, some scenes have a striking to resemblance to a “Transformers” film and at other times Loki seems to be channeling Zod from Superman. It’s also hard to completely break away from the expected superhero genre formula – big bad, good guy struggles but saves the day. Yet even with what can be expected*, I promise you’ll still be pleasantly surprised. And if you’re like Captain America who says early in the film, “At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me.” Well, to quote Nick Fury: “$10 says you’re wrong.” And Nick Fury’s Samuel L. MF-ing Jackson. You don’t argue with that.
*Oh and speaking of expectations, make sure to stick around through the credits for not one expected credits scene, but two bonus scenes — one of which sets up the new big bad (Spoiler if you click the link).
Saying that The Avengers is the highly anticipated film of 2012 is likely an understatement (though I would say that The Dark Knight Rises rivals in extreme anticipation). But does it live up to all the hype?
Yes, and then some.
I knew I was going to enjoy this film as a whole but I had expected to need to look past a few aspects, characters and/or actors to be able to give it both thumbs up. Let’s say that I was proven way wrong.
This tweet from Seth Green says it all:
So that was AMAZING. Like, double plus awesome. Thank you Joss Whedon for giving us all the #Avengers movie we deserve. #OnlyYou
— Seth Green (@SethGreen) April 12, 2012
Here is a break down of what components made The Avengers double plus awesome, and some were pleasantly suprising.
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/ The Hulk
I have never be fond of anything Hulk. From any comic or cartoon to the 2003 Ang Lee Hulk disaster (which has been erased from our minds) and even the Ed Norton revamp with Avengers tie-in never spoke to me. With that being said, I am also not a fan of actor-swapping either. Even though I thought Norton made an awful Hulk, having another actor play him in what is supposed to be a direct link-movie to “The Incredible Hulk” further rubbed me the wrong way.
Mark Ruffalo’s performance as Bruce Banner and Hulk won me over! He is exactly what was needed and I loved every second of him on screen.
Nick Fury (Jackson) has Agent Romanoff (Johansson) bring in Bruce Banner from hiding in the slums of Calcutta because of his work with gama radiation, they need him to help find the stolen tesseract (an ancient Asgardian artifact of unimaginable power). This is what ties many of the previous films together, specifically “Thor” and “Captain America”. The entire time Bruce is among all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and other heros he is persistent about not letting himself become the other guy as he referes to it.
His calm and reserved demeanor with the bottled up rage/other guy inside can not be an easy feat to pull off, but he nailed it. Not only are his Hulking out scenes bad-ass and intense, there is quite a bit of humor when paired with the other characters. His initial Hulk out scene and battle with Black Widow and Thor (even the Hulk can’t lift Thor’s hammer), to the epic battle against Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his Chitauri army. See a Hulk featured trailer at the bottom of this post for some teaser Hulk smash action.
Johansson’s vindicating performance
Scarlett Johnsson has a gotten pretty bad reputation, lots of people think she is horrible despite how gorgeous she is and how many big films she has been in. I have never had a problem with her, but I also wouldn’t be able to defend her by saying that any one of her performances was award worthy or even mentionable (truth be known she actually has a few Golden Globe nominations). In my mind she has been a pretty face and an mediocre actor who has happened to be in several great movies, just hasn’t had many stand our performances. I really did not care for her in Iron Man 2 but sooner or later she was going to have to walk the walk (like the recent Hollywood Walk of Fame) and actually earn everyones attention.
After The Avengers, everyone should be in full attention. She kicks ass, she deceives and she even shows some emotion! (Whoa?!) One of the early scenes in the film she is being interrogated and she receives a phone call being brought in by S.H.I.E.L.D and busts out some sweet moves to kick her captors asses then gracefully picks up her high heels and strut out.
She has two other great acting moments, one scene between her and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner as she is bringing him in from Calcutta and then her scene with the imprisoned Loki, which I think is likely the best one. The only thing lacking is any sort of a Russian accent, since the character or Black Widow is Russian and they even mention it in the film.
Whedon wrote a delicately balanced story
All four of the super hero’s have already told their story. We have watched them all battle their demons and save the world, so why are we watching them do it again?
The whole story is so well balanced and focused on the conflict at hand I found myself in disbelieve that the film was actually two hours and twenty two minutes. The pace was quick but not forced along, and it slowed down to allow for tying up loose ends with all of the characters and giving all parties involved a fairly equal share of screen time.
The Avengers isn’t about Captain America, Thor, Iron Man or The Hulk or even S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s about all of them coming together to achieve a common goal, or rather defeat a common enemy.
They might not work well together in other circumstances, and they all have their moments fighting to in this film. The steps taken in the story for these individuals to become a team is done in a way that makes it believable and realistic. We never have to wonder why or ask why a character is behaving a certain way or saying a certain thing. We already connected with them in their previous films and we can relate and understand.
The chemistry between the characters, the story and the conflict is explosive. Thank you Jos Whedon.
Don’t forget about extra scenes after the credits
This film was set up over the past few years by the extra scenes following the credits of “The Incredible Hulk”, “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2″, “Thor”, and “Captain America” (see links to the recaps of these movies at the bottom of this post) so it would seem incomplete if there wasn’t one (or two… hint hint) at the end of The Avengers.
Also, we want something to go off so we can all fantasize about the next film. Because there has to be more.
The wrap up and the trailer
The Avengers is released everywhere on Firday, May 4th and is a MUST SEE for all types of movie goers. I like to describe how much I like a film by sating if it was even worth seeing in theaters or if it is something you should rent or watch when it makes its way onto TV. ”The Avengers” is something I will be seeing one or two more times in theaters and later purchasing when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray.
And that is why “The Avengers” is (once again repeating Seth Green) double plus awesome.
Avid movie goer, music aficionado and Netflix junkie. I also strive to quote Jurassic Park on a daily basis and I sing like no one is listening when in the car.
“The Avengers” is already set to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters and it’s easy to understand why. Superhero films already do well at the box office and this one has an outstanding cast with more Academy Award winners than any other film of its genre. It’s also helmed by a worshiped (though polarizing for some) director. Most importantly, this is a film that we’ve basically been watching two hour-long trailers for since 2008. Yet as excited as many are, “The Avengers” is a bit of an overwhelming prospect for some average moviegoers. So you haven’t seen all the other Marvel movies leading up to this film and you haven’t read the comics. Will you still enjoy this film? The answer is yes, but it might help to do a little brushing up on these heroes before hitting the theater. That’s why we’ve put together this handy article to help you learn about the characters and movies leading up to this film and their end scene teasers. Here’s a guide to how Thor fits in.
Thor
If you’re somewhat familiar with Norse mythology, you probably know a bit about “Thor.” The comic book character’s story is fairly similar to his mythological counterpart’s. True to mythology, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) lives in Asgard. He is the God of Thunder and the son of Odin. He wields a mighty hammer, known as Mjolnir. As the son of Odin, he is poised to rule the realm after his father. Thor’s brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is known as a trickster (a trait which is important in “The Avengers”). As a god, Thor is a bit arrogant, his father knows this to be a flaw for an aspiring ruler, so after Thor slips up and opens war on the Ice Giants, an old enemy of the Asgardians, Odin decides to teach his son a lesson in humility. He strips Thor of his power and banishes him to Earth. When he does this, he also throws Thor’s hammer down to our planet, binding it with the magical rule that only the worthy will be able to lift the hammer and have the power of Thor.
On Earth, Thor encounters a team of scientists, which includes Jane Foster (Natalie Portman and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). These humans find Thor to be a crazy man, rather than the god he is and we’re then provided with a hilarious sequence where Thor gets his ego knocked down quite a few notches. Over at the crash site of his hammer, some redneck humans have turned trying to lift it into a bit of a contest…that is until the government group S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Agent Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) work on trying to free the hammer from the Earth. When Thor gets wind of where his beloved hammer is, he goes barging into the site, fighting his way past many government agents to retrieve it and his hammer. Much to his devastation, he is not yet deemed worthy enough to wield and resigns himself to capture by the government. While in captivity, his brother, Loki appears to him and lies to Thor saying Odin has died and Loki has become king in the aftermath. Loki also tells Thor that their mother blames Thor for Odin’s death and he will not be allowed to return. Loki has been struggling with his own inner demons after recently learning that he is adopted from the Ice Giants. Since Loki is a trickster and liar he hatches this crazy plot to break Thor and ensure the Asgard throne remains his. Poor, trusting Thor is further devastated and humbled by Loki’s visit and upon being freed from the government, he has resigned himself to life on Earth. Meanwhile, we learn that Loki continues his schemes and is now plotting with the Ice Giants. Fortunately, some of Thor’s Asgard friends know that something suspicious is up, so they sneak off to Earth to try to get Thor to return. Enraged, Loki sends a robot-like creature to take out the currently mortal Thor. What Loki doesn’t forsee is Thor sacrificing himself to save all his friends. It is in this moment that Thor is finally worthy enough to wield his hammer and Mjolnir returns to him along with his godly powers. He makes a quick example of the robot-like creature and before Agent Coulson has a minute to spit out an invite to “The Avengers,” Thor’s rushing back to Asgard to save his people. Loki and him clash, and in yet another sacrifice, Thor breaks the bridge to his beloved Earth to stop Loki from destroying worlds. Loki seems to fall to his death. Thor returns to his father and is made ruler of Asgard, but our hero is saddened by his separation from Earth. Though we know he’s to return in “The Avengers,” this film ends without a clear path back for our hero.
There is an end credits scene that reveals Dr. Selvig working with S.H.I.E.L.D. It also shows that not only has Loki survived, but he has already begun his next manipulative plot. Thor’s jealous brother is set to return in “The Avengers” to continue his manipulative tricks and to best his brother.
Uniform: Shirtless? Jk, I wish that was his uniform. For the most part, Thor’s uniform in the films is a chain mail-based outfit with a red cape (very medieval/old timey). His main accessory is his mighty hammer, Mjolnir.
Key Powers: He’s a god, so he has the immortality thing going for him, not to mention he’s specifically the God of Thunder, so he can do some impressive things with lightning and thunder. Also, he’s incredible strong – even among his own people. A lot of his key powers though come from his formidable hammer, Mjolnir. When wielded by Thor, the the thing is practically unstoppable once in motion. He can even use it to fly. Only one worthy of his power can wield this hammer, so even the mighty Hulk can’t lift it. Oh, and I’m pretty sure his abs are a super power. Those abs can make all the ladies melt like butter.
Weaknesses: Like Iron Man, Thor can be a bit arrogant (he is a god, after all). As a non-human, he can lack empathy. Also, since he isn’t from Earth, he’s not the most dependable – you can’t ever be sure he’ll show up when you need him to. Also, if you take away his godly powers, he’s just an average buff guy that’s fairly easy to beat (but you’d have to get his dad to help you take those powers away).
The Avengers Tie-ins (this is not definitive, but shares some key notes): The main tie-in here is a big one: Loki. Thor’s brother, Loki, is the main antagonist in “The Avengers” film, so though the “Thor” film is supposedly all about Thor, it’s really a big villain origin story to set up “The Avengers.” “The Avengers” does reference their brother relationship and the fact that Loki is adopted from a race called “The Ice Giants.” You’ll also hear references to the rainbow bridge, Bifrost Bridge, and plenty of references to the Tesseract in “The Avengers.” “Thor” also introduces Agent Barton, better known as “Hawkeye” in “The Avengers.” Hawkeye is the world’s best archer and he is the only other Avenger aside from Black Widow not to currently have his own movie. A few other characters from “Thor” have parts in “The Avengers” as well. Agent Coulson (who also had a big role in the “Iron Man” films) is helping with the government operation in “Thor.” And one of Thor’s earth friends, scientist Dr. Erik Selvig, plays a pivotal role in “The Avengers.” Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster, though not present, is addressed in “The Avengers” as well. “Thor” also has one of those wonderful credit teaser scenes in which Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) talks to Dr. Selvig about the Tesseract (which we’ve also seen as part of the plot in “Captain America” and briefly referenced in “Iron Man 2″). “Iron Man 2″ crosses back to “Thor” during its end credits scene, which reveals Agent Coulson discovering Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. “Thor” also alludes to “Iron Man” when its robot-like villain creature is questioned by a government agent as “is it one of Stark’s?” The agent thought maybe it was another of Stark’s Iron Man spin-off designs. “Captain America” loosely reference’s “Thor” by describing the Tesseract as “the jewel of Odin’s treasure room.” Even though on Thor’s world his time is well before any of the other Avengers were even born, his time on Earth takes place after most of the others, so he has fewer references to the other movies, but it’s also why so many of his allusions are simply to the upcoming “The Avengers.”
Stan Lee Appearance: This is a little Easter Egg in many of the Marvel movies. Stan Lee, a primary creator of many of these characters in the Marvel-verse, likes to make little cameos in the films. In “Thor,” Stan Lee has a cameo as a pick-up driver during a scene where the locals try to lift Thor’s hammer.
How does Joss Whedon find the time to be as awesome as he is? We’re already excited about the upcoming “Avengers” film and his surprise spin on Shakespeare. Now, we can add our thrill over his mysterious horror film “The Cabin in the Woods” to the Whedon list of awesome.
In “The Cabin in the Woods,” a group of friends at a cabin retreat scratch the surface of something so massive and horrific that they can only begin to fathom it as time quickly runs out. Watch the trailer and discover the secret…
Saying that The Avengers is the highly anticipated film of 2012 is likely an understatement (though I would say that The Dark Knight Rises rivals in extreme anticipation). But does it live up to all the hype?
Nick Fury (Jackson) has Agent Romanoff (Johansson) bring in Bruce Banner from hiding in the slums of Calcutta because of his work with gama radiation, they need him to help find the stolen tesseract (an ancient Asgardian artifact of unimaginable power). This is what ties many of the previous films together, specifically “Thor” and “Captain America”. The entire time Bruce is among all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and other heros he is persistent about not letting himself become the other guy as he referes to it.
All four of the super hero’s have already told their story. We have watched them all battle their demons and save the world, so why are we watching them do it again?
The Avengers isn’t about Captain America, Thor, Iron Man or The Hulk or even S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s about all of them coming together to achieve a common goal, or rather defeat a common enemy.
