Those lousy Greek Ggds have been getting so much play lately the folks from Norse mythology just want their own little piece of the cinematic pie. The LA Times sat down with director Kenneth Branagh so he could talk vaguely about his upcoming film adaptation of Thor. For those looking to get a little clarity on the project and its overall feeling, you’ve come to the wrong place. He specifically had this to say about how the film’s tone:
"Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we've tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world..."
Huh? I think what he means is, “The movie hopefully looks okay because making Asgard look cool and Thor seem realistic are a real bitch.” Branagh continues, "It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different...." Allow me to carry on the ellipses here, “because if it fails, Thor and his wingtipped helmet, sleeveless armor and hammer are going to look f#$%ing ridiculous.”
I can’t imagine Thor is the easiest superhero to capture on the big screen. He doesn’t carry the same cache as a Captain America, Iron Man, or Hulk (i.e. he’s one of the more boring Avengers and I would have said that before the others got their own films), but there have to be some massive constraints on bringing the character to the screen in a realistic fashion. Just ask anyone who’s seen Clash of the Titans to tell you how easy it is to screw up the Gods on the big screen.
