THOR: THE DARK WORLD – REVIEW

THOR: THE DARK WORLD – REVIEW

The Mighty Thor and mischievous Loki return for yet another adventure as they deal with the fallout of Avengers, while having to face an ancient foe that has been lost to myth and legend. Thor: The Dark World delves deeper into the nine realms and mystic side of the Marvel Universe, entertaining it audiences from beginning to end.

Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

At the beginning of Thor: TDW, we find our hero bringing about peace throughout the nine realms, but our hero is not quite Happy. He still thinks about Jane Foster and wishes to be with her, but his responsibilities as a prince of Asgard, being the safety of the nine realms, doesn’t allow him the joy of seeing his beloved.

Jane Foster, on the other hand, hasn’t been doing so well without Thor as we learn from the ever-charismatic Darcy that Jane has been hit by a bit of depression since Thor left her. She does continue her research though, in the hope of finding Thor one day. Its this endeavor by Jane that would lead her to find a magical source of power called the Aether that has been locked away. This Aether awakens the Dark Elves, an ancient race of mythical beings who want to destroy the world.

At this point the film really takes off with Thor sweeping down from Asgard to take Jane back with him to Asgard. The film picks up with adventure, comedy and tension.

As the film twist and turns giving fans one interesting and enthralling ride through Asgard and the Dark World, with Thor and Loki’s relationship once again the center of the story.

Asgard is expanded and grounded more so then we seen before, as a result this magical city feels organic and real, rather than the just a glorious piece of CGI.

As the norm for Marvel films, The Dark World is injected with a fair amount of humour that may come as a surprise to many, given the films title. Unlike Iron Man 3, which had an overwhelming level of comedy in the film, The Dark World perfectly balances its humour with drama, tension and action.

The film is not short of action by any means, as Thor picks up and brings down his hammer more in this film then he has in his two previous outings on the silver screen combined.

Unfortunately I do have some gripes with the film, for all the entertainment it brings, it falls short on numerous occasions.

The first big problem for Thor is Malekith, played by Christopher Eccelsson. Eccelsson plays the character well; the main problem is that the character has been developed quite poorly.  Malekith is a one-dimensional big bad villain for Thor to punch and nothing more.

The film also suffers by having numerous subplots in the film, which is either developed poorly or completely forgotten after its been introduced. A perfect example of this would be Thor and Sif’s relationship, which is hinted at, and yet nothing comes out of it.

Fans of the Warriors Three, Sif and Heimdall will definitely be disappointed with how the characters were handled in the film as they pretty much non existent for the majority of the second act and entire third act of the film. Which is especially disappointing considering Heimdall has one of the coolest moments in the film, and is played by Mr. Badass himself Idris Elba. Sif on the other hand, is played perfectly by Jamie Alexander but as with Elba Marvel continue to downplay their roles in film, making DC fans eager to see them jump ship to play Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, respectively.

One major positive for the film though, as to Tom Hiddleston as Loki once again. Tom certainly shows up to play what has to be one of the most beloved villains onscreen as he takes on the role with such poise, grace and flair.  Tom enjoys playing Loki and fans love seeing him as Loki, and they will not be disappointed with the mischievous god in this film.

While Thor: The Dark World is entertaining, fun and action filled, it falls short of being something truly great with a story that lacks focus and at certain times a disconnect in emotion from characters, which prevents the film to be one truly memorable comic film, instead its just a good one.

My Rating

7/10

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (Box Set)

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Marvel's Phase One

In just a months time, The Avengers will come to DVD/Blu-ray! But that’s not all, Marvel are putting together a Phase One box set, that will have fans going crazy!

Here is the official details on the box set via Disney:  

Immerse yourself in every aspect of Marvel’s elite Super Heroes with this limited-edition, 10-disc Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Collection. Complete with glowing Tesseract, this exclusive replica of Nick Fury’s iconic briefcase includes stunning Blu-ray 3D™ and Blu-ray™ presentations of The Avengers; Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor, as well as Blu-ray™ versions of Iron Man; Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk in exclusive collectible packaging.

Plus, now that you possess the highest level of security clearance, you have been granted access to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most confidential files, including a top-secret bonus disc filled never before seen, classified information. Also featuring exquisitely detailed art, prop reproductions and artifacts from the motion pictures, the must-own Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Collection will verify your status as the world’s greatest authority on the Marvel Super Hero mythos!

How cool is this Box Set??

A list of the content for the ten-disc set is:

• Marvel’s The Avengers (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)

• Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)

• Thor (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)

• Iron Man 2 (Blu-ray)

• The Incredible Hulk (Blu-ray)

• Iron Man (Blu-ray)

• Bonus Disc - “The Phase One Archives” (Blu-ray)

• Collectible packaging with exclusive memorabilia from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

This is definitely one of the most amazing box sets ever, and it will be an essential accessory for any Marvel fan, so just make sure that you have the cast to purchase it when this awesome Phase One set releases along with The Avengers Blu-ray on September 25th.

Originally posted on August 2 2012

UPDATE: THE BOX-SET WILL BECOMING ON APRIL 2nd

Avengers Box-Set Blu-Ray Cover Art

The original Marvel Phase One box was originally set to be released on September 25^th however it was delayed due to a lawsuit over the packaging it was to be shipped in. Now it looks like the set will be ready for release in it's new case on April 2, EW has reported.

Phase One Box Set

EW has also learned that the set will include some teases for the upcoming Marvel Phase Two. Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige said it will include "footage, concept art, and a few new surprises" from Phase Two. Phase Two of Marvel's cinematic universe includes Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers 2. "Also, look for a nod to Iron Man 3 in the Tony Stark S.H.I.E.L.D. file in the box set," teased Feige.

The box set will also include deleted scenes not found on previous Blu-ray releases, like the alternate ending to Thor (which you can see below). "We went back to the editor's assembly of each film and discovered some rare moments that dropped out of the films early on and had not been released on prior discs," said Feige.

The Phase One box set will include ten discs featuring six movies, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and Marvel's The Avengers. The set will now be enclosed in a new case but will still feature the 'working' Tesseract cube and S.H.I.E.L.D. files on most of the characters.

WHATS IN STORE FOR MARVEL'S PHASE TWO??

The Cast and Crew Behind MARVEL's PHASE ONE, bringing the curtain down to Phase one at the Avengers Premier

MARVEL PHASE TWO: FIEGE UPDATES!

Kevin Fiege the man behind this extraordinary MARVELLOUS Adventure

By know you have no idea who the Avengers are, then simply you one of very few people in the world who haven’t had the chance to one of thee most awesomest films in the year thanks to wonderful direction and writing by Joss Whedon, who brought Marvel’s Phase One to a beautiful end..

BIG PLANS FOR THANOS

Thanos Concept

The post credit scene gave audiences a glimpse of the villain Thanos, which for Marvel fans just meant that Phase Two would certainly be exciting. For General audiences who don’t know that much tabout this character who is arguably one Marvel’s biggest characters ever, they certainly in for a treat.

Thanos Make-Up

However, these past few months’ fans have been contemplating how Marvel would be using the villain. While the logic move would be to introduce the character in Guardians of the Galaxy and have him go toe to toe with the Avengers in their sequel. Some fans believed that Thanos could even be kept for a possible third Avengers film, bringing Phase Three to a close. While others have said that he might be a feature in Thor: The Dark World as the god of Thunder has quite a few direct nods to the villain in his own adventures.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige finally decided to give us a little hint on how the character would be used in the MCU.  He recently spoke a bit about the studio’s plans for Thanos and how that factors in to not only Phase Two, but also Phase Three, and he addressed the possibility of recasting the role.  Hit the jump for more.

Speaking with MTV, Feige admitted that they were aware most of the Avengers moviegoers would be puzzled by the Thanos tease, but they loved the idea of sending audiences out of the theater talking about what they just saw:

Thanos Concept Art

“There’s a great track record now about lobbing something in at the last moment to get the audience buzzing. Particularly when it came to Thanos, [we knew] that most people in that audience had no idea who that purple guy was — but they could clearly tell he was important, and knew if they asked the two or three people sitting next to them, somebody would know who he was.”

Though the tease made for one hell of a conversation starter, that tag wasn’t thrown into the film for nothing:

“Clearly, there’s a purpose to us putting him in the end of that movie. We do have plans for him. I wouldn’t say we ever feel the need to rush anything one way or the other. We succeeded in Phase One because we stuck to our guns and stuck to the plan. That plan took place over many, many years and it ultimately paid off. I see Phase Two unfolding in the same way of us taking our time, us doing what’s right for each individual movie, while folding in elements that will not only build up to the culmination of Phase Two, but even Phase Three.”

In other words, Thanos will probably not be showing up in any other Marvel film like, Iron Man 3 or Thor: TDW. Though Whedon and Marvel cast actor/stuntman Damion Poitier to portray the baddie at the end of The Avengers, Feige admits that they’ll probably recast the role when he reappears:

“I think we feel pretty free to recast. That was cast for literally that one shot. Depending on what the role requires from future movies, we’ll go from there.”

Loki in Avengers the villain that Kicked All this Awesomeness Off!

Here’s what the Phase Two lineup looks like as of right now:

Iron Man 3 – May 3rd, 2013

Thor: The Dark World – November 8th, 2013

Captain America: The Winter Soldier – April 4th, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy – August 1st, 2014

The Avengers 2 – May 1st, 2015

HULK'S RETURN

Hulk in Avengers

Now many for many Hulk fans out there, its quite clear that there is no Hulk film, scheduled for the near future. This is kind of a disappointment as many of us do want to see the big green monster rampage his way through the big screen one more time. However, seeing as the Hulk hasn’t had the most successful run on the big screen on two solo films, and one very successful appearance in the team franchise film the Avengers, it would seem the Hulk’s natural place would be part of a team franchise. 

Planet Hulk FanArt

In a recent interview with MTV, Feige spoke at length about a potential The Avengers 2 follow-up featuring the Hulk.  The Planet Hulk and World War Hulk stories are a bit out there for casual moviegoers, so are they properties that Marvel would even want to attempt?  As Feige says:

“I don’t think there’s a lot that we couldn’t do someday, as the cinematic universe continues to grow and expand and get as big as the comic book universe.”

Feige also admitted that the space-centric plot of Planet Hulk does come with its own caveats:

“‘Planet Hulk’ is a cool story. ‘World War Hulk’ is a cool story.  I think there are pitfalls of continuity-overload, and mythology getting so dense that it almost collapses in on itself.  It happens every few decades or so in the comics. Apart from that, I’d say everything is on the table.”

Regarding the timing on the next Hulk feature, Feige unfortunately confirmed that we won’t see Mr. Green for quite some time:

“Do I think Hulk can carry a movie and be as entertaining as he was in ‘Avengers’? I do believe that. I do believe he absolutely could. We certainly are not even going to attempt that until ‘Avengers 2.’ So there’s a lot of time to think about it.”

Speaking of The Avengers, Feige comments on what made the Hulk work in the superhero team-up film:

“Part of what’s fun about the way we played him in ‘Avengers’ is the ensemble quality of it. I think the pathos and humor, most importantly, that Mark and Joss brought to it showcased a different element of Hulk that’s there in the comics, and was always inherent in his character. But when he was so brooding in his other two films, he didn’t get to have that wry sense of humor that Mark did such an amazing job performing.”

I for one would love to see a Planet Hulk film that would be amazing to see. We know the Hulk left the Avengers pretty soon after the team’s conception, so having him in Avengers 2 and then possibly pull him out of the team could be something that Marvel could be looking at. As the Avengers decide to ship the Hulk out to space after he causes too much destruction, so maybe that’s how they could carry the story forward.

Planet Hulk FanArt, Featuring Silver Surfer

With a Planet Hulk film soon to follow, the story would surprise a lot of people essentially as it could be visually stunning with a story that focuses more on Hulk then Bruce Banner. But then again that could hold the film back, has the film would have to be 95% Hulk, and 5% Bruce Banner, will Marvel take that risk having a film with primarily a CG lead? We will have to wait and see, but one thing is sure, Marvel’s ambition isn’t limited and we sure whatever route they take it will be awesome! 

Let us know what do you think about all this? Comment below! 

ANT-MAN (Test Footage Re-created)

CHECK OUT THE ANT-MAN TEST FOOTAGE RE-CREATED BY AN ARTIST!!

For people who managed to get to Comic-Con, they would be the first to tell you how awesome the experience was. However this year Comic Con was a whole lot sweeteer as writer/director Edgar Wright finally gave audiences a little taste of his long gestating Ant-Man film, that he has been working on for Marvel for a number if years.

The clip the audience got to see, was basically test footage, with incomplete CG effects as such, which just illustrated how Ant-Man’s powers of shrinking and growing (we know what you thinking, those powers are pretty awesome!!) could be done effectively on the big screen.

The response from fans that have seen it was overwhelmingly good. As many described it, and spoke about how Wright actually managed to find a way to showcase Ant-man’s powers without making it look completely ridiculous.

Ewan McGregor as Ant Man facing off against Ultron - Fan Art

Now for the rest of us who were unable to attend this great event, the footage was never released to us. Instead we just had to read detailed descriptions of the footage and imagine just how awesome it was.

Now recently we have learnt that Marvel might be releasing the test footage soon with all the CG effects complete on the test reel.  However a fan and Deviant Artist (definitely the best site to find exceptionally good artist) has impressively put together a storyboard recreation of the footage that comes real close to what many described about the footage, and that a lucky few actually got to see!

The video was created by artist Samurai Jack:

Obviously this video lacks Wright’s effects, motion, and music, but for us fans that weren’t at Comic-Con it’s a bit better than reading a text description of the footage. 

Wright is currently gearing up to shoot The World’s End next month with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, but recent reports have suggested that the filmmaker may finally start production on Ant-Man in London next year for a possible 2014 release.