Those of us on planet earth agree with you.chiefchirpa said:*snip*
Fried Gold said:Again, at no point did I did I say that Thor was not deserving. I merely stated that greenlighting more than 1 movie would be financially risky.
F G said:I find the idea that you would disregard the use of a villain in either primary or supporting roles based purely on if they had been used before to extraordinarily narrow-minded.
F G said:A good writer, an inventive story teller, could use the same villain 15 times and still produce good stories.
F G said:The criteria that you made up...
F G said:LOL We know this because it happened.
F G said:Error. You forget that you can use Venom and Eddie Brock. Eddie does a pretty good job of messing things up domestically for Pete.
F G said:Possibly, but you never know.
F G said:Because you saw him in Daredevil...
F G said:So to sum up, unless it's already happened, you dismiss the idea.
F G said:I rest my case.
F G said:Not really. I'm not even a massive Spidey fan, but with the knowledge I have gained from over a decade of reading Spidey stories, I can at least see the potential.
F G said:Obviously not that well versed if you believe that Thor has a better rogues gallery than Spidey or Batman.
F G said:Intelligence is more than what you read in a comic book. It's about understanding the market, being realistic, and making qualified judgements bin regards to the idea in hand. In this case, the idea that 9 Thor movies should be made without the benefit of a stand alone movie to test the waters first. An idea that I find ridiculous.
F G said:Except that you haven't really answered anything. Your posts are basically "THOR Is DA BEZT!!!1!! HE sHUD HAV 575675 FILMS!!!1!1"
F G said:Oh right, yeah, Batman Returns happened so naturally you dismiss the notion.
F G said:Right up your alley, then.
F G said:Dude, Dragonslayer was awful.
F G said:If anything, Thor should be more like Conan or Sinbad.
F G said:Roles that did not exist until you made up your check list that you seem to live by.
F G said:4 villians in each movie would be a rehash. It would be a rehash of using multiple villains. Are they trying to kill Thor? Gosh! How exciting.
F G said:Ah, sorry, I thought you were talking about religious subtext and not unique subtext.
F G said:If this is the case, then why did you dimiss my intial response that the Hulk could provide equally interesting material?
F G said:Again, with the Returns bashing. There really is no need.
F G said:I look forward to it.
F G said:Didn't they abandon the Donald Blake idea years ago?
F G said:Also, Blake doesn't really cover the human interest angle, as once Thor is there Blake is gone, and so are the audiences eyes.
F G said:No, you need someone to fill the schemer role.
F G said:But they could've easily had Hans in an outrageous outfit, but they did not.
F G said:I'll say it again as you seem to keep on missing it; The villain does not need to be visiually interesting,
F G said:nor do they need to fill your imaginary criteria to be successful.
F G said:The villain is dependant on good writing, character design, wardrobe etc and not your egotistical little check-list that only you know about.
chiefchirpa said:I can make a suggestion of having the Thor movie like Hellboy. A museum curator or Dr. Blake who never know he has God powers until a powerful Norse heirloom (Mjolnir) comes to town and break his amnesia. The Mjolnir is actually sent by Loki to fool the newly-awakened Thor in helping his own scheme.
chiefchirpa said:I dispute the notion that a comic character has to be famous for a good or succesful movie. As an example, I didn't know anything about Hellboy. I watched and enjoyed the movie. The same thing can be said with Blade and Daredevil.
chiefchirpa said:As for having 9 Thor movies, that's really pushing it. Let me count the ways:
chiefchirpa said:1. Movies have actors, directors, producers, and so on - their interests to be or make Thor movies would not keep up after 2-3 movies.
chiefchirpa said:2. Quality cannot be maintained of the same level if the above happens. As a result a there will be a progression of lower quality Thor movies.
chiefchirpa said:3. Actors age, don't they? Directors bored, don't they?
chiefchirpa said:4. Thor is not Marvel's top dog. Marvel execs would better be making 9 Spidey movie than Thor.
chiefchirpa said:Or better yet, explore other franchises to make them famous and help their comics.
chiefchirpa said:5. Critics would almost certainly pan long running series.
chiefchirpa said:What's this, Freddy Kruger? It's a movie for god sake, not comic books or TV series.
chiefchirpa said:6. 2040? Do you still have interest on comic movies.
chiefchirpa said:Heck, are you still alive by then?
chiefchirpa said:Finally, never equate Thor with Batman. Batman is the comic book character with the most media expose', beating both Superman and Spider-Man.
chiefchirpa said:Batman has the most TV series (counting cartoons) and big budget movies than any other characters.
chiefchirpa said:Perhaps it's because Batman is a dark character, full of techno-gizmos and wear a cool cape. He's both Bond and Holmes incarnates. All these stuff make Batman #1 or at least in the top 5 in terms of media marketability.
chiefchirpa said:And there's no such thing as Batman 6. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is disconnected from the other 4. It's a different rendition of the story of Batman with a different director and such. If you couldn't tell the difference, might I suggesting asking the guys at the Batman Hype?
Spider-Fan930 said:They should just make one movie, then a sequel if it sells, and another if it sells, etc. That is what any studio will do. I do not see them going LOTR, and making three Thor movies. They may not close all of Thor's storylines by going movie by movie, but you can't make an expensive trilogy if it isn't going to sell well.
Upper_Krust said:Hey GL1 mate!![]()
In a movie I think a villain (or villains) must fulfill the following criteria.
A. Do they mentally challenge the hero? (If not then its just a fight)
B. Do they physically challenge the hero? (If not then its just a puzzle)
C. Are they humanocentric? (Anyone who has watched the special features on the Blade dvdv will know that they changed the Blood God at the end of the movie from a giant blood cloud to possessing Deacon Frost - a classic example of why you have to fill that niche)
D. Are they visually interesting?
E. Epic plot Device/Villain (only necessary for top tier heroes like Superman and Thor who can 'save the world')
Each superhero movie must fill those criteria. Lets look at a few examples.
1. Batman Begins (Covers A, B ,C & D)
- Ra's Al Ghul: A, B & C (Ra's Al Ghull is not visually interesting)
- Scarecrow: A, C & D (Scarecrow wasn't a physical challenge)
2. Superman Returns (Covers A, C & E)
- Lex Luthor: A & C (Lex is not a physical challenge nor is he visually interesting)
- Kryptonian Island: E
3. Spider-man 2 (Covers A, B, C, & D)
- Doctor Octopus: (Doc Ock covers all the criteria)
4. Spider-man 3 (Covers A, B, C, D)
- Sandman: B, C, D
- Venom: B, C, D
- 'Goblin': A, B, C, D?
5. Thor (Covers A, B, C, D, E)
- Loki: A, B, C & D (D due to magic)
- Wrecking Crew: B, C & D
- Destoyer: B, D & E
I think Norse mythology only makes up about 25% of Thors Rogues Gallery (counting the ones I would be using in the 9 movies that is).
I never said he had more, but I will say he has more great villains, than Superman or even Batman.
Someone else out there try and concoct 9 Superman movies and I will show you where you are going wrong and why some villains work and others don't.
Like I said before, I have outlined 6 Superman movies and five times (over a mere 6 movies) I had to use the same villains twice!
What a Rogues Gallery with strength and depth adds is variety - which as we all know is the spice of life. I don't think any other superhero has Thor's strength and depth in that department.
Exactly. Unless we outline what 'epic' means (in my case it should refer to the scale of the battle) then it can mean absolutely anything.
So I may think Spider-man vs. Doc Ock on the train is the best superhero movie fight ever, but I wouldn't describe it as epic.
Preacher always seemed to me more about one religion than religions in general, though I have only read a few stories so I could be wrong.
Hercules and Wonder Woman are not gods. Herc is only a demi-god.
You could well be right about the Authority - I haven't read that yet.
Obviously it doesn't take a genius to see that Ra's Al Ghul is NOT visually interesting and that Scarecrow (when employing the fear-toxin) IS.
Similarly, Lex Luthor and Metallo (how awesome would a 60 storey Metallo have looked onscreen - instead we get to see Superman lift an island)![]()
To me that is illogical on a number of fronts.
You might argue that with a single villain we will get a more indepth treatment, but even then I don't think it necessarily has to be the case if every villain fills a different role.
I think it can.
As I see it most movies are about internal and external struggle. The internal represented by relationships, responsibilities (the 'software' if you will), the external represented by real threats, villains (the 'hardware').
Therefore having great villains (that fill all the criteria I list above) for a movie is half the battle won. The Mythology is only about a quarter of his Rogues Gallery (a quarter of those I would have in the 9 movies that is, I am sure the mythology is less than 10% overall in the comics).
Then it should be very easy for you - or someone else to propose villains for 9 Superman or Batman or Spiderman movies.![]()
I disagree. I think you can have 'end of the world' epic stories with Thor without going the whole hog and having Ragnarok.
I'd probably have a Ragnarok storyline in the third movie, but have Armageddon averted rather than waged to the finish.
With the sixth movie, instead of doing another Ragnarok bait and swerve I might have Odin (and Thor) battling the Celestials. So through movies 4, 5 and 6 I would be building up the Oversword.
I don't think every comic book story or villain would work on the big screen.
For instance, as I see it you could never have Toyman in a Superman movie in any great capacity.
I'm not saying all Thor's villains are great all Batman's and Superman's are bad, far from it.
Obviously its bad. Its not only bad its unoriginal. Its a lack of faith in the heroes Rogue's Gallery.
Not at all. I would have Loki in every odd numbered Thor movie. HOWEVER, I wouldn't have him return as the main schemer, only in a supporting role.
So I might have Hela as the schemer in the 3rd movie, with Loki aiding her.
I don't see this applying to the supporting cast, since they are clearly not the focus of the external threat faced by the hero - the villain IS!
So with so much focus being placed on the villain, you should get it right.
I agree with you about Superman. But Wonder Woman has a terrible Rogue's Gallery - one of the worst in comics (for such an established heroine). I read an interview with Joss Whedon and basically they are struggling to find a great villain for a Wonder Woman movie. If Whedon can even squeeze a trilogy out of that franchise I will be amazed.
I strongly disagree.
- Lex Luthor: done to death at this point. Supporting role only please.
- Brainiac: Alien Brainiac needs an additional villain because he is not visually interesting enough. Robot Brainiac needs a humanocentric villain to back him up (Luthor?).
- Darkseid: Superman's greatest villain by far. The problem with Darkseid is that once you have done his stories, you will never top it. So you want to save him for the end.
- Zod: Certainly has potential, however, I am not sure Zod alone is visually interesting. In effect hes a Superman 'clone' - he has all the same powers.
- Doomsday: Cannot work on his own. He doesn't challenge Superman mentally, nor is he humanocentric.
- Maxima: Could never carry a movie on her own. If she ever shows up it will be as a mere Supporting 'thug'.
- Metallo: Great visual villain, but doesn't challenge Superman mentally. Therefore he cannot carry a movie alone.
- Toyman: Far too corny. Sounds like a cheesy Batman villain. Could never carry a Superman movie. I would never have him in a Superman movie.
- Conduit: Really can't see him carrying a movie at all.
- Bizarro: Cannot carry a Superman villain on his own, because he cannot challenge Superman mentally.
- Mxy: Again, its just going to be a cheese-athon. There is no way Mxy can carry a movie. I wouldn't even use him in a supporting role.
- Parasite: Definately has potential, but hes not humanocentric, so that means he cannot work on his own.
GL1 said:Yo. Lets see how short I can keep this...
GL1 said:An interesting criteria. I feel that those roles need to be filled in a movie, but I do not feel they all need to be filled by the same character.
GL1 said:What you have failed to say is why that's a problem and I've illustrated why it's not. Furthermore, your inability to concoct 9 superman movies is a search button away from being alleviated.
GL1 said:I do.
GL1 said:I gave my definition, and SM vs Doc doesn't fall under it.
GL1 said:But Ra's IS less visually interesting than he is in comics, illustrating my point which is that comics visual interest is a non-factor. See how my point invalidates yours?
GL1 said:Again, are we talking about execution or the potential of the characters? Cuz if we're talking about what's already been done then Superman has a movie and Thor doesn't: End of Arguement. If we're talking about what these characters have in them, then lets compare comics to comics... I'm not interested in comparing apples to oranges... cuz I like both.
GL1 said:Again, if you're comparing "The Perfect Thor Movie" to Superman Returns, why would I even bother with that arguement?
GL1 said:But I DON'T argue that. I stated that with a single villain we CAN get more indepth treatment than with four, simple logic. My actual point was that having four villains is not necessarily an advantage... it CAN be, it also CAN be a hindrance... it all depends on the STORY, not the number of villains.
It's bad math where the external struggles are half the movie... they are simply the most visually interesting. My statement was that villains cannot carry a movie, you affirm that.
GL1 said:It should be easy for you, honestly, as soon as you get over your villain-centrism. Use the search function to see the opinions of others.
GL1 said:What makes the next trilogy fresh? I think that should be my question...
GL1 said:But you are saying that Thor's villains are overal vastly superior to Batman, Superman or Spider-Man's.
GL1 said:There are villains in each gallery that cannot and should not serve a primary role... that's fine.
GL1 said:It's a lack of relative faith. One can have all the faith in the world in Superman's rogues, but if one has all the faith in the universe in Lex Luthor, who are you going to use for a restart.
Also, you keep using the same main character, with the same powers, isn't that unorigional? It's not obviously anything...
GL1 said:What if you did a restart, 30 years later? Would you avoid the use of Loki altogether? Or Loki prequels? Would using Loki be unorigional?
GL1 said:What about the internal conflicts, that come from his relationships with the supporting cast... Spider-Man still having the thing with Mary Jane, or Aragorn's constant hesitance to take the crown?
GL1 said:I was going on the use-all-of-Greek-mythology theory... the one Whedon is going with... are you saying that Thor's rogue's gallery is greater than all of Greco-Roman myth?
GL1 said:By appearances, you didn't read my post which clearly indicated that the villains you feel cannot carry a movie on their own never should.
GL1 said:Furthermore, yoy have a great lack of the potential of these characters. You also fail to understand the concept of movie redesign, that their comic appearances has NOTHHING to do with how visually interesting they would be in a movie.
GL1 said:Should I continue argueing with you if you ignore my most crucial points?
Argh... gotta finish later.
No I didn't.Upper_Krust said:Fried Gold already listed some candidates for villains in a Superman movie. Unfortunately most of them barely qualify for supporting villain.
Fried Gold said:No I didn't.
Bump. Trilogy for sure.
I like the one movie first... and then if its a hit... do the next two back to back... but the first one would have to be a really big block buster... I know it hasn't worked out quite well with POTC and the Matrix... but give it a good year or year and a half between parts 2 and three... same thing should be done for Thor if the first one is a huge block buster... but I don't think it will be another POTC... therefore I'd like to see an Avengers first before Thor sequels... if the first one does a good 400 + million WW... I'd like them to do sequels back to back, but only after Avengers comes out.
Just do good, stand alone movies I say.
I'm with you. Don't try to force a big trilogy or whatever. If it happens, it happens. Just focus on making one good Thor film, and if people like it and it warrants a sequel, then focus on making ANOTHER good Thor film, and os on and so forth.
Thor is a franchise though and it's always better to have a storyline in mind that goes beyond the ending of the 1st film while touching on events prior to the 1st film. Of course each film has to have it's own beginning, middle, and end but you want to end the film setting up something else for the next no matter how subtle. Favreau and company are thinking way ahead with Iron Man with the next 2 films already sketched out.