I put the spoiler-lite in the title just to cover my own ass. There are no real spoilers in the review, as far as I am concerned.
I was very reserved when I heard the possibility of a Thor movie. How would they capture all of that magic in one film without a huge budget. I thought it might be best as a direct to DVD animated movie. After reading this script review, I have changed my point of view on this. Don't get me wrong, I am not naive, but it appears to be off to a great start.
Thor, God of Thunder, Comics AND Film?!?
It has been quite some time since I last checked in and did a little blogging, so I figured with the proper bug up my ass it was time to lay down some blog geekery. I know much has already been said about Thor, but for some reason, I never thought there would be much to say by me. I respect the Thor character, and love the legacy. I know there have been some great stories told, and hell ... I even love me some Beta Ray Bill ... but I've never really read Thor. However, it seems the Asgardian is making a big old comeback and he has my attention.
I was recently handed a copy of the greenlit Thor script by Mark Protosevich, and I absolutely loved it. While only a first draft of the script, this thing is epic! I just hope that a majority of what is in this first draft makes its way to that silver screen. Protosevich focuses his story on Asgard and Midgard, no modern day touches, no Dr. Don Blake ... and in that, it is amazing. I think a focus on earthly elements would water down the fact that Thor's a freakin' god. Like so many complaints with Transformers, what people wanted was giant robots, and not lame humans. In a Thor movie, you need to deal with gods, and this script does exactly that.
It is an origin story that has all of the characters you'd hope to see in Odin, Balder, Fandral, Volstagg, Thor, of course ... and who would you like to see as the villain? I hope your answer is Loki because the portrayal here is fantastically fun. While just words on the page, the moment where Loki dons his famous green and yellow duds with the long horns is so vivid and exciting. The film feels like Lord of the Rings meets Spider-Man ... and I only bring in Spider-Man because the first two films capture the comic-bookish feel so well. And that is what Thor is: It's epic, filled with adventure, but doesn't forget that it's a comic book and not an adaptation of a literary classic.
When Loki's scheming leads to Thor being banished from Asgard, he must forget his vanity, find Mjolnir, and make his way home. I'm going to leave it at that, so as not to ruin anyone's fun or expectations, let's just say that it is the real deal, and if you haven't been excited about the prospect of a Thor film, well, start getting excited! With Matthew Vaughn onboard I really feel that this will be a much-talked-about Marvel film when it hits that silver screen. Vaughn has proven with Layer Cake that he can do action, and then again on Stardust, although it wasn't reviewed very favorably and kind of came and went at the box office, he proved that he can do fantasy and effects. That being the case, this could be a match made in heaven.
Which brings me to JMS's current run on the newly relaunched Thor title. Are you reading it? You should be! Again, as someone who is not the world's biggest Thor fan having just not read that much, this run has me excited. It's an interesting take on gods living amongst us, as well as an interesting take on a belief in gods in the first place. How does a god die when they're alive and well with us? JMS has done a very interesting job bringing Thor back from the dead, something most comic readers have become jaded about as no one stays dead in comics, but at least here it is belivable within its context.
Not to mention that issue 3 has given us but a taste of that battle between Thor and Iron Man that we all have been waiting for. Thor is no pushover, he's a god, he cannot be bullied even by Iron Man, nor does he appreciate his legacy being used to kill Bill Foster, a human, but a hero nonetheless.
All in all ... if you can find the first 3 issues of Thor, buy them and read them ... this is shaping up to be a great Thor run that will only make people more eager for a film ... and in this case you get what you want, and what you need. Take that Rolling Stones!! What do you know about Thor?!?
