Between Books - Marvel's Thor: The Dark World - The Art of the Movie

I like Thor: The Dark World more than you!

I’ve never met anyone who legitimately seemed to enjoy it, to the level I did. So a few years ago I bought a copy of Marvel's Thor: The Dark World - The Art of the Movie because for that devotion and being a collector I had to catch them all after reading a few others. Then it sat on the Between Shelves, and I saw the prices of the rest and there was no completionist urgency in the world to get me to finish the whole set. And so that pages figuratively rotted on the vine till now.

Marvel's Thor: The Dark World - The Art of the Movie by Marie Javins and Stuart Moore takes readers through the journey to construct the movie of the same name. The book discusses general story settings of the journey such as looking at Asgard and Svartalfheim. A big emphasis is really on the scenery and the breakdown of scenes, where character development explanations are generally smaller portions of the book. The text is filled with a lot of concept art and storyboards.

I have read a few Art movie books. And this was generally not a favorite for me. As I mentioned, this book is a lot about the scenery and I feel like a lot of Art books give us greater detail on how the plot is developed. This book goes deep into how the worlds were physically and virtually built and not the story. The characters are also not fully discussed in their evolutions either. For example, the book discusses the replacement of metal with rope and fabric in Thor and Odin costumes but I don’t believe it really explained how the characters softened internally. And while one of my favorite model breakdowns was creating the dark elves, the evolving models did not really build characters but really attempted to show a visual representation of stock not-nice elves.

And while the art is beautiful and grand in scope, especially when showing backgrounds and scenery. But I also think there are too many black-and-white storyboards in this volume which cover numerous pages of the book. They are to me not as visually interesting as the giant splash images. And while I can see how concepts moved from page to screen, they did not differ to me enough to show me an evolving thought process which is often the most interesting thing in these books.

As someone who collects, completing a full set of Marvel Cinematic Universe art books seemed impossible to me. The secondary sales of some of these volumes were well beyond any price I might consider. I think this is why this volume sat unmoving on my shelve…why read it when I can’t catch them all. But hope has returned as Marvel has announced a new printing of 24 volumes of MCU “Art Of” books. Though I think I may have lost the desire to fill out the full set. 

I’m a weirdo. I may have liked Thor: The Dark World more than Marvel's Thor: The Dark World - The Art of the Movie. It is a fine volume. It does what it is asked to do by giving a visual description of how some concepts went from page to screen. But it lacked the discoveries that I really enjoy in this book genre.

 

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Dreaming Disney - WDWNT: The Magazine - Thor's Journey Into Mystery

My last article is up at WDWNT: The Magazine.  The article, "Thor's Journey Into Mystery" explores the comic book origins of Thor: The Dark World's main characters including Thor and Loki.  The article discusses both first appearances, what happened afterwards, and a Disney connection to Thor in live action form.

As a bonus, if you want to hear my thoughts on Thor: The Dark World you can check out Welcome to Level Seven's podcast review.  Warning, it is full of spoilers!

Thor: The Dark World will be released for home video February 25th.  

Between Books - Infinity Gauntlet

Do we really have to wait until 2015 for The Avengers 2? Yes I know we have Iron Man 3, Thor 2: The Dark World, and Captain America 2: Winter Soldier to pass the years. But I really do not want to wait until 2015 to resolve Thanos and his plans for earth. I want to know what is going on now. So, I created my own shortcut and I read Infinity Gauntlet, collecting the Marvel mini-series from 1991. Though this series is not the introduction of the villain Thanos, it does tie into another potential plot element, the Infinity Gauntlet. The stone in Loki’s spear in The Avengers is the Soul Gem, which allows the user to control others. And in Thor the Infinity Gauntlet is seen in Odin’s vault. I have a hard time believing that they would not have left us a trail to this story without looking to adapt it in the future within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In 1991's Infinity Gauntlet, written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by George Perez and Ron Lim, Thanos acquires the Infinity Gauntlet formed of the entire set of Infinity Gems in order to fulfill his beloved’s desires. The full gauntlet makes Thanos more powerful than a Marvel universe God. He hopes to impress Death by killing half of the universe, in the blink of an eye! Earth’s heroes unite under the leadership of hero Adam Warlock, who is very familiar with the Soul Gem (he lived in it), to battle Thanos and attempt to save the universe from chaos and death. The following are speculative thoughts from the story that could have impact on a future Avengers 2, if it was actually adapted for the next movie:

• The Stones: We have already been introduced to the Soul Gem, but there are actually six infinity gems. The full set is The Soul, The Mind, Power, Time, Reality and Space. When combined together in the Infinity Gauntlet, they give the holder unlimited Godlike power. Basically, the Gauntlet makes Thanos the badest baddy that the Avengers would fight yet.

• Star Wars, Nothing But Star Wars: This is a cosmic tale. Seriously, it’s out of this world. Yes, there is a fair amount of action that occurs on little old earth. But the final battle occurs in space. So take Tony Stark flying into space at the end of The Avengers and add Thor and other heroes zooming through space with him. And then add in that part of the confrontation with Thanos includes a delegation of cosmic entities like Entirety, Love and Hate, the Watcher, Galactus, Kronos, and others. If they follow this cosmic setting, the budget for the film would have to be huge. Cleveland was able to sit in for New York in The Avengers, but it would require a lot of special effects to frame this story on the big screen in the same way as the comic. Or some things like the cosmic entities may not be able to be seen on screen. I do see the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving this direction with concept art from Iron Man 3, spoiler, showing Tony within a deep space version of the armor.

• Where’s Waldo: The good news about the Infinity Gauntlet storyline is that Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk all have fairly big roles with Black Widow also in action. Now this Thor is not the Marvel Cinematic Universe Thor with a storyline that if he is separated from his hammer for a set timeframe he transforms into a regular human who is not Donald Blake. This plot point is small enough I am guessing that Joss Whedon would simply ignore it. But Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye is problematic. For almost the entire story Hawkeye is gone, and somewhere where he should never return from. I am fairly certain regardless of the number of heroes they add that the Disney executives would like to keep Renner with a significant role in a future Avengers film. I think it’s the law that Renner has to have a role in every action franchise, or at least it feels that way!

• Missing in Action: This is a big big Marvel story. It is literally cosmic and the role of heroes featured is massive. However, there are a ton of heroes who cannot be part of the story due to obligations to other studios. These missing heroes included Spider-Man, Wolverine, Professor X, and the Fantastic Four. And some characters I wonder if they have viable as they served as supporting characters on the non-Disney films. These include the Silver Surfer and Doctor Doom who have a pretty big role in this epic. I am guessing that currently these two are wrapped up with other studios and will be written out unless Disney pays a fee to access their characters.

• Introducing: There are several characters that could be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is a very “magical” story, where it is made equal to science. Therefore Doctor Strange plays a large role in the original story, so Avengers 2 if following this story at all could be an introduction to this character. I think this is likely since Kevin Fiege has announced that Doctor Strange will be part of Wave Three after Avengers 2. Another character who could have a role is Ant Man, who’s film is also considered part of Wave Three. Though I have to admit this original Avenger is not really one of my favorite characters.

• Leader of the Pack: What to do with Adam Warlock. He serves as the strategic leader in the conformation against Thanos. But to be honest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe he could only ever be a supporting character. And would they allow someone other than Nick Fury serve as the core leader? I do not think so. I expect that Fury might take over some of Warlock’s role if this storyline was made into Avengers 2.

• Stan’s Soapbox: No entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be complete without the Stan Lee cameo. And this story is ready for Stan’s arrival. One frame shows that the Hulk is visiting “Smilin’ Stan’s Bar & Grill. On this alone, I would green light this story for the core of Avengers 2.

Again, this is all nothing more than speculation and none of these guesses could come to fruition. But with two years to go, Infinity Gauntlet is an enjoyable book to visit and start building assumptions on a future movie. Let's be honest, this story could not become a feature film without major rewrites.  Even if none of these guesses come true, the story itself is an enjoyable superhero adventure sure to entertain fans of the Avenger Initiative.

Mousey Movie Preview - Thor: The Dark World TV Spot

What I really wanted to show today was the Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked trailer from San Diego Comic Con.  But everytime I go to watch it, Disney legal has gotten it taken down, likely moments before I went to view it.

So instead I give you Thor: The Dark World's recent TV promo, which was played during Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this week.  Honestly, I loved this because Jane Foster gets a chance to address relationship stuff, dude why didn't you call!    

If you have not seen it yet, here is the full trailer for Thor: The Dark World which will be released on November 8, 2013. 

Mousey Movie Review - Iron Man 3

I am a Disney fan, Marvel fan, superhero fan and a heretic.

Contrary to other reviews you may have read already, let me say Iron Man 3 is a good movie but not the greatest superhero comic movie ever. It is not as good as The Avengers, Iron Man 2,or Iron Man (my personal ranking, yes I did put 2 before 1). It is fun and enjoyable though at times (the front) it kind of drags and I have plenty of concerns that brought me out of the movie the first time I watched it. Maybe my expectations were too high!

In the third installment of the Iron Man series, an emotionally maturing Tony Stark, played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr., is dealing, and not well, with the emotional ramifications of the battle for New York in The Avengers. While emotionally at his wit’s end he enters into a confrontation with the terrorist The Mandarin who is attempting to reeducate the American President. Tony becomes embroiled into this confrontation after one of The Mandarin’s Extermis soldiers hurts someone close to Tony. After a strike on his home, Stark must determine how to defeat the demons of his past, find The Mandarin’s lair, protect those he loves and defend the United States’ government in this Mousey Movie:

• Team Work: Where is Captain America? I assume that Thor is not in the neighborhood but where is Captain America? Shouldn’t Captain America face a challenge against the United States and its leader? Is he not the most natural of Tony’s friends, he has a flag on his chest, to at least fight for the American way of life? Where is S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury? Tony Stark is at least loosely affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D., so should we not expect Nick Fury (who never shows up) to at least send someone like Coulson’s replacement over to the Stark Ranch after an air strike against it. But nope, no S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony Stark is part of a wider world, so where is everybody? 

• The Real World: To me a hallmark of the Iron Man films has been cementing Tony Stark to the real world. So I wondered how The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley would be handled. The Mandarin is a traditional Asian Iron Man villain powered by ten rings that are either magical or alien depending on the story arc you are reading. He is very non-real world. But I do applaud the fresh and realistic take they give to the Mandarin. He is portrayed in a way that should not be offensive to any culture. And he easily could exist in our world. Since Thor brought us Gods and The Avengers brought us aliens I thought maybe they would take an imaginary leap with The Mandarin. Instead, they followed their past and stayed in our world and I really liked it. And Kingsley was brilliant in his portrayal of this classic villain. 

• Kids and Animals: Kingsley was good, but Ty Simpkins stole the show for me. Who? Exactly! This fresh faced youngster plays a boy named Harley. Harley like Stark is mechanical and an emotional hot mess. If anyone can put the cocky superhero into his place it is Harley. Disney, sign this kid onto a long-term contract. We need to see him in future films as a sidekick to the millionaire, a protégé one might say. With Coulson out of the picture, until the T.V. show premiers at least, I officially identify Harley as my new favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe original character. 

• Tear Jerker: Everyone who has seen the trailers knows that Tony’s home is attacked and his hall of armor is devastated. I used to be sad about this when I saw the first trailers. But I must have come to terms with it, because I was sad but the armor loss did not upset me. But I had forgot there were other items in the garage that I've become emotionally attached to. So despite seeing this scene over and over again I was still left with a sense of loss. 

• Other People’s Property: Punisher, Ghost Rider, Daredevil and Blade are all officially back in the Disney/Marvel family. And it is clear that Disney is concerned with staking claims to their property, intellectual property that is. Along with the return of the Marvel lost children, Kevin Feige has announced that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are planned to be featured in The Avengers 2. This is interesting since Disney does not have movie rights to their daddy Magneto, who is in the X-Men films. And you have to wonder if they can even stay they are mutants? But the move does block these mutant siblings from being used in the non-Disney Marvel movies. Another addition in the second Avengers film is AIM as Aldrich Killian’s think tank. And Roxxon is mentioned as a company within the Disney Cinematic Universe before it could show up in a Spider-Man film. The most interesting marking of the Disney territory is War Machine being re-branded as Iron Patriot. I prefer the War Machine name, especially since Rhodey has never been Iron Patriot. Oh, and Iron Patriot is a villain, a re-purposed Iron Man suit worn by Spider-Man villain Norman Osborn. Is it possible that Marvel and Disney made this name change now to keep an Iron Man-like armor from showing up in the Spider-Man films? Honestly, I have a hard time believing that Sony could include Iron Patriot in their plans without Marvel approval. When all the intellectual dust settles, I wish War Machine was still War Machine! 

• Business Casual: This is a small thing, but it took me out of the movie. Don Cheadle’s Colonel James Rhodes the pilot of Iron Patriot is an Air Force officer. So his uniform when on patrol in the Iron Patriot armor is a polo and jeans that one can buy in any men’s section. Should he not have some sort of Battle Dress Uniform or other sanctioned and logoed military outfit when on official patrol, and not an outfit I could buy in every department store’s men’s section? I guess it does make CosPlay easier! I just keep thinking that Walt Disney demanded that Imagineers be true to details because even if we did not know why something was off we would still feel it. I felt it! 

• Action Jackson: The action sequences are really good, especially the attack on the Stark mansion and the battle finale. The Between Kid saw it with me the second time and I am pretty sure there was no blinking during both of these sequences. And despite having seen the movie once before, I still felt pulled into Tony’s struggles as his house was destroyed around him. The second time I paid to see the film in IMAX 3D, which usually I dislike. But for Iron Man 3 I really enjoyed the feeling of broken glass flying at me or ashes floating throughout the room. 

• Grow Up: I do believe the storyline shows growth for three of our main characters. Tony Stark clearly now cares for someone beyond himself, Pepper Potts. Potts, portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow, is definitely in charge of Stark Industries and comfortable with that role. She says no and yes on her authority and not Tony’s. In fact, Pepper comes off as a very strong figure in the board room, her romantic relationship, and even on the battlefield filled with villains and heroes. And Happy Hogan , played by Jon Favreau, no longer drives Tony or Pepper around but heads all of Stark security. It is nice to see these original three have not been stuck in place. 

• False Ending: I really feel like they are trying to give Iron Man 3 a Dark Knight Rises ending where the trilogy of Iron Man films are all wrapped up in a neat little package. But everyone, and I mean everyone to the youngest child knows, knows that regardless of the ending tying up of plot points that Tony Stark and Iron Man will return in The Avengers 2. In fact, the ending could literally end the Iron Man saga, and the Between Tween asked if there would ever be another Iron Man movie. After the post-credit scene we are told Tony Stark will be back and all the emotional work that the ending built up is out the window with a title card. I really felt like they fully do not understand the bigger picture. If this was the true end of a trilogy I would be satisfied. But that is not the situation. In the end, this ending is just misdirection to me. I should not I have debated heavily with a friend about this point, but I still have not been convinced it was the ending we needed. 

Again, good not great. Iron Man 3 does have things we expect and need including the Stan Lee cameo and the post credit scene. Actually the post credit scene was not what I expected, or still believe needed, but was probably one of the best to date. If you are reading this blog, you will probably see Iron Man 3, if you have not already. I recommend sitting back, relaxing and do not look critically. Because when I took that strategy it was a much better movie.