We are fast approaching the release of Thor, the first of four superhero films to be released in 2011 – the others being Captain America: The First Avenger, Green Lantern and X-Men: First Class. So who will win the battle for the best superhero?
All four of these films boast an impressive collection of actors and actresses. With a cast of Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings Thor already looks promising, but it is Home and Away’s Chris Hemsworth that really needs to sell the film – and his performance in the trailers looks promising.
Then there is the story... all four of the films are essentially origin stories so it basically comes down to which superhero is most interesting. Unlike most superheroes, Thor is an already powerful warrior who is forced to learn the value of those weaker than himself. For anyone with an interest in mythology, there is plenty of substance for the film to explore – Thor’s Oedipal issues, Loki’s jealousy and Odin’s aging state. But, while the plot threads involving these mythological characters seem the most interesting and different to what the other films have to offer, it seems that the film is more interested in the regular humans.
Then there is X-Men: First Class. The previews so far have focused on the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, meaning the success of the film rests on the chemistry between James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender – but with a supporting cast of Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence I am interested in seeing more from this film.
While DC comics have always been of more interest to me, X-Men has always been the exception. The politics of The Civil Rights Movement involved in the story adds a deeper level of interest and the exploration of the relationships between the characters keeps the viewers/readers glued. But I do wonder if there is much extra to be explored that hasn’t been done in the relatively recent trilogy. But X-Men: First Class still looks promising, with the coming-of-age drama concerning the younger mutants who are struggling to find their place in the world, which was sort of looked at in the previous films with Rogue and Iceman but soon replaced with the overpowering Wolverine storylines. As long as it doesn’t become too angst-ridden and Twilight-like this film should be interesting.
While some of the internet buzz on this film has been quite negative, I am looking forward to Ryan Reynolds performance as Hal Jordan and hope he will bring some humour to the year’s superhero invasion. His goofy but charming charisma will work well for this character (although I was hoping he’d play Flash). There is also a strong performing cast of Peter Sarsgaard, Geoffrey Rush, Mark Strong and Temuera Morrison – and Blake Lively, though her performance in Gossip Girl often makes me want to cause some pain (tbf that is probably more to do with the character Serena than Blake Lively herself).
Green Lantern is an interesting superhero because he is more relatable than others. Like many others, he is a weaker individual who gains powers and must learn how to use them responsibly, but unlike others his journey is more psychological than physical. Instead of being in a nuclear accident that changes his physical abilities, he is given a power ring (I'm still waiting for mine) that gives him great control over the physical world as long as he has sufficient willpower and strength to wield it. He must therefore overcome his insecurities and emotional shortcomings as both a superhero and a man.
And last but not least there is Captain America – with the talented Chris Evans taking his second stab at a superhero role as Steve Rogers. His performance looks promising but I hope this doesn’t lead to him permanently ditching his comedy roles (although any chance to see his new body is a plus). This film also boasts a promising cast of Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci and Dominic Cooper.
Captain America transforms from a wannabe fighter for justice into a super-powered hero who strives to use his powers solely for good. This is a very patriotic story that was created during World War II when America needed a hero to fight on the side of good (we had our own Captain Britain). But whether that character will be quite so popular to modern audiences I am not sure. Regardless, it will be impossible not to cheer on Chris Evans magnificent body as it fights Red Skull and his Hydra soldiers.
My guess is that Green Lantern will be the best of the four films, but Captain America will have the biggest box office success. The original trailer of Green Lantern might have received some negative buzz but they turned it all around with the WonderCon trailer, providing us with a glimpse to the amazing special effects and action and the always charming performance of Ryan Reynolds.
Thor is released in the UK on April 27.
X-Men: First Class is released on June 2.
Green Lantern is released June 17.
Captain America: The First Avenger is released July 29.
Who do you think will come out on top?
No comments:
Post a Comment