How Thor breaks down racial barriers in Asgard

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Dusty Ayres, Apr 13, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Admiral Buzzkill

    Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Works for me. Whether a "nordic god" should look like a northern European at all depends, of course, on whether you start with the premise that they created humans or that humans created them.
     
  2. Myasishchev

    Myasishchev Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Location:
    America after the rain
    "Retcon" used in a very liberal sense, as retconned from the Norse myth. But I see your point, and yeah, I like Beta Ray Bill. It's just kinda, I dunno, off the point.

    He says that after killing Tybalt.[/QUOTE]

    Yeah, that's bogus. To me, the death of the Prince's cousins is a hugely important part of the story. "All are punished" means more when he's speaking from a personal place, and not just in his role as the ruler of Verona. Hell, the line doesn't even make sense unless you're told earlier that Paris and Mercutio are the Prince's family:

    It's been a long time since I've seen the flick, but I know this part's got to be in there...:shifty:
     
  3. Dusty Ayres

    Dusty Ayres Commodore

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2004
    Location:
    ANS Yamato, Sector 5, Sol System
    I will be seeing the movie, but more because I want to see how Thor will be brought to the screen. I wonder how most of the northern Europeans will be taking this news?
     
  4. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    How did the Greeks react to Hercules and Xena? It's not like many people actually believe in these deities anymore, so who cares what liberties are taken?
     
  5. Kegg

    Kegg Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2009
    Location:
    Ireland.
    It can simply come down to a fondness for the narrative. I don't like the idea of some comic book writers cleaning up the Norse mythos and doing their usual slapdash routine, and I didn't like using Greek mythology as a vehicle for Hollywood cheesecake; though of course neither are exactly new.

    Though as far as casting goes there has been a suspicious and of course unremarkjed on tendency for Greek gods to be cast as northern European whites; which is never really seen as a big deal.
     
  6. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    To most people's minds, Europeans are Europeans, all white to one degree or another (and, of course, there's centuries of art depicting them that way).
    Many of these stories have made quite innovative use of world mythology, and these mythologies were hardly watertight in their continuity anyway (Greek mythology puts the DCU to shame in terms of differing versions and retcons).
     
  7. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2001
    Location:
    the Unreconstructed South
    "Diversity" casting is the most egregious sort of stunt casting. Any producer or director who would cast on that basis is more concerned with "making a statement" than producing a good movie.

    Still interested in the film, but this definitely counts against it.
     
  8. Kegg

    Kegg Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2009
    Location:
    Ireland.
    Oh, come now. That there are differences between Europeans of many Meditterreanean countries including Greece and northern European countries isn't something all that remarkable; but casting has often favoured northern European actors (Star Trek's Apollo, for example).

    It's not a matter of continuity and more one of tone, which is why I said I don't like. It's an appropriation and transmogrification of the mythos into a cheeseburger; a pop culture commodity. Inevitable, perhaps, but not something I'm keen on.
     
  9. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    Well, of course, particularly in productions by northern Europeans (just like Britons are usually called on to play French characters in English-language versions of The Three Musketeers). It's not nearly the same thing in terms of difference; I don't particularly mind this guy being cast, personally, though I'd have gone a different way.
     
  10. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2001
    Location:
    potrzebie
    I have a lot more confidence in Kenneth Branagh's abilities as a film director than I do in your opinions of his casting choices. :rolleyes:

    Thor is going to be awesome.
     
  11. cylkoth

    cylkoth Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    [​IMG]

    Hey, they should've cast me, damn it![​IMG]
     
  12. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2001
    Location:
    the Unreconstructed South
    Then perhaps, oh sage, you might enlighten me as to what this casting choice actually BRINGS to the project other than a few press releases touting a "diverse" cast?

    A filmmaker's first priority and duty is to the FILM, not to making political/social statements.
     
  13. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2005
    An excellent actor.
     
  14. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2001
    Location:
    the Unreconstructed South
    There are plenty of skilled actors out there. What does this particular actor bring to the table that demands that HE be given in this role, given the nature of the character (to wit: a Norse god) that argues against the casting. You would not hire a black actor to play Abe Lincoln, or Robert E Lee, regardless of how skilled they were, because those people were not black.
     
  15. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Location:
    Lancaster, PA

    Oh, don't be silly. We're not talking about a serious historical drama here. Hell, we're not even talking about a serious adaptation of classic Norse mythology. We're talking about THE MIGHTY THOR, which stopped being a faithful adaption of the Norse myths about the time Thor fought the "Stone Men from Saturn" in the very first issue of the comic book.

    It's a comic book action movie, filmed in 2010. Who cares what race Heimdall is? He's a modern interpretation of an old Stan Lee/Jack Kirby character. And the days when all comic book characters had to be white are, thankfully, long past. Welcome to 2010.

    Won't hurt the movie one bit.
     
  16. Admiral Buzzkill

    Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Yep. Why isn't that the first thing that occurs to people when they ask that question?
     
  17. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2001
    Location:
    potrzebie
    You're assuming Branagh is attempting to make a political/social statement, when in fact this is simply him following an established pattern of casting actors he thinks will be a good fit for the role and a good fit for the overall film, regardless of their skin color. (e.g., his casting of Denzel Washington in Much Ado About Nothing, Adrian Lester in Love's Labours Lost, Lester and David Oyelowo in As You Like It, along with the liberties he took in terms of time and place with Hamlet, Love's Labours Lost, and As You Like It).

    As Greg pointed out, this is not a straight-up faithful retelling of Norse mythology; it's a movie based on a comic book that has long played fast and loose with that mythology, so I don't see any problem with Branagh being allowed to tweak it as he sees fit. Certainly the other Marvel-based films of the past decade have felt free to discard or rewrite various characters as it served the story. If this ruins Thor for you, that's your problem, not anyone else's.
     
  18. StarTrek1701

    StarTrek1701 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2008
    I am pretty sure nobody would be up in arms if Blade, John Stewart, Black Lightning, Storm or Vixen are cast as White People right? ;)
     
  19. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2001
    Location:
    the Unreconstructed South
    And that's an excuse that justifies making any and all changes to whatever character the makers want?

    Ok, then Thor (in his god form) can be a 90 year old bald Chineese guy...it's just a "comic book movie", right?:rolleyes:

    Fans would utterly reject that, and they SHOULD.

    More "representational" bullcrap. Let's have a latino Superman, and a Batman who becomes BatWOMAN after a trip to Sweden and Will Smith in drag playing Wonder Woman...it's all just a "comic book movie"...right?:rolleyes:


    Of COURSE they would...because it's all about "Ya gotta 'represent'..." and riding on the coattails of popular characters to make a social point...
     
  20. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2005
    Hey, why not? We've already had a Superman who was of partial Asian descent. ;)
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.