Tag: Movies

Deano’s answer to: “In Thor, what are the 9 realms? How do they inter-relate? What’s the deal with the tree that Thor draws for Jane?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

The Nine Realms, or Nine Worlds, or Nine Planes are:

Alfheim, Asgard, Hel, Jotunheim, Midgard (Earth), Muspelheim, Nidavellir, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim(*).

The Big Tree is called Yggdrasil.

As for explaining what they are, and their inter-relation – especially in the context of the Marvel version of Thor – I could grab my crayons and do my best, or simply link to the excellent Wikipedia entry on the subject here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asg…

(* Am I really the only one who had to memorize this in the third grade?!? )

This answer originally appeared on Quora: In Thor, what are the 9 realms? How do they inter-relate? What’s the deal with the tree that Thor draws for Jane?

Deano’s answer to: “Why aren’t Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in the next Pirates of the Caribbean film?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

A few fairly straightforward reasons why:

  • Their character arcs are both complete, removing their relevance from ongoing/new adventures, which need feature only Captain Jack Sparrow.
  • They were never the box office draw of the earlier films, and replacing them with new allies and frenemies (like Penélope Cruz) helps keep things “fresh”, and helps less creative movie execs figure out what additions/subtractions can help bring home more bacon.
  • Neither is a compelling enough actor/character in their own right to warrant continued exposure within the franchise – it just takes time away from the much more bankable “Johnny Depp Vs. X” storylines we are bound to see in future films.

Why aren’t Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in the next Pirates of the Caribbean film?

Deano’s answer to: “Was Thor shot in 3D natively, or 3D was added in post?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

Thor is a 3D conversion, not an original 3D production.

This is confirmed by multiple sources:

The quality level is said to be vastly superior to Clash of the Titans – but since none of the movie was shot with 3D in mind, the special glasses you wear will do more to take you out of the experience than make you feel like a part of it (“hey look, a FLYING HAMMER that goes… uh… SIDEWAYS, in 3D!”).

If you want to be cynical, you could say that it’s basically a money grab, and the reviews from those who have seen both say that the resolution and colors/blacks onscreen are truer and more vibrant in 2D… But if you enjoy the 3D experience generally, and don’t need excessive screen-popping action, it’s a good way to ensure a less crowded theater when you go to see it.

Was Thor shot in 3D natively, or 3D was added in post?

Deano’s answer to: “Is the 3D in Thor any good?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

Compared to other recent 3D conversions, Thor is exceptional… Great summary of the European release reactions here:

Compared to the 2D “native” version of Thor, it is an inferior experience, at lower resolution, and with muddier colors and less dark blacks.

If you can only afford to see it once in the theater, I would recommend the 2D version. Your brain and eyes will have much less visual decoding and recompositing work to do, and thus will be more fully free to absorb the storyline and “splosions“.

Is the 3D in Thor any good?

Deano’s answer to: “In Thor, given that Loki is actually a frost giant, why doesn’t he look blue and scary like other frost giants?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A
If by scary you mean scary addicted to the new Pokémon game, yeah.
What could be scarier than sexting between scenes?

Since we see in a flashback that Baby-Loki is picked up by Odin, and begins to switch to a human appearance immediately, that some aspect of Odin’s magic, or “Asgardian Magic” more generally, causes Loki to appear Asgardian.

Conversely, it could be that Jotunheim itself, and the Frost Giant magic, bestows the blue skintone to its inhabitants.

A few corroborating points to this theory:

  • While fighting on Jotunheim, Volstagg is injured, and his wound turns bluish in color;
  • When Loki is attacked, his skin turns blue while his attacker is holding him, and then reverts once he is let go.
  • When Loki lifts up the magical blue cube which contains the Frost Giant magic, he slowly begins to turn blue, only reverting to Asgardian appearance when he releases it.

My personal theory is that, if relieved of his Asgardian clothes and weaponry, and left on the Jotunheim “planetoid”, Loki would indeed slowly revert back to his naturally blue “Frost Giant” appearance, though whether or not he might begin to grow in stature to become a full-on Frost Giant is still doubtful.

This answer originally appeared on Quora: In Thor, given that Loki is actually a frost giant, why doesn’t he look blue and scary like other frost giants?