THOR AND CAPTAIN AMERICA FILMS TO BE CONVERTED TO 3D



Aaaaaargh!!! Alarm bells are ringing. The Marvel Studios movies THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER are to be converted to 3D, even though THOR was shot in 2D and Captain America is also being lensed in 2D. Not sure about this at all, as even though Kenneth Branagh (Thor's director) has stated that they have approached all of the effects from a 3D perspective, I'm still not convinced that a 3D conversion can work.

Then again, it does seem that these films are being approached for 3D conversion at an early enough stage in their evolution for it to work well, which is what I'm hoping for. I'd hate these films to be unwatchable (Clash of the Titans and its 3D nausea) or just messy (The Last Airbender and its almost unnoticeable 3D).

I can see how 3D would benefit some of the sweeping vistas of Asgard and so on in THOR, but I'm not sure how the 3D will work with Captain America. Granted, it could make for some stunning set pieces in the WWII sequences, but will it actually be able to add enough oomph to make it worth the studio's extra cash and our own extra entrance money?

I really hope that these two films do well, as they are something of a pair of wild cards in terms of audience familiarity. While Captain America is a huge icon in the US, elsewhere he's a bit of a joke, thanks to the name, the costume and the whole character in general. Us lot, y'know, the rest of the world outside mainland America, can't really relate to Cap. That's not to say the comics aren't great, as some of them are wonderful examples of the medium, but he doesn't have the impact of a guy being bitten by a radioactive spider, or a billionaire with a cool suit of armour. It just doesn't translate as well as it should.

Thor on the other hand does have some punch outside of the US audience, as the film will feature some set pieces and scenery on such a grand scale, that an audience will immediately latch onto it the moment a trailer is released. Even non-comics fans or people unfamiliar with other Marvel properties will (hopefully) flock to THOR just for the spectacle. It needs to be a wild and amazing ride for the viewer for them to really get something out of it (see Elektra for how not to maintain audience interest- y'know, by having nothing happen for the middle hour of the movie).

With the cast these two films have, and the talent behind the camera and in the animation departments, we are sure to at least get something worth watching. However, I can't help but feel that these films are a huge gamble for the studio, which could have done with getting a new Spider-Man movie off the ground a bit quicker to keep the flagship character in the game.

And then there's the 2012 AVENGERS movie, but that is a whole different rant.

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