Thor: The Dark World (2013)

[Nightmare Asylum]

That's interesting...definitely getting that Nuada vibe, like you said. Do all the elves have faces that color, or is that paint?

[Shasvre]

That's just Malekith, I think. The rest of the Dark Elves are just blue, as far as I know.

Spoiler

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But like in every comic, there have been different looks for them.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Ahh, pretty cool looking. I wonder if they're going to slightly change the color in the film, so as to distance them from the Frost Giants a bit?

[Shasvre]

I wonder if they're going to slightly change the color in the film, so as to distance them from the Frost Giants a bit?

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. They might just do that.

I'm hoping they won't make the Elves into a barbaric civilization like Jotunheim. Would be fun to see something as high tech as Asgard for some of the other realms.

[ScardyFox]

If they did me thinks they're playing too many liberties since neither should be high tech.

[Nightmare Asylum]

I don't know anything about them, but just by looking at them they certainly look more civilized than the Frost Giants. Maybe not Asgard level technology, but they don't appear to be the unruly brutes that the Frost Giants were, either.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Thor wasn't is established that, at one point, the Frost Giants did have a decent civilization going? I mean, they had a pretty smart King, and Jounheim had at least the remnants of a city remaining during the modern-day parts of the film. It was with the loss of the war with the Asgardians (and, more importantly, the loss of the Casket of Ancient Winters) that their society really began to fall apart.

EDIT: After searching online a bit, it seems that Malekith has some close ties to the Casket of Ancient Winters. I wonder if we may be seeing that again? Also, if we see Odin's treasure room again, I would love to see the Tesseract in there as well, since Thor took it back with him.

[Shasvre]

If they did me thinks they're playing too many liberties since neither should be high tech.

The Asgardian stuff we saw in the movie was pretty high tech. Or magical, if you wish. It is what it is. But the Frost Giants looked like they belonged in caves. At least after their war with Asgard. So I think you get my point.

[ScardyFox]

If they did me thinks they're playing too many liberties since neither should be high tech.

The Asgardian stuff we saw in the movie was pretty high tech. Or magical, if you wish. It is what it is. But the Frost Giants looked like they belonged in caves. At least after their war with Asgard. So I think you get my point.

Yes true, but thats not my point. Asgard isn't a place of technology. They aren't "aliens" that are bizarrely super tough. Thors mother is the spirit of Earth (more or less), etc etc. All those things have been changed for the movies. Seems they've already taken a shed load of liberties as is. I don't see a need to change the land of Elves into another technological thingy.

[Shasvre]

Things change, might as well accept that. Some things for the worse, some for the better. Making Asgard less of a magical place was pretty much necessary to make it fit into the MCU. Of course, the line between science and magic isn't really that clear in the movie, nor was it in the comics.

[ScardyFox]

Things change, might as well accept that. Some things for the worse, some for the better. Making Asgard less of a magical place was pretty much necessary to make it fit into the MCU. Of course, the line between science and magic isn't really that clear in the movie, nor was it in the comics.

It was crystal clear in the comics - it couldn't be anymore clear. Things change, yeah I know but it wasn't necessary (at all) to fit into anything. However, again, not my point. They've taken a whole hell of a lot of liberties, I don't see what the point is to take more drastic ones. The base literature is what made us fans.

[Shasvre]

Yes, I do think it was necessary to change some things. To make them actual gods in a movie like this would not have fit with the established universe. And what would be the point of Gaia in the movie? What role would she have served when Odin already had a wife, and as such, Thor a mother figure.

As for things being crystal clear in the comics, that really depends on what you read. Some have been pure fantasy, some have read more as science fiction tales. Especially some of the new stuff. But also some of the older.

[ScardyFox]

Yes, I do think it was necessary to change some things. To make them actual gods in a movie like this would not have fit with the established universe.

How not? Its been the literature for the past 50 years.

And what would be the point of Gaia in the movie? What role would she have served when Odin already had a wife, and as such, Thor a mother figure.

I didn't think she should be in the movie. Thor doesn't have a mother figure. Why add one? It would have been for more interesting to find out who his mother was (whenever) then randomly putting in a mommy figure.

As for things being crystal clear in the comics, that really depends on what you read. Some have been pure fantasy, some have read more as science fiction tales. Especially some of the new stuff. But also some of the older.

I have been reading Thor since 1989 (and many issues that are older then that). Its crystal clear that Asgard is a place of magic. I can't even begin to fathom why you would say its convoluted in the slightest way. And again, none of this is my point. It is what it is in the movie. A shortened condensed version of his history. However, again, I see no reason to take another myriad of drastic - meaningless - changes in the sense of making the Dark Eleves a place of technology.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Even with the Asgardians' 'technology', it didn't feel like anything even remotely similar to what humanity will ever be capable, thus establishing them on a god-like standard. I thought that the film did a great job playing into the Norse myths and their role on Earth (even bringing in such elements as Thor's Day, for example) while still keeping it vague enough that we don't know exactly how the characters' 'magic' powers work or what their origins are.

When Laufey mentioned technology, I don't think he meant literal alien technology like, for example, the Chitauri weapons in The Avengers. I think he just meant something somewhat along the lines of what the Asgardians are capable of in the films, so that the elves don't come across as barbaric like the Frost Giants did.

[Shasvre]

How not? Its been the literature for the past 50 years.

This isn't the Marvel Universe of the comics. This is a series of movies that started of with a very real and grounded connection to our world. To suddenly throw real gods into that would have felt out of place. At least that's how I feel about it. If you don't, that's perfectly fine.

Thor doesn't have a mother figure. Why add one?

I liked her role in the movie myself and would have liked to see it expanded. It's like the opposite of Odin, who can be very stern and perhaps even a bit harsh. It provided some nice emotional scenes and a softer parental figure for both Thor and Loki.

[ScardyFox]

NA: fair enough.

So, you think this movie was grounded in "reality" enough to say they couldn't add Marvels excellent pantheon? A man who changes into giant green man. A power suit of extraordinary abilities, a frozen super soldier, etc etc. Its a movie - and more importantly its a movie based on Marvels universe of comics. I forgo reality enough in my movie watching to accept that there is magic on the screen if the setting and writing dictate it. Which it does, coming from the source material. Again, for the umpteenth time there is no need to change these things again with such meaningless liberties.

That source material you are dismissing is what made these movies. Not the other way around. Without that history and ideas to pull from we wouldn't be seeing anything.

As for Thors mother. What can I say. I would have preferred a far more interesting version of her then the generic  soft mother figure. If they wanted to do touching scenes they should have used flashback scenes of when Loki and Thor were more like brothers. It would have made more sense then him almost randomly forgiving his brother for almost destroying 3 worlds in 2 movies.

But I respect your opinion in that you enjoy it. I just see a reason why change another drastic element to the film and have elves be technologically powerful. They've changed enough of the source material which got it here in the first place.