Courtesy of Obsessedwithfilm.con
Okay, so coming from a theater (yes I admit it, and yes I will always be one of those people who thinks theater acting is where every starlet should start) background, which fostered a strong adoration for Billy Shakes, I encountered a lot of films that involved Kenneth Branagh in some form. Many of his Shakespeare films (like Hamlet, which he acted in the starring role and directed) were quite dryly close in interpretation to how the playwright would have had them.
This is why, I almost spit out my morning coffee (usually the first of four) when I found out on the LA Times’ Web site that Branagh’s Marvel film Thor (already a strange match for me to digest) was going to be in 3-D, and willingly so from Branagh. It was one of the most shocking things I have ever experienced.
Now what makes this even worse is that they are converting it to 3-D after filming (though they are keeping this conversion in mind during the filming period).
As you can already probably tell, I am not an avid fan of Avatar. But, while the script was akin to a Fern Gully ripoff and the acting questionable, the three-dimensional aspect was pulled of very nicely, in fact, incredibly.
What bothers me is that every film under the sun now, is being converted to 3-D in the hopes of raking in some more bucks. There was no point in making Toy Story 3 a 3-D film and the 3-D effects in Alice in Wonderland made me want to vomit.
I’m not saying films should NEVER be in 3-D, but the technology should be used sparingly or else it will cheapen cinema quality while also hiking up prices for moviegoers.
Now, maybe I’m being too harsh on Branagh. Maybe I should trust his sensibilities. He’s obviously taking a huge risk here. Perhaps his unique perspective will make this an awesome 3-D film.
What worries me is Branagh has not directed a film since 2007 (that would be his film Sleuth, which did not do too well by critics). I really hope the best for him and admire his acting chops immensely, but his intense and often overly dramatic directing style is worrisome.
Either Thor could turn out to be an awesome piece that will leave the audience awestruck at it’s intensity, or it will be so dramatic that it becomes hokey.
This is your chance Branagh, try not to screw it up.
