Retrospective 2011 - Part 2

 The second quarter of the year really heated up in May when Thor ushered in the Summer blockbuster season.

Thor

While not the gigantic hit that Iron Man was, Thor still performed exceptionally well around the world, especially considering the heavy fantasy element that has not always done well when coupled with superheroes. More importantly, Thor was a good movie that told a good story while respecting the source material. With Thor, Marvel proved they could build their in-continuity franchise. Thor got the summer off to a good start and was one of my favorites for the year. The gem earned a sequel to come in late 2013.

Thor: Tales of Asgard

  Unfortunately, a couple weeks after Thor's live action debut, the long delayed animated film Thor: Tales of Asgard was released. This failed to satiate my appetite for more Thor. I admit, the very premise of the teen version of the hero did not appeal to me any more than I would want to see teen Wolverine, teen Captain America, or teen Aquaman. Had it been good, I could have been forgiving, but I did not find it terribly inspired. It was also a shame that this was the last Marvel animated film for the foreseeable future. The film plays as more fantasy than superhero genre and there is some fun to be had, just keep the expectations in check, realize it does not exactly mesh with the live action film, and be glad Thor 2 will eventually give what you really want.

Priest

Priest pretty much bombed on a modest budget in mid May and though it was not a superhero movie, it was based on a Korean comic book. The plot involved vampires and vampire hunters, and I have not seen it to know if its any good, but at least it doesnt have that Patty Robertson vampire in it.

 Wonder Woman TV Pilot

What more can really be said about the Wonder Woman pilot. It could have been the start of a new show called Wonder Woman and some people may have enjoyed it, but this WWINO would mostly have been Wonder Woman in Name Only. The pilot did have some decent action, but overall it may be for the best that it didn't get the green light... Hopefully the Amazon will get her due in the near future. By the way, the whole pilot is still available: