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Thor
Poster Analysis Introduction With the upcoming release of „Thor – The Dark World“ it was only natural to choose Thor as my next poster analysis. I know I actually skipped „Iron Man 2“ which was released before this film as I was originally going to keep to a specific order, but then thought from a marketing standpoint, why not tie in my article with recent or upcoming events. It just seemed to be the perfect choice by default to check out the posters of the all mighty thunderer.
What I do find interesting though is the fact that with the upcoming release there has been quite a development in poster designs. Besides the fact that they seem to have a bigger budget but also a completely new theme. What is interesting is that one can consider the resemblance between the first Thor and a Shakespearian work. Further cemented through the director of choice Kenneth Branagh being well known for directing a series of films that are adaptations from Shakespeare’s work. Is there any inspiration in the posters as a result of this overarching theme? Only one way to find out!
Analysis The main focus of the movie is on the brotherly relationship between Thor and Loki. It is a constant battle between both for the throne as the all father Odin would soon have to decide to lay down his throne. Anyone who saw the movie will know that Thor was pushed as the direct follower, which tore the two brothers from each other. This makes these posters work mainly as a couple as well as give them a strong meaning within their simplicity. Each brother is looking into a different connection, or at each other if one puts them together that way. Yet does visualizes the different directions both will have to head into as their paths push them further away from each other. What I do find interesting though is that both of them are carrying their helmets, which could be a call back to the inheritance they will have to carry as weights above their heads. Especially when one considers they barely wear the helmets over the course of the film.
As being a film named Thor it is natural that Chris Hemsworth would dominate most of the posters with two very distinct versions only focusing on the main player. One shows him in full gear with his famous Mjölnir. I believe this to been one of the first posters that had one simple function. Make the viewers of the film be able to believe that Thor could come to life on the big screen. It was a rather experimental character at the time, as not only were they going to have to integrate a character of northern mythology into the MCU, but also bring him to life on the big screen for the very first time. The second Thor-centric poster tries to raise the stackes by showing us a rather beat down character and with the rain surrounding him could show that a storm is following, especially considering he is Thor, the god of thunder. Also, it may be a hint at their first battle against the frost giants.
Now I will not proclaim these series of posters to be bad in any way I just find them to be a bit odd. In a way it is a further development of the posters where both stare into the distance, but I still find it quite a surprising decision to use their plain face on the posters. It is a little off from the design that seemed to be a continuation from Iron Man’s design, but on its own I think it would be fine. What is so strange is the decision to throw the giant red letters in front of their face. The idea is an interesting one so that each poster leads up to the entire name of the film. On the other hand, I feel conflicted, as I like the idea of each text giving a hint to what the character is by avoiding stating the actual name, with the exception for the one with Hogun. I believe this is supposed to represent the might of these gods, who are to us giants from a different dimension. The only one who doesn’t truly quite fit in would be Jane Foster, but maybe I am missing something. I confess these are either the hardest to interpret or I am having issues due to only a few elements of these posters to really be of my taste. To help visualize why I am having a hard time, maybe help me and explain why one of the poster’s is our titular hero completely in red? The only possible connection I could find is that some posters for Shakespeare inspired films does tend to emphasize the main player’s faces.
The most prominent posters are a combination of those from before with a stance from the main character. While this way of using the faces it works much efficiently as it doesn’t dominate the entire space and takes away any breathing space. The issue with the one’s before was the lack of breathing space for the viewer. Viewer has no idea where exactly to look, as the only place you can stare at is this face staring at you. With them in the background it allows the viewer to choose on what he would like to focus on. Your look is drawn towards the character in the middle while slowly you would work your way upwards towards the supporting cast. It does also prove the power of our young god. The other builds upon a similar design choice but shows a different side of our hero, this time around as a leader of many.
Conclusion Overall these aren’t my personal favourite poster design choices. I do however like some elements that are used throughout the posters. The large faces taking over the posters are a neat idea but probably better from a distance giving one a little breathing space. From all the posters though I find the first two a great design and representation of the film. From a personal standpoint, I think it would have been interesting to add a third with Odin that stands in the middle to show what truly drove the two brothers apart. With such a variety in characters they sadly don’t try to distinguish their roles in the movie if it weren’t for the text, which is an interesting idea. Not the best designs I went through but I have no idea how to make them look good myself so still give my respects for the people that created these posters. I may criticise with my personal opinion but in the end it is nothing more than that, my opinion. Maybe it is time for a change of pace, one that shows its true face.
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