Warning: This article contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder
People are raving over Russell Crowe's performance as Zeus, Greek God and King of the Olympians, in the latest Marvel blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Kiwi actor made a splash on his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut, dressed in a golden chest plate and a pleated white skirt, and sending a crowd of gods into rounds of applause with his impressive lightning bolt skills.
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But when he appeared before Thor in Omnipotence City, it wasn't Zeus's appearance that got fans talking - nor his love of orgies, for that matter. Rather, it was Crowe's accent that sparked conversation.
During his pantomime-like scene with Thor, Zeus speaks with a strong Greek accent - an acting choice that rattled some viewers, but mostly won the actor praise among Marvel-heads.
In the film, Thor, Korg (Taika Waititi), King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) head to Omnipotence City in the hopes of convincing Zeus to help them take on Gorr The God Butcher (Christian Bale).
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When the flamboyant Zeus refuses to help the cause, he and Thor find themselves in a dramatic brawl that ends poorly for Zeus.
After catching the film in cinemas, fans took to Twitter to discuss Crowe's accent choice for Zeus, praising the Oscar-winner for the 'perfect' impersonation.
"Shout out to @russellcrowe for perfect Greek accent and hand gestures lol," tweeted one viewer.
Another wrote: "@russellcrowe saw Thor last night, and as a Greek American thought your Greek accent was hilariously spot on! Sounded like relatives and family friends while I was growing up."
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"The Greek accent was very accurate," raved a third.
"It didn't feel forced, yet added a lot.
"Did that come from spending holidays in Greece or did you prepare specifically for the role?"
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And a fourth noted: "This was actually a good representation of Zeus. Obviously I think he could have been less comedic but Russell Crowe killed it in my opinion."
Meanwhile, other fans pointed out that Crowe's portrayal of the almighty Zeus was the first they had seen where the actor speaks with a Greek accent.
In other film portrayals of Zeus, like Clash of the Titans (2010), Hercules (1997), Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010), the Greek god tends to speak with a British or American accent.
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Fans tweeted Russell Crowe to thank him for switching things up with a more accurate performance.
Tagging the actor, one person commented: "I don't usually tweet to celebrities, but thanks for giving Zeus a GREEK accent. I think that's the first time I've ever seen that in film or television and it felt refreshing."
A second shared that they 'really appreciated' Russell's decision to speak in a Greek accent, pointing out that 'most movies just use a British accent'.
Not everyone was on board though, with one Twitter user complaining: "Why Russell Crowe has a weird Russian accent as #Zeus in #ThorLoveAndThunder? Poor #Greeks… nobody knows their accent."
Another wrote: "In Thor: Love and Thunder, Russell Crowe plays the Greek god Zeus, who has an Italian accent that makes him sound like Mario from Donkey Kong. I kept expecting him to say, 'Thor, why don’t you sit a down and I make you some spaghetti.'"
Thor: Love and Thunder is screening in theatres now.
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Topics: Film and TV, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Ali Condon