Say Gibson,
“Yes”
Why are you about to rip on a movie that has been out for a few months, and has already been reviewed, discussed, dissected, and is generally well liked?
“Dunno. Maybe I am a caustic assshat?”
Perhaps. Anyway…
This summer has brought us many comic movies. A lot of hope coupled with some disappointment. And the one that really got to me was X-Men First Class. From the first trailer and images I was SURE it was going to blow.
“What is this? Those aren’t the original X Men! Azazel? Mystique is little girl with ‘ole Chucky X?! Hogwash and poppycock! I said.
Since it is a comic movie I still support them and I went to see it. I knew there was no way I was going to like it, but hey, let’s see how this goes.
So I am watching the movie and from the beginning…I was impressed. Magneto was awesome. The re-creation of the original concentration camp scene plus Kevin Bacon’s Shaw character was really good. The screaming young Erik was a little lame, but hey, so far so good. Charles Xavier was engaging and charismatic. Dare I say I am enjoying this? Holy crap! Magneto Nazi Hunter, I could watch an entire movie of this! I dig deeper into my bucket of popcorn and settle in. Hey, looks, it’s Moira McTaggert. As an American. CIA agent….oh well I can overlook that. Man, January Jones is a really wooden actor. No..no…give it a chance Gibson.
Hey, Hank McCoy! Cool…. And he already built a device for a psychic without having met one, huh….ok. Ok I will not let this get me down. Hey a few cameos that’s cool.
Oh Crap. Are we going to get a montage of recruitment, followed by a montage of power training? Yup.
Oh look. All Beast needed to do was believe in himself and take of his shoes. Let me repeat: TAKE OFF HIS SHOES. <<sigh>> And we were doing so well.
And therein lays the problem with X Men First Class. It took a bold leap ignoring comic cannon. And in some degree it worked. But, like the Star Wars prequels, we all knew lil Anakin was going to become Vader. So we knew Erik was going to become Magneto, and that he and Charles were going to be at odds. And when the bulk of the audience knows the outcome of your movie before seeing it, it is up to the movie making team to dazzle the audience and make them forget. To enjoy the journey.
The first half of the movie did just that. But then some numb nuts producer got a hold of this and made the movie follow predictable movie plot formula. Enlist team of youngsters. Don’t give them many lines of plot development. Montage. Kill one at least. Seriously Marvel, did you have to kill the black guy like a damn horror movie cliché? And Magneto is super distraught over the guy he has known for like 9 weeks getting hurt because of him?
And that is why I feel the movie fell flat. It fought the odds to make its own voice heard. And then it fell victim to cliché and formula. And in hindsight the little things add up. Crap supporting mutants who are not realized as characters, used only as plot forwarding devices. White Queen who is not sexy, smart or empowered. Magneto’s contrived heel turn. The list goes on.
This movie could have been great, and we had to settle for ok to good. So I have to wonder, why was it done this way? Does the studio not trust the viewers to accept a movie like this if it didn’t follow the standard summer movie plot, pacing formula?
Well maybe the next Wolverine movie will be good……………aww who am I kidding.
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