X-MEH

*Spoiler Alert* (Unless you're one of the millions who saw X-MEN this weekend.)

This weekend, X-Men: First Class took the box-office.  I, like many others, was there at a late show opening night.  I had high hopes from its high critical success, but found myself groaning throughout.
By RSO 

I believe a good movie, book, film or any work of art is meant to invite you into its world, hold your interest in its grip, and to release you, changed somehow, when it's done with you. 

Though this is by no means an easy task, I've also found that you don't have to be The English Patient to be successful in this mission.  When a work of art pushes you away, "takes you out of it," it becomes an unpleasurable experience, and if it does so repeatedly, it may ultimately fail in its goal.

Watching X-Men: First Class this week, there were no less than 5 moments where I was picked up, teleported into the air, and dropped to the ground, left for dead. 

• The Costume/Make-up Designs.  I rarely notice costumes, and that's probably because usually the costumes and make-up are fantastic.  When they're not, you notice.

looks light-weight, dare I say, "skin-like."

looks heavy, rolled on, and a bit too much like

a costume from Ricky's.

And while we're discussing this, "Beast"...

who previously looked pretty fabulous,

looked a little bit less like "Beast" and little more

like a blue "cat."

• The nonsensical cameo by Hugh Jackman was also perplexing.  I am all about hilarious cameos, really I am, but you can't break the rules of time and space.  When Rebecca Romijn showed up, it made sense in context--but Mr. Claws popping in inexplicably avoiding decades of story-telling?  I felt used!
• This is actually more related to the 86th street theatre I was seeing the movie in, but worth noting... Funny how the ...

(black guy)

Had to die first.  Man, I can tell you ONE family behind me who WAS NOT PLEASED.

• And darling January Jones left me wanting a bit less of

and a bit more of

 

But regardless of these things, I appreciated the reboot.  And, as my friend Emily Clark put it, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are my "mutant boner jam."  One more good reason to see James McAvoy naked (link NSFW) in Last King of Scotland.

 

 

Comments

[Emily]

Not to be a nerd, but Wolverine is older than all those X-men. He can't age because of his mutant power - regenerating. He might not have had his adamantium claws yet, but he was around. He's pretty much immortal. Now, if you want to talk about bending the rules of the X-Men mythology, how about the fact that Cyclops' older brother (Havoc) and Mystique are in the first class? Or Moira McTaggert wasn't Scottish and Banshee wasn't Irish? Or they called Pixie Angel (why?! she looks like a pixie!).
I did find it very troubling, though, that out of the 2 black characters, one instantly defects to the bad guys and the other one dies. That was pretty shocking in it's blatant racism, I'll give you that.

[Ryan Bogner]

Not to be even MORE of a nerd but that WAS a character named Angel not the X-Man Pixie. They are two different characters. Angel was created during Grant Morrison's run on X-Men and is more fly-like while Pixie has pink hair and looks like a fairy.

[Bob Simpson]

I'm so proud of my wife.

I was totally offended that they killed off Darwin for 2 reasons:

- As stated above
- Darwin is one of the sickest mutants in the whole Marvel universe. The whole thing about Darwin is that he CANNOT BE KILLED, because his body instantly attains whatever power needed to survive (including just teleporting away from a violent scene when his body can't determine the best defense or converting himself to pure energy...like he would have in the movie). So, instead of really sinking their teeth into what would be a really creative character, they killed him off. I was really pissed off, which Emily can attest to.

And, come on, Banshee is Irish, people. All that aside, I really liked this movie.

[Michael Morch]

Adding to the nerd commentary a few days later... Here's the thing, Darwin may not actually be dead. As you have said similar things have happened to him in the comic books and he has come back. Fox has completely bastardized the whole series though, so who knows. How about the fact that he isn't even black in the comics? Pretty sure he's Latino. I was more offended by the whole Emma's diamond neck being broken by a brass railing... That and somehow throughout the entire movie Sebastian Shaw can withstand anything including atomic blasts, but somehow a slow moving quarter kills him. As for Wolverine, that small cameo was the most in character that he has been in 5 movies. Here's hoping in the future January Jones learns how to act so Emma Frost can be the awesome bitch she is.

Ps, I really liked the movie too.

[supras shoes]

So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :)

[Thieu]

refnaf That is so cool that you've been to India. Loved reading your joaunrl entry. Must've been extremely eye opening to have an experience like that. I just finished watching the video Munk posted earlier and I was extremely surprised by everything I didn't know about leprosy and India. So glad David is there. His heart is huge and I know he will soak up everything and it will stay with him, even after he's back home.