You may remember from my Trailer Talk for X-Men: First Class that I was a LITTLE excited about this film. Well, I saw it on Friday, and it did not disappoint.
I have been an X-Men fan for a long time. I loved the first two films - I think X2 is one of the best superhero movies this side of Batman. I didn't even hate the third one so much, I thought it was fun and a decent way to end the trilogy. (I never saw Wolverine.) One of the reasons I can enjoy the movies so much is because I'm not a stickler for continuity - I don't think you can be, and stay a sane member of the X-Men fandom. The writers have played with the timeline SO much and SO frequently, and there are SO many continuities at play, that to put it all into a movie basically requires a lot of cherry-picking while doing the best you can to preserve the spirit of the characters. This is why X-Men: First Class succeeds so very, very well.
The obvious stars here are Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. As pre-supers Charles and Erik, they are electric together and bring so much life to the relationship between the two characters. I was always sad that the only real allusions to this friendship, which I believe is one of the most important and far-reaching in comics, in the previous films were pretty brief. So I was extremely happy that it got explored more fully and to great effect here.
The action sequences are superb, and for once the "side-line" mutants all get a pretty strong spotlight. The training montage is extremely well done, so that it doesn't feel stale at all. The cinematography overall is extremely clever, and makes parts of the film feel like classic James Bond - appropriate, considering the Bond Girl-esque ensemble January Jones sports for most of the movie. The 60's aesthetic works well, and the styling and costumes feel period-appropriate without being derivative. The whole thing looks completely great.
Kevin Bacon was an excellent Sebastien Shaw, and my only real complaint about the villains is that I think there should have been MORE of them. Here, Shaw is ostensibly representing the Hellfire Club and also mongering World War III. Except that the Hellfire Club is FULL of wealthy and politically influential people, and I wish the filmmakers had portrayed it that way. Shaw is certainly a good leader figure, but I had a hard time believing he could exert as much influence as he does without any kind of additional evil backing.
I'd like to take a moment to address some concerns regarding Ms. Jones, as well as Jennifer Lawrence, who inhabits the role of adolescent-Mystique with verve and aplomb. Many people on the internets (at least, that I have come across) feel as though these roles have been marginalized, and two of the most powerful female characters in the franchise reduced to arm candy and and frivolous teenager. To which I reply: well, yes. But that doesn't mean they're not ALSO powerful females. Jones as the chilly Emma Frost certainly holds her own with the boys, proving to be even a force for Charles Xavier to reckon with. I agree that Lawrence could have used a scene or two to stretch her muscles and show some kick-ass, but this is not the same Mystique we get in later films. It is pretty well acknowledged that she does a hell of a lot of inward thinking between know and then, and we get intimations of her changing views throughout First Class.
You can't afford to get too picky when it comes to continuity in the X-Men universe, but this film certainly does its best to be an honest prequel to the older films. I think it hits that without jumping the shark into "reboot" territory - this movie slots right in to the timeline of those movies. Right down to Xavier's mansion, which looks a hell of a lot like the set used in the trilogy even if it's not the identical house (I think it is, though) and the look of Magneto's helmet. It's clear they paid attention and it pays off.
In summary, if you're willing to let go of the comic continuity (any of them) and just have fun with it, First Class is an incredibly well-acted and well-set summer romp. It is definitely a step in the right direction for the franchise.
Also, if Marvel would like to make either He Reads Minds, He Broods Broodsomely: Together They Fight Crime or Michael Fassbender: Nazi-Killing Super-Spy Ultimate Bad Ass, I will be first in line for my tickets.
I have been an X-Men fan for a long time. I loved the first two films - I think X2 is one of the best superhero movies this side of Batman. I didn't even hate the third one so much, I thought it was fun and a decent way to end the trilogy. (I never saw Wolverine.) One of the reasons I can enjoy the movies so much is because I'm not a stickler for continuity - I don't think you can be, and stay a sane member of the X-Men fandom. The writers have played with the timeline SO much and SO frequently, and there are SO many continuities at play, that to put it all into a movie basically requires a lot of cherry-picking while doing the best you can to preserve the spirit of the characters. This is why X-Men: First Class succeeds so very, very well.
The obvious stars here are Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. As pre-supers Charles and Erik, they are electric together and bring so much life to the relationship between the two characters. I was always sad that the only real allusions to this friendship, which I believe is one of the most important and far-reaching in comics, in the previous films were pretty brief. So I was extremely happy that it got explored more fully and to great effect here.
The action sequences are superb, and for once the "side-line" mutants all get a pretty strong spotlight. The training montage is extremely well done, so that it doesn't feel stale at all. The cinematography overall is extremely clever, and makes parts of the film feel like classic James Bond - appropriate, considering the Bond Girl-esque ensemble January Jones sports for most of the movie. The 60's aesthetic works well, and the styling and costumes feel period-appropriate without being derivative. The whole thing looks completely great.
Kevin Bacon was an excellent Sebastien Shaw, and my only real complaint about the villains is that I think there should have been MORE of them. Here, Shaw is ostensibly representing the Hellfire Club and also mongering World War III. Except that the Hellfire Club is FULL of wealthy and politically influential people, and I wish the filmmakers had portrayed it that way. Shaw is certainly a good leader figure, but I had a hard time believing he could exert as much influence as he does without any kind of additional evil backing.
I'd like to take a moment to address some concerns regarding Ms. Jones, as well as Jennifer Lawrence, who inhabits the role of adolescent-Mystique with verve and aplomb. Many people on the internets (at least, that I have come across) feel as though these roles have been marginalized, and two of the most powerful female characters in the franchise reduced to arm candy and and frivolous teenager. To which I reply: well, yes. But that doesn't mean they're not ALSO powerful females. Jones as the chilly Emma Frost certainly holds her own with the boys, proving to be even a force for Charles Xavier to reckon with. I agree that Lawrence could have used a scene or two to stretch her muscles and show some kick-ass, but this is not the same Mystique we get in later films. It is pretty well acknowledged that she does a hell of a lot of inward thinking between know and then, and we get intimations of her changing views throughout First Class.
You can't afford to get too picky when it comes to continuity in the X-Men universe, but this film certainly does its best to be an honest prequel to the older films. I think it hits that without jumping the shark into "reboot" territory - this movie slots right in to the timeline of those movies. Right down to Xavier's mansion, which looks a hell of a lot like the set used in the trilogy even if it's not the identical house (I think it is, though) and the look of Magneto's helmet. It's clear they paid attention and it pays off.
In summary, if you're willing to let go of the comic continuity (any of them) and just have fun with it, First Class is an incredibly well-acted and well-set summer romp. It is definitely a step in the right direction for the franchise.
Also, if Marvel would like to make either He Reads Minds, He Broods Broodsomely: Together They Fight Crime or Michael Fassbender: Nazi-Killing Super-Spy Ultimate Bad Ass, I will be first in line for my tickets.
"Between despair and contentment, there is only one thing-
ReplyDeleteFASSBENDING!"