Escape to the Movies: X-Men: First Class

[CardinalPiggles]

Hmm, I was always going to be sceptical of this film, but now my interest has been peaked.

For the record I thought Last Stand pretty good, but Origins was terrible, they could have had so much more fun with Gambit and the sword guy played by Ryan Reynolds, but nooooooo, Hugh Jackman must take every single spotlight.

And I really wish people would stop praising the Dark Knight, it's like beating a dead frackin horse now and I felt there was more than a few inconsistencies with it that didn't fit, one of which being Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker for the most part.

The Joker was the star of the show, he really stole all my attention, so I think that Heath Ledger played him pretty well.

I guess that is just your nostalgia kicking in though right?

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Gotta say, X-Men First Class was really fun. McAvoy was simply so sweet and innocent that he really did end up more likable than a more worldly Xavier would have. And as far as hot blondes go, personally I think Jennifer Lawrence stole the show.

One minor gripe though: Shaw squares off against Magneto. That's fine. But Shaw is wearing a METAL HELMET at the time! Yes, on his easily squishable head! That's like fighting the Human Torch just after you finished taking a nice dip in a pool filled with gasoline. And while he apparently has the power to absorb energy, that seems not to work when people shove shards of metal through his head. Which a handy dandy metal helmet would turn into when deformed by a guy who controls metal.

And because Erik is brilliant like that, he doesn't use his powers to crush Kevin Bacon's head at all. Please please please, comic book nerds, explain to me why Erik doesn't need to wear his own special padded helmet and cut circles of paper with his safety scissors.

Yes, I know he wants the hat too. But how about just pulling it off Shaw's head using one of only two things he normally does to metal: change its shape or lift it.

Because Magneto wasn't just going to kill the man, he was making a point. That man sat in an office and asked him to move that coin: when he couldn't he murdered his mother in front of him on cold blood. Magneto wanted him not only to suffer, to be reminded why he is suffering: killing Sebastian Shaw wasn't motivated by pragmatism but revenge. He also recognized the helmet's ability to block psychics; handy to have.

My only complaint is the really stupid argument Charles uses to try and convince Erik not to turn the missiles and shells back on the ships that fired on them. Of all the possibilities, 'Just following orders' is not only weakest from a general standpoint, but towards a survivor the Holocaust of Nazi Germany's Third Reich it was downright offensive.

However it did allow for a pretty badass response: "I've been at the mercy of men just following orders before, never again"

 

[Ragweed]

Thought it was good, but not great, certainly not Dark Knight-tier. Found the tone and narrative to be really rushed and unfocused in the first half, but things improved vastly when it tightened up in the second.

The villains of the Hellfire Club were a real weak point. I still have no idea who Shaw was as a character beyond him wanting to create a mutant-only society and just being a dick.

McAvoy and Fassbender were the definite highlights for me and really; their relationship and dynamic was the only one I found myself invested in during the film. Perhaps if the story had focused more on the characters of the mutants and their relationships and struggle within society it would've helped focus the film? I mean I do realize it's a superhero film and you have to have some form of villain, not to mention setup the next future for the later/earlier films, but I dunno, just something I found lacking.

So yeah, pretty good film. Agreed, that it's on par with the first two X-Men movies, but a Dark Knight it is not.

 

[EvilDemon]

Okay first off I agree with everything Bob said, it was an amazing movie.

But

Spoiler

Killing off Darwin within the first 30 mins of the film was so stupid. He was one of the main reasons I was excited about the film, yes I knew he was just a side character. But its just sad that he was really put into the film to be "the one that died". Mind you he probably isnt dead and has just become energy. Even still anyone whos read Darwins origins would know that he is a great character and would have been far more interesting to watch over someone like Banshee or Angel.

 

[JohnnyRooks]

Can someone please tell me how First Class negated Wolverine? Please, its really bothering me i just don't see it.

 

[JochemDude]

I want to have a less geeky opinion from one of you? I like Bob and all and he does unless influenced by his geeky nature know his movies. I like slow paced movies that take time to develop characters and play their genre well.

 

[Ericb]

I am remarkably shocked by how well this film apparently turned out.

And a little bit disappointed; I was all set to hate this.

Hey, there's the new Transformer movie coming out. So, go crazy on that one. =]

Why comic fans feel that needs to be screwed up with a bunch of silly nonsense is beyond me.

Super-hero comic fanatics are fond of their useless knowledge of insanely muddled continuity and value it over proper narrative and character development any time.

10 Bucks (don't worry, I haven't seen/ know anything about this) that it shows Wolverine being born.

This movie happens in the 60's. So, not by a long shot.

Spoiler

My only complaint is the really stupid argument Charles uses to try and convince Erik not to turn the missiles and shells back on the ships that fired on them. Of all the possibilities, 'Just following orders' is not only weakest from a general standpoint, but towards a survivor the Holocaust of Nazi Germany's Third Reich it was downright offensive.

Spoilers, dude.

Anyway, it served to clearly show how naive he was.

 

[DearFilm]

Bob, I could not agree with you more. In fact, my own web site granted this film just about the same level of praise as you did. Glad to see we sync up on this one - definitely worth seeing.

 

[WolfThomas]

Having seen it, I'm confused how itretcons out the Last Stand (which is of course still terrible). Can anyone explain it? I understand how it does Wolverine Origins (Xavier standing, another girl named Emma) but even those could easily be handwaved to include that movie (telepathic projection, coinicidence)

but there's one little bit of continuity snarl that really gets under my skin. On the second X-Men movie, we see a cameo from then human Hank McCoy, future Beast. In the third movie, he's suddenly there as the Beast, with no explanation about when and how that happened, and everyone was happy and amicable with him like he's been there from the beggining despite no mention made in the previous two movies. Now, on this one, Beast is there from the very beggining, already turned into the big blue genius bruiser eveyrone loves. It's just hard for me to accept this movie while that ugly thread keeps on poking out, poking me in the eye.

He was using a holographic image inducer that he invented because he was worried about how he'd appear to the public, then when mutants became more mainstream he outed himself and stuck to being blue and proud. There I made up a perfectly decent excuse that fits with the comics and movies.

 

[RTR]

Just got back from this. It's even better than I thought it would be.
Also,
Retcon FTW!
(I won't spoil that one moment that stood out, for me anyway, but let me just say this: less is more.)

 

[AstylahAthrys]

This movie made me utter words I never thought I would say:

"Holy crap. I would so do Magneto."

I was never a big X-Men fan. It was fun, but it never piqued my interest more than any other super hero movie. This, however, might just be one of my favorite movies. I liked it more than Dark Knight *puts up flame shield*. So glad I saw it.

 

[captaincabbage]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head, Bob.

If there's one thing I don't like is how MovieBob just seems to over-embellish how bad the last two X-Men movies were. I watch his videos to get an idea of what he thinks about that movie, not how bad other movies are. Besides, having seen X-Men: First Class yesterday, I really, really don't think X-Men 3 or Wolverine are even comparable to it.

Also, my girlfriend hates me for saying how much those two films suck because she loves Hugh Jackman and Gambit. XD

 

[DalekJaas]

I really liked Origins Wolverine... Going to see this anyway.

 

[RTR]

was anyone else given an idea when he placed a metroid other m image while talking about how great it was that this movie negated it's terrible later installments?

Well, he liked the game so I wouldn't know anything about that.

 

[wsmieszek]

Well. I didn't really like The First Class. Seemed too rushed and too much akin to the new Pirates to be likable. The acting was really good though.

 

[rickthetrick]

Just got back from watching this. FUCKING AMAZING!!!

Definitely not a Sophomoric effort....sorry I couldn't resist.

But seriously, go spend your money on this now!

 

[UberNoodle]

Matthew Vaughn: Layer Cake, Star Dust, Kick Ass and now First Class. He also produced Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as Snatch. Hardly fledgling.

 

[Raven's Nest]

Funniest/Best. Cameo. Ever...

Loved the whole film too. And for the record I actually liked Wolverine:Origins too, would somebody mind filling me in as to why it gets so much hate?

 

[Metalrocks]

dint expect much first but after watching it, it turned out to be really good. i also think that X3 is not terrible. sure not the best but watchable. i have seen far worse then that. also the wolverin (or how ever you spell it) movie was not that bad i think. but again, not as good as the first 2.

so yes, first class is a good movie. worth watching it.