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Jun. 3rd, 2011 10:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thelostmaximoffSo I went to see X-Men: First Class last night at midnight and I decided to post a review.
As always, I'll break it down (mostly) character by character.
Charles Xavier: I think James McAvoy did a good job with the role. As far as characterization goes, I think they hit all the right notes with Xavier. I think it's hilarious that he was kind of a ladies man when he was studying at Oxford and that he used the most terrible pickup lines on girls at the pub. I think the friendship between Charles and Erik is characterized very well and overall I'm really happy with Xavier in this movie. The thing I don't like though is that he makes very liberal use of his powers in unethical ways. I understand our modern, revisionist history paints Xavier as less of a saint but I thought some of the things he did (especially with Moira but more on that in a minute) were a little out of character. I suppose I could just chalk it up to the fact that he's younger and maybe his moral code is looser. Oh, and Xavier gets crippled towards the end of the movie. It's way, way better and more plausible than Stryker shooting Wolverine in the head a couple times and giving him total amnesia.
Magneto: Michael Fassbender is a good actor. I didn't realize that until last night when he pretty much stole the show as Magneto. Seriously, when they're showing the separate stories of Charles and Erik before they meet, I kept thinking: "Why did they kill the Magneto movie? It would've been so badass." Whereas I thought the portrayal of Charles was a little off, the portrayal of Magneto was pretty much perfect. This guy is not only a total badass but also a man with deep psychological scars due to his past. He's angry and afraid of history repeating itself. I thought the end of the final battle was amazingly well done and perfectly captures Magneto's character. All in all, Magneto was the star of the movie for me.
Moira MacTaggert: I don't like what they did with this character. Granted, I've never really cared about Moira very much so I didn't get all up in arms about it. Really though, her character in this movie is kinda crappy. As I mentioned in the Xavier overview, I don't like what he did with erasing Moira's memories of where the school is. I understand he did it to protect her and himself but it still doesn't seem like a very Xavier-like move. I kinda wish they had developed the Moira/Charles relationship more. She's probably my favorite love interest for Xavier and she probably deserved a little better treatment in this movie. Also, I don't like how they changed pretty much everything about her backstory but maybe that's just because I didn't get to hear Rose Byrne talk with a Scottish accent (which would've been hot).
Mystique: Yes, Mystique is in this movie and has a pretty major role. Again, they completely changed her backstory but with this I don't mind it so much. I've actually never liked Mystique more than I did in this movie. I absolutely love her little relationship/infatuation with Beast. It's fucking adorable. I also love the sibling bond between Charles and Raven and the developing relationship between Raven and Erik. Magneto is a charismatic individual and Raven is still young enough and impressionable enough to be drawn to that charisma. There are plenty of things I loved about Mystique in this movie.
The First Class (Beast, Havok, Banshee, Darwin): You'll notice I didn't put Angel Salvadore here and I'll explain that later. Out of all these kids, Beast stole the show. I love how nerdy and awkward he is and I love how true to the character this movie stayed. He really doesn't like being a mutant and tries to cure himself but it backfires. Yes, Beast is blue by the end of the movie and Havok is actually the one that gives him his codename. As for the other kids, I think they were portrayed well. Banshee was a little annoying at first but I warmed up to him. It sucks that they killed off Darwin. That guy seriously gets no love. I wish they could've used this movie as a chance to reload the franchise and get the real first class in here but this class of characters was pretty cool too.
Sebastian Shaw: I really can't take Kevin Bacon as a serious villain. I don't know what it is but there's nothing about him that I find menacing. Aside from that, Shaw was pretty cool in the movie. They made a small error concerning his powers in that I don't think he can actually expel the energy he absorbs. In the movie, you see him absorb explosions from grenades and rockets and then release those explosions from his body. I don't think his powers work that way. Also, the way they kill him in the movie doesn't work given his powers. Yes I understand that it's poetic and makes Magneto look awesome but you can't kill Shaw that way. It just doesn't work.
The Hellfire Club (Emma Frost, Riptide, Azazel, Angel Salvadore): I actually had to wait until the credits to find out that Riptide was the character you see with the Hellfire Club. I seriously thought it was Whirlwind and was ready to bitch about it because Whirlwind definitely doesn't belong in the Club (not that Riptide does). Yes, Angel Salvadore starts out with the First Class but ends up with the Club and no she can't spit fireballs in the comics like she does in the movies. Of course all the Club gets folded into the Brotherhood after Magneto kills Shaw and I think it's funny because now Azazel and Mystique can make baby Kurt. Azazel was actually pretty cool in this movie. I think what we saw from him during the fight sequences is what we could've seen from Nightcrawler if he had been in X3 (only a little more evil). True to form, Emma Frost spends most of her screen-time in her underwear. I find that hilarious.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I think it was definitely better than the Wolverine movie and X3 combined. I think my enjoyment comes largely from the great characterization of Xavier and Magneto. It did get a little slashy in a couple scenes, particularly the one where Xavier helps Magneto gain greater control over his powers. Seriously, I don't think Xavier and Magneto are gay for each other but that scene kinda came off as a little gay. If you see the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. Really though, this movie is good and if you're an X-Men fan then you should definitely check it out.
As always, I'll break it down (mostly) character by character.
Charles Xavier: I think James McAvoy did a good job with the role. As far as characterization goes, I think they hit all the right notes with Xavier. I think it's hilarious that he was kind of a ladies man when he was studying at Oxford and that he used the most terrible pickup lines on girls at the pub. I think the friendship between Charles and Erik is characterized very well and overall I'm really happy with Xavier in this movie. The thing I don't like though is that he makes very liberal use of his powers in unethical ways. I understand our modern, revisionist history paints Xavier as less of a saint but I thought some of the things he did (especially with Moira but more on that in a minute) were a little out of character. I suppose I could just chalk it up to the fact that he's younger and maybe his moral code is looser. Oh, and Xavier gets crippled towards the end of the movie. It's way, way better and more plausible than Stryker shooting Wolverine in the head a couple times and giving him total amnesia.
Magneto: Michael Fassbender is a good actor. I didn't realize that until last night when he pretty much stole the show as Magneto. Seriously, when they're showing the separate stories of Charles and Erik before they meet, I kept thinking: "Why did they kill the Magneto movie? It would've been so badass." Whereas I thought the portrayal of Charles was a little off, the portrayal of Magneto was pretty much perfect. This guy is not only a total badass but also a man with deep psychological scars due to his past. He's angry and afraid of history repeating itself. I thought the end of the final battle was amazingly well done and perfectly captures Magneto's character. All in all, Magneto was the star of the movie for me.
Moira MacTaggert: I don't like what they did with this character. Granted, I've never really cared about Moira very much so I didn't get all up in arms about it. Really though, her character in this movie is kinda crappy. As I mentioned in the Xavier overview, I don't like what he did with erasing Moira's memories of where the school is. I understand he did it to protect her and himself but it still doesn't seem like a very Xavier-like move. I kinda wish they had developed the Moira/Charles relationship more. She's probably my favorite love interest for Xavier and she probably deserved a little better treatment in this movie. Also, I don't like how they changed pretty much everything about her backstory but maybe that's just because I didn't get to hear Rose Byrne talk with a Scottish accent (which would've been hot).
Mystique: Yes, Mystique is in this movie and has a pretty major role. Again, they completely changed her backstory but with this I don't mind it so much. I've actually never liked Mystique more than I did in this movie. I absolutely love her little relationship/infatuation with Beast. It's fucking adorable. I also love the sibling bond between Charles and Raven and the developing relationship between Raven and Erik. Magneto is a charismatic individual and Raven is still young enough and impressionable enough to be drawn to that charisma. There are plenty of things I loved about Mystique in this movie.
The First Class (Beast, Havok, Banshee, Darwin): You'll notice I didn't put Angel Salvadore here and I'll explain that later. Out of all these kids, Beast stole the show. I love how nerdy and awkward he is and I love how true to the character this movie stayed. He really doesn't like being a mutant and tries to cure himself but it backfires. Yes, Beast is blue by the end of the movie and Havok is actually the one that gives him his codename. As for the other kids, I think they were portrayed well. Banshee was a little annoying at first but I warmed up to him. It sucks that they killed off Darwin. That guy seriously gets no love. I wish they could've used this movie as a chance to reload the franchise and get the real first class in here but this class of characters was pretty cool too.
Sebastian Shaw: I really can't take Kevin Bacon as a serious villain. I don't know what it is but there's nothing about him that I find menacing. Aside from that, Shaw was pretty cool in the movie. They made a small error concerning his powers in that I don't think he can actually expel the energy he absorbs. In the movie, you see him absorb explosions from grenades and rockets and then release those explosions from his body. I don't think his powers work that way. Also, the way they kill him in the movie doesn't work given his powers. Yes I understand that it's poetic and makes Magneto look awesome but you can't kill Shaw that way. It just doesn't work.
The Hellfire Club (Emma Frost, Riptide, Azazel, Angel Salvadore): I actually had to wait until the credits to find out that Riptide was the character you see with the Hellfire Club. I seriously thought it was Whirlwind and was ready to bitch about it because Whirlwind definitely doesn't belong in the Club (not that Riptide does). Yes, Angel Salvadore starts out with the First Class but ends up with the Club and no she can't spit fireballs in the comics like she does in the movies. Of course all the Club gets folded into the Brotherhood after Magneto kills Shaw and I think it's funny because now Azazel and Mystique can make baby Kurt. Azazel was actually pretty cool in this movie. I think what we saw from him during the fight sequences is what we could've seen from Nightcrawler if he had been in X3 (only a little more evil). True to form, Emma Frost spends most of her screen-time in her underwear. I find that hilarious.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I think it was definitely better than the Wolverine movie and X3 combined. I think my enjoyment comes largely from the great characterization of Xavier and Magneto. It did get a little slashy in a couple scenes, particularly the one where Xavier helps Magneto gain greater control over his powers. Seriously, I don't think Xavier and Magneto are gay for each other but that scene kinda came off as a little gay. If you see the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. Really though, this movie is good and if you're an X-Men fan then you should definitely check it out.
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Date: 2011-06-03 04:26 pm (UTC)I didn't like Xavier's character at all, I agree with Magneto--he was pretty bad ass. Moira was so and so, Mystique was blah, and so were the First Class. I still enjoyed the movie though, for it's action-ness.