X-MEN: FIRST CLASS - Grading+Discussion **SPOILERS!**

[JD]

Trekker4747 wrote:

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I believe the comic books first took on a sort of Civil Rights tone, but the more recent movies seem to have taken on a tone of being about homosexuality rights than rights for minorities or women.

For example, Magneto tells Mystique that she's working too hard to hide who she "really is" and she needs to be herself. Pretty much a clear allegory to gay people working too hard to stay in the closet when they shouldn't have too.

This similarity is perhaps most clear in the second X-Men movie when Iceman's mother says to him, "Have you tried not being a mutant?"

And, of course, Bryan Singer himself is gay so it would seem to follow the X-Men movies under his watch would take on such a tone.

T'Baio wrote:

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"You didn't ask, I didn't tell."

There was also the whole "Mutant and proud" thing.

[Wereghost]

Mach5 wrote:

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I guess I just really got used to McKellen's take on Magneto that to me it's the ONLY Magneto.

I can see that. I've always thought of McKellen's Magneto as very civilised as compared to the way the character had been portrayed in the ten years or so prior to X-Men; ditto Jackman's Wolverine. Fassbender's rendition is more direct and therefore maybe a little truer to the source material.

[KB24]

I haven't seen The Eagle, but I liked Centurion Channing Tatum is in The Eagle, so I'm not really rushing to see it or expect serious acting there.

I like the British villainy sounds, too, coughseanbeancough. And Fassbender has previously also done Eastern European type accents, so maybe thought a vintage Polish accent would be too unappealing to the target American audience today?

Fassbender and McAvoy both did interviews talking about hoping to have sequels where they can build up to what we expect in X and Magneto. MF said he wanted to graduate from the constipation hands to the effortless style of Sir Ian. Maybe if there is a sequel we can more stylized operatic deaths or something.

[Trekker4747]

McKellen never worked for me as Magneto he seemed too stuffy, old, and British. Which is fine and good in their own rights but I never bought it. Mostly the facial controtions he made (augmented by the EM field) using the mutation device in the first movie, and him snarking with Mystique like he was a 13-year-old girl in the second movie.

[exodus]

Trekker4747 wrote:

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McKellen never worked for me as Magneto he seemed too stuffy, old, and British. Which is fine and good in their own rights but I never bought it. Mostly the facial controtions he made (augmented by the EM field) using the mutation device in the first movie, and him snarking with Mystique like he was a 13-year-old girl in the second movie.

Magento believes he is superior, so it didn't surprise me that he's be a stuck up, catty snob. Look at how he talks to Charles. One minute he's calling him "good friend" the next it's "You're a fool!"

[Admiral_Young]

I thought Ian McKellan was perfect as Magneto precisely because of those attributes. Erik buries his emotions except maybe his anger. I thought Sir Ian portrayed that perfectly in all three films. Especially the second movie.

[DigificWriter]

It looks like I'm in the minority, but I thought Fassbender's performance as Erik very much echoed McKellen's.

[Gryffindorian]

exodus wrote:

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Magento believes he is superior, so it didn't surprise me that he's be a stuck up, catty snob. Look at how he talks to Charles. One minute he's calling him "good friend" the next it's "You're a fool!"

Aye. One of Magneto's defining traits is his arrogance. As a powerful mutant, he believes he's better than the rest of humanity. In a way, he kind of projects the image of a haughty, overbearing college professor, whereas Professor Xavier is down-to-earth and non-judgmental.

[Mach5]

Skywalker wrote:

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I haven't seen The Eagle, but they intentionally made the Romans sound American because they were trying to make some lame point about the Roman Empire being the America of its time, or something like that.

No wonder that movie made like 4 dollars at the boxoffice...

[KB24]

^ Ironic, because one might argue that America has become the Roman Empire of our time.

At least First Class has made more than $4! Any new numbers? Last I heard it was up to $76 mil

[Skywalker]

According to Box Office Mojo, as of June 9th it was at $73.9 million domestically and $74.6 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $148.5 million so far. Hopefully its numbers won't plummet this weekend; it all depends on how Super 8 does.

[StarTrek1701]

Skywalker wrote:

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According to Box Office Mojo, as of June 9th it was at $73.9 million domestically and $74.6 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $148.5 million so far. Hopefully its numbers won't plummet this weekend; it all depends on how Super 8 does.

If the indications are anything to go by, Super 8 has little to no chance of being the second Cloverfield.

[HoneyBLilly]

Skywalker wrote:

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According to Box Office Mojo, as of June 9th it was at $73.9 million domestically and $74.6 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $148.5 million so far. Hopefully its numbers won't plummet this weekend; it all depends on how Super 8 does.

Well unless Hangover 2 or Kung Fu Panda make a comeback this week it should be second in the box office.

Hopefully

[Mach5]

Skywalker wrote:

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According to Box Office Mojo, as of June 9th it was at $73.9 million domestically and $74.6 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $148.5 million so far.

People speak of overseas grosses as if they meant anything... Movies need to be really HUGE globally in order for studios to make money off them overseas.

Realistically, First class' isn't likely to break even on ticket sales, let alone make a profit, but DVD sales and TV rights are where the money is anyway, so it still holds a good chance at being considered a success by Fox.

At this point, I doubt that First class will reach Wolverine's $180 mil. domestic total, which was in fact considered a failure back then, even though that movie was a full $10 mil. cheaper to make. IIRC, there was gonna be a whole series of "Origins" movies (with "Magneto" next in line), but Wolverine's disappointing run got TPTB to take the franchise in a different direction instead.

I've heard somewhere that FC sequel was already in the works, and while I most definitely hope that's true, I'd dump Matthew Vaughn and give it back to Singer. All of it.

[Skywalker]

Mach5 wrote:

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At this point, I doubt that First class will reach Wolverine's $180 mil. domestic total, which was in fact considered a failure back then, even though that movie was a full $10 mil. cheaper to make

I agree. It's a shame, because (IMO) of the two movies, First Class deserves to be successful more than Wolverine did.

Mach5 wrote:

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I've heard somewhere that FC sequel was already in the works, and while I most definitely hope that's true, I'd dump Matthew Vaughn and give it back to Singer. All of it.

If I remember right, Singer only didn't direct FC because of prior commitments. I wouldn't mind him directing the next movie (if there is one), but I enjoyed Vaughn's direction of FC, so I'd be fine with him coming back, too.