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

the famous line up shot from the Usual Suspects has even become Singer's logo for Bad Hat Harry Productions as we all saw at the beginning of the movie.

 

I rewatch Usual Suspects at least once a year.
GREAT FILM!!

 

Usual Suspects is a good film not a great one. It's almost like they thought of the twist ending and then built the movie around it. Still, that film aside his ther work has problems. I already mentioned my problem with X2. I still love it, but act two was a little odd. Again Storm and Jean hang out in a plane in boston until the plot needs them again.

 

It's only a good film because you say it's a good film when in fact it's a GREAT film!

Its subjective.

 

knew this would happen. I made the comment, whatever But the Usual Suspects is not the topic. X-Men is, and I was specificaly mentioning Singer's tendency to say loose continuity" when he can't seem to decide if the films are in the same universe.

 

Universe schmooniverse. Vague continuity is the most that should be expected.

 

It was a pretty good movie overall. I am glad I saw it but not enough to ever buy a copy of it later.

 

Anyone else find the opening scene odd? Even at the time, moreso in hindsight... Erik kills two guards, Shaw is delighted... takes no precautions, walks over, hands Erik a coin... shouldn't he be a little rattled? have some precaution in place? not have a room of knives next door?

I guess in hindsight, maybe he knows he's protected by his powers, but at the time, it plays... odd.

 

Nazis or people who worked in concentration camps probably weren't known for the compassion or "care" when it came to other people. He wasn't rattled because he'd already seen the boy do something amazing and the room full of knives was there as intimidation.

 

When Shaw is dealing with young Erik, first, he's a mutant himself, so is very aware of what could happen. Two, he probably has no reason to believe Erik has as much power as he does.

The audience, however, doesn't know Shaw's a mutant. But I still thought it played out as someone with extensive knowledge about mutants who has probably studied them in many ways, and has no reason to believe Erik is as powerful as he really is.

I thought the scene played fantastically.

 

Also, it wasn't just "a room full of knives" - it was a medical torture chamber / Nazi lab experiement.

If anything, I had a problem with Xavier's complicity in Shaw's murder at the end - if he hadn't held Shaw still, Erik wouldn't have been able to torture & kill him with the coin. Xavier's sayin' for Erik not to do it, but he isn't doin' anything but helpin' Erik to kill Shaw.

 

I might prefer The Dark Knight more (probably because I'm more of a Batman fan than an X-Men fan, but I sure love the X-Men), but X-Men: First Class is unequivocally the best Marvel movie and probably the best X-Men movie. X2 is a really well-made film, and it's one of my favorite comic-book movies of all time, but X-Men: First Class has so much more heart and emotion and boldness and style and action that X2 looks a little underwhelming and quaint in comparison.

There's just so much I love about this movie. I think the biggest thing that I love is that joyful feeling of fun that permeates the entire film. As much as I loved Singer's films, they were always very dark, somber and morose. Vaughn definitely doesn't shy away from the darkness and the drama (Schmidt killing Erik's mother, Erik killing the officers that worked under Schmidt/Shaw, etc.) but First Class has so much fun that it's really hard not to like this movie. The 60's setting really does give the film a unique flavor, and I absolutely loved the James Bond influences. When Erik came out of the water and invaded the yacht, I could hear the Bond theme in my head.

I love that we get actual character development this time around, which was so woefully missing from the last two abhorrent films. I think some of my favorite moments were interactions between the characters. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were the true stars of this film, and they absolutely nailed both Charles Xavier and Erik Lensheer. I loved how McAvoy's Xavier was this optimistic, bright, hopeful individual who wasn't too cheery; I also love how he uses a line about mutation as a pick-up line in what might be the cleverest piece of dialogue in an X-Men film. Contrast that with Fassbender's Erik, who is chilling, dashing, and genuinely intense as well as charismatic when he needs to be (some of my favorite moments involved Fassbender's Erik- like when he interrogates a bank manager, charmingly kills two Nazi officers or tells Sebastian Shaw "I agree with everything you've said... but unfortunately, you killed my mother").

The supporting characters were great as well, and what makes this the best prequel of them all is how Singer, Vaughn, and the writers connect things to the previous trilogy in a way that enhances the original trilogy, but doesn't dilute it (I'm looking at you, Star Wars prequels). Xavier and Mystique's relationship in the previous trilogy has that much more weight given how their relationship unfolds in First Class; even Beast's reaction to the cure in X-Men: The Last Stand now has more poignancy given his character arc in this film. First Class also adds more character to those we saw in the previous films but were mere ciphers. Mystique, for example, is such a more fleshed out character here, and I absolutely loved her brotherly-sisterly relationship with Xavier. Nicholas Holt is tremendous as Hank McCoy/Beast, and I love how he was doing a mix between Kesley Grammar and Kiefer Sutherland from Dark City.

X-Men: First Class is the best film of the year so far, and probably the best comic-book film. The Cold War and Cuban Missile Crisis adds so much to this film- it makes it feel gargantuan, large and important, in a way that we haven't seen from any comic-book movie yet. The performances are extraordinarily subtle and nuanced, the action sequences are inventive and entertaining, and the storyline has enough twist and turns to keep you hanging off the edge of your seat. First Class also has some of the most efficient storytelling I've seen in a modern summer blockbuster in years. I've seen the film three times now and I can't wait to see it again; I remember when I was watching the film for a third time, and I was about 10-15 minutes from the end, and I was surprised at how briskly and effortlessly the film went along.

 

Whoa 3 times? As much as I love this film I don't even think I could do that.

 

Well, if he had allowed Shaw to move Shaw may have been able to kill Eric or continue in his plan/s to detonate the bomb or reap some evil. Xavier has boasted in the past and even demonstrated in this movie he has the ability to put thoughts into people's heads. So one wonders why he didn't just "reprogram" Shaw into, I dunno, thinking he was a 8-year-old girl?

 

^

At the very least, he could have given Shaw the option to run out of the wrecked sub, where the rest of the team would have had a shot at stoppin' the helmet-wearin' Magneto, since Xavier couldn't get through to his friend anymore.

Instead, he just kept him locked in place, and could see & feel what Magneto was doin', makin' him just as guilty of murder.`

 

I intend to see this film at least three more times...probably four.

 

I intend to never watch it again.

 

That's what I got. Xavier had the choice of letting Shaw put his plan in motion, or let Erik kill him. He chose to let Shaw die rather than set him free.

Come on, it's Xavier's first day at this... he's not going to have all the choices at his fingertips. Plus, he says he's not going to be able to hold Shaw for long... I think he's holding on tight, with only hold or let go as options.

I also think the movie makes it clear that Xavier experiences the attack while connected to Shaw, that Erik is inflicting the moment on both of them. I think we have to acknowledge Xavier as well-motivated if he'll experience that rather than let go of Shaw.

I thought it was maybe the best moment in the film.

Other candidates -

- the opening (still a little odd)

- Erik's visit to a Swiss bank

- Erik's visit to Argentina (Pig farmers and tailors took their name from them...)

- Erik teaches Banshee to fly

- the dogfight at the end was fun

Others?