Grade: A+
That is a grade containing no hyperbole or bias. I almost graded it an 'A' just for some inconsistencies which seem apparent now but kept the + cause they could reconcile those later somehow, someway if they choose.
I saw it at a sold out 9:30pm show and the audience was soooo into it. When it's appropriate reactions to something on screen I'm cool. No one within earshot of me was engaged in idle chit-chat. No cell phones went off nor were illuminated. I'm inclined to think that's because people were
that into the film that no distraction was needed.
Even though I didn't know it about Darwin I had a suspicion something would happen to him since he was missing from the bulk of the tv spots. Angel I figured out as the movie went along. Is she with the Brotherhood in the books?
Interesting choice to have Riptide in the film. I don't recall him ever being called by his codename though.
Having Banshee in the film adds some continuity imo to the great X2 cause Siryn is in there. Now it's age appropriate that he'd be old enough to have a daughter at the school!
Like others the Wolverine cameo had been spoiled but not the Rebecca Romijn one. As the film was playing and he said "Maybe when your older", she shifts again but is out of focus. I thought when the refocused it would be Emma, then when it was Rebecca I good portion of the audience had a positive "hey" type response.
I caught the Storm cameo during the Cerebro hunt but missed any others.
I know this board has a fair number of people who like, no love, Daniel Craig as James Bond and as an actor I like him as well. He's just never been an ideal Bond for me. In XM:FC when Fassbender is sneaking onto Shaw's yacht in that black dive suit, pulls out his knife and begins to search for Shaw the Bond notes just instantly started in my head. Fassbender should've been Bond. He looks it and pulls it off in a manner much more akin to Brosnan, Dalton and Connery. Oh, and that trip to Argentina, his first badass moment on screen. The trick he pulled with that knife!!!
It would not be fair to not mention how equally great James McAvoy was as Charles. His performance was just as great as Fassbender for the character he was portraying. The nods to hair loss were nice and not overdone. His pickup lines, funny. The very serious moments between he and Erik on the Lincoln Memorial steps, at the estate and outside the CIA compound were all well scripted and acted moments for those characters. It sold that these two men did indeed share something, something special that is clearly alluded to in the first films.
For anyone reading this far down I'll also say the movie DOES NOT give all the cool shots away in the trailers/tv spots. I had begun to worry that would be the case. It's a long movie so lots of cool still to be seen.
How Magneto finished Shaw was AWESOME!!! It had that sting of irony to it that surpasses anything gruesome that could've been done or implemented by a lesser director/executive producer.
The closing sequence at the credits that was done in a 60's vibe had me recalling that
fan made piece for the opening credits.
I also appreciated how the film would periodically remind you that yes, this is an era film. We got a fair amount of stock footage to help you clearly recall we were in a historical setting for this.
I really liked
THOR, gave it an A- and said that set the bar high out of the gate.
First Class just "served" the next two comic book movies.
Most of the audience applauded as the credits rolled, that happens rarely in my experience.
And hey, you get to see Bryne in lingerie so that's a good thing. January Jones was fine as Emma although I'm more used to the snarky Emma now.
