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

[KB24]

Thank you Samurai! I wasn't going to go super crazy and post all my Bond evidence. Maybe when the DVD of this comes out I can make screen captures and do frame by frame examples!



^'that guy who played Magneto' hehe, before that he was 'that guy in Inglorious Basterds' and before that was 'a guy in 300'. Why do people so much trouble with his name? My husband thought he was Jim Fastbendit!




Did I miss your thoughts Rojo? My only disappointment was the weak lesser mutants, but I liked everything else so much, I don't really care about them.

 

[T'Baio]

I didn't mind January Jones' performance. I mean, her name is Emma Frost. It would make sense her delivery was, well, icy.

You now look and sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger in my mind's eye. Thanks a lot.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Fassbender is my choice to succeed Craig. Clive Owen was I believe already considered when they were searching for Brosnan's successor.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I'd probably put it in the A-/A range as a film. Strong production values all around, and the 60s period setting is tremendously fun; it's not surprising that superhero films don't do more of this, but it's refreshing (and there's another one coming up in a month or so).

The film's plot managed to surprise me in a number of instances. Some of them were just as simple as killing off actors that I didn't expect them to get rid of so quickly, as with Oliver Platt.

Character-wise, there are basically three tiers:

1. Professor X, Magneto, Mystique (surprisingly)
2. Beast, Moira
3. Everybody Else

Tier 3 is fine as action figures, but there are occasionally significant moments that hang on them which are a bit of a stretch - Angel's defection would be the most obvious instance of this. But then, having more characters than can be managed effectively is fairly in keeping with X-Men comics.

Everybody cites Fassbender as the standout, and he is indeed quite impressive, but I'll just chip in for Jennifer Lawrence, who impresses me more and more. I suspect she's at the start of a long and successful career. McAvoy is also very good as Xavier, though he strikes me as an actor who is perpetually waiting for the film where's he's allowed to be the main event; even when he's notionally the lead and is very good, he always ends up being overshadowed by his (often female) costars (Keira Knightley and Saorise Ronan, Forrest Whitaker, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer, etc.).

 

[TrekkieMonster]

*raises hands* I gave it a C. I was tremendously disappointed.

I also gave it a C. I wasn't "tremendously" disappointed, but I was definitely disappointed.

 

[C_Miller]

I'd probably put it in the A-/A range as a film. Strong production values all around, and the 60s period setting is tremendously fun; it's not surprising that superhero films don't do more of this, but it's refreshing (and there's another one coming up in a month or so).

The film's plot managed to surprise me in a number of instances. Some of them were just as simple as killing off actors that I didn't expect them to get rid of so quickly, as with Oliver Platt.

Character-wise, there are basically three tiers:

1. Professor X, Magneto, Mystique (surprisingly)
2. Beast, Moira
3. Everybody Else

Tier 3 is fine as action figures, but there are occasionally significant moments that hang on them which are a bit of a stretch - Angel's defection would be the most obvious instance of this. But then, having more characters than can be managed effectively is fairly in keeping with X-Men comics.

Everybody cites Fassbender as the standout, and he is indeed quite impressive, but I'll just chip in for Jennifer Lawrence, who impresses me more and more. I suspect she's at the start of a long and successful career. McAvoy is also very good as Xavier, though he strikes me as an actor who is perpetually waiting for the film where's he's allowed to be the main event; even when he's notionally the lead and is very good, he always ends up being overshadowed by his (often female) costars (Keira Knightley and Saorise Ronan, Forrest Whitaker, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer, etc.).

Agreed. She was a major highlight of the film, but mostly because I wasn't really expecting it. I had a good feeling about McAvoy and Fassbender, but she really surprised me. Tier 1 really out did themselves and whats more, I could believe them as real people. Something that I don't thin I have ever been able to say about an X-Men movie.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Agreed. She was a major highlight of the film, but mostly because I wasn't really expecting it. I had a good feeling about McAvoy and Fassbender, but she really surprised me.

If you haven't seen her Oscar-nominated breakout part in Winter's Bone, I would recommend it.

 

[RoJoHen]

*raises hands* I gave it a C. I was tremendously disappointed.

I also gave it a C. I wasn't "tremendously" disappointed, but I was definitely disappointed.

I just went in with very high expectations. The trailers kicked so much ass that I was sure the movie would be awesome.

Not even close.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I noticed that they didn't show too much. A lot of close-ups, quick shots and one guy placed in front of her as she came down the stairs. Maybe Rose doesn't do semi nude and they came up with a compromise.

I hadn't thought of that...

Looking at that, Rose and Olivia Williams (age aside) do look a bit alike.

Olivia Williams was born in 1968. I reckon the best way to reconcile Moira's age issue (if anyone is bothered about such a discrepancy) is to say that the Moira McTaggart of X-Men 3 is the daughter of the character in First Class.

 

[Skywalker]

Should have just done a full reboot.

 

[TrekkieMonster]

If you haven't seen her Oscar-nominated breakout part in Winter's Bone, I would recommend it.

Thank you for that tip. I've been meaning to see that, and now I have even more reason!

 

[exodus]

Yeah but making him a human, especially one that coonfirms everything Erik hates about human's would have made Erik's ark much stronger. Making him a mutant (even one he didn't know about to begin with) dilutes that, because in the other films Magneto has such a strong hatred for preducial humans. Also making this mutant uber-powerful seems like a move by the producers to go for the lowest common demnominator in blockbuster movie making. It ght have been interesting to see this Nazu perform these experiments on mutants, but then gradually change as he learns more about thm. He wouldn't totally sympathize with them, but just as he seems to be getting close to doing so, Erik kills him.

One of my favorite scenes in the first film is when Erik is looking at the Statue of Liberty and telling Rogue what it meant to him. The Erik in this movie seems so different from that awesome character we had.

All elements that deal with his thoughts on civil rights were removed in place of a vengeful assassin. I greatly missed that asspect of the character because what we got no longer represented Magneto = Malcolm X. The Civil Rights issue is what made me an X-Men fan, without that element it's just an average comic book story about nothing. That's why I find the film disappointing, the characters aren't about anything greater than themselves.

 

[T'Baio]

"You want society to accept you, but you can't even accept yourself."

Did people even see the same movie I did?

 

[exodus]

"You want society to accept you, but you can't even accept yourself."

Which still doesn't relate the POV of Malcolm X.

 

[Servo]

Ok, I saw it last night and thought it was fantastic. The Wolverine cameo almost made me choke on my popcorn. Managed to stay unspoiled on that one, so it came as a surprise.

Great performances by (almost) everyone, but especially Fassbender, who I agree was rocking the Bond vibe for large portions of the film. Have to completely agree that January Jones was the weakest link and didn't really seem like she could be arsed with the material.

Loved pretty much everything about it really. Can't wait for a follow up.

 

[darthraidr]

"You want society to accept you, but you can't even accept yourself."

Did people even see the same movie I did?

as the lone "D" vote, i wonder the same thing.

 

[Samurai8472]

Should have just done a full reboot.

But the mistake Singer makes here is similar to the mistake he made in Superman Returns.. yeah he didn't direct this, but in both cases he used the term "vague continuity" to describe how the various films fit together.

Thanks for screwing the audience, moron!.

It's a bad habit of Singer.

Jumping on to franchises with 4 movies under their belt then making a new movie but ignoring the 3rd and 4th installment

 

[lurok]

^^I had no expectations good or bad, so C is out. Would have gone for B- (some bits ok like production design)/D+ if option.

 

[Ethros]

Wondered if anyone with a good memory can help, I'm looking for quote before Magneto does his "coin trick" at the end of the movie.
I guess it was something like "Now, I'm going to make this coin move" that kinda thing, but I can't remember exactly.

I'll definitely be seeing it again, but not for a few days.


It would be much appreciated if anyone can remember it!

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'll take a crack at it. Was it:

"You want me to move this coin? Here let me shine it up real nice. Turn that sumbitch sideways and stick it up your candy ass! If you smell what Mag-fuckin-neto is cookin'!!!!"

But yeah JacksonArcher might know, he's seen it like 6 or 7 times now.