X-Men 1st Class - Good Popcorn Fun

POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 09:54
VIEWED: 6579
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SHINYGOODGUY

Saturday, June 4, 2011 2:26 PM

Just saw X-Men First Class (Opening night) and, although it didn't knock my socks off, it was quite good. It was fun, entertaining and it added to the X-Men folklore. You might think "I've seen this movie," think again. Mathew Vaughn takes a franchise and breathes new life into it. It was funny, without being slapstick. It was true to the characters we've come to know as the X-Men, but without being overly redundant.

Yes, some of the same themes were there. Mutants (those of us who are different and not fitting in to what most consider "normal") and humankind finding a way to co-exist in the same world, but it took a different approach. Acceptance of one's true self and body image themes (aimed specifically at teen-aged girls). There were a few brief scenes that were corny and unintentionally funny, but they were minor and did not detract from the main story - the origins of the X-Men and Magnetos group of misfits. It was really well done, they gave you something familiar but from a different point of view. The balancing act was quite striking, the audience did not have to re-learn anything about the characters and discovered something new within a familiar setting.

I don't want to give any spoilers here but, there were a couple of nice surprises. You will get a good chuckle or two. All in all it was good fun and well done, with a few minor flaws. I give it 3 out of 4 stars (Think Star Trek good). Go see it if you're a fan, or even if you're not - this film may sway you to become one. You can take the kids, but the young ones (5-8 yrs old) may get a little scared by the X-Men style violence.

Have fun!

SGG

PRETTYXPISTOL

Sunday, June 5, 2011 7:02 PM

I can't wait to see it! ^_^

EVILDINOSAUR

Sunday, June 5, 2011 7:50 PM

Just saw it, it was fantastic. For me, easily the best comic book movie since the first Iron Man. Definitely the best of the X-men movies.

Select to view spoiler:

I did not expect the Wolverine cameo at all, and it was fantastic, the whole theater laughed for a good minute at that one.

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

ECGORDON

Sunday, June 5, 2011 8:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Think Star Trek good.

Depends on which Trek you are talking about. There are a few of those films and series I wouldn't force on my worst enemy.

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ECGORDON

Sunday, June 5, 2011 8:52 PM

Give me time and I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong with my signature.

SHINYGOODGUY

Monday, June 6, 2011 12:38 PM

The latest by JJ Abrams - Star Trek, or, as someone posted, as good as the first Iron Man.

"The Hammer is my penis"

SHINYGOODGUY

Monday, June 6, 2011 12:48 PM

Regarding your hidden spoiler comment - Yep, same thing here, that scene got the loudest reaction and and the theatre buzzed for about a minute.

Another surprise for me: Jennifer Lawrence. I didn't know that she was in this movie and I was pleasantly surpised, she was quite good as Mystique. James McAvoy was excellent as Professor X and the actor (who's name escapes me) who played Magneto was also excellent.

SGG

"Osgood, I'm a man"
"Well, nobody's perfect"

ECGORDON

Monday, June 6, 2011 1:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
The latest by JJ Abrams

Okay, I'll skip it then.

AURAPTOR

Monday, June 20, 2011 12:30 AM

Just saw it. Had some issues w/ it , but it was pretty decent.

My issues are both historical ( the Cuban missile crisis ) and w/ the story line of the characters.

Minor issues, I suppose, but the sort that really can lessen my appreciation of a decent movie.

( pardon the spoilers )

Select to view spoiler:

1st - The idiocy of how the Cuban missile crisis was portrayed. Both US and Soviet navies, lined up across from each other like WW 1 trench war-fare, waiting for a cargo ship w/ Soviet Nuke missiles, sitting in plain view, right there on the top deck..... Please.

Are our schools so poor at teaching history, that no one knows the missiles were already IN Cuba ?

Ok, trivial, movie theatrics. I get it.

Now, as for the characters.. I'm not up on my X Men canon, or how the comic book "original "story line went, some things just didn't sit well w/ me , w/ regards to how the other movies portrayed everyone. Such things like..

Select to view spoiler:

Charles Xavier and Raven met in their youth, and were life long best friends ? Oh, and she doesn't look as old as he did in the later movies, because... ? The fact that Wolverine can have near immortality makes sense, but Raven ? ( though I did like his cameo... )

Magneto - Dude became the very guy he hated. It's no less idiotic than Conan turning into Thulsa Doom himself. And who no mention of the NAZIS killing his father ? Oh, Dr . Shaw shoots Erik's mother himself, but didn't his dad die also ?

And along that same theme, much of what we saw, even the same words, which we saw in the 1st movie were brought up in XMFC. I find that lame. It's like nothing happened for nearly 40 years. Hard lines were drawn right then, and there, and yet in the 1st XMen movie, we see things being presented as if it was just NOW on the verge of developing.

They won't accept us, we're different...

There's a war coming, you're either with us or against us...

yeah, heard it before.

Select to view spoiler:

Oh , and Beast... he too had a crush on young Raven. I understand there was a bit of 'socializing' between the different characters in the comics, but sheesh. The whole back story, and that everyone has such an involved history with each other, sure wasn't played out too well in the first 3 movies. It reminds me of Lucas, pre-establishing characters in the Star Wars prequel, like Chewbacca, and the droids. I mean, is this epic sooo small that we must keep seeing the same characters , over and over again ?

Anyways, I was a bit underwhelmed. It could have been better, but then I could be picking nits, out of ignorance. I knew there was a back story to how Charles became wheel chair bound, but did that story ever get told in the comics? And was it anything like what was shown in XMFC ? Good drama, either way.

I'll give the movie a B-

And I like Rose Byrne, a lot. She's smokin'.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

KEEP

Monday, June 20, 2011 3:27 AM

I thought in the comics Proffesor X was paralyzed in some kind of alien battle in the future... I dunno, just don't quote me on that ;)

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