Since Logan is still out (and awesome) I think now might be a good time to look back on another X-Men movie, First Class, a movie that... doesn't have... Wolverine... Yeah, sorry guys. I started a new job this week and my new schedule doesn't allow for as much free time as it used to. But don't worry, I've been working on some stuff and I promise there'll be new material next week. Anyways, as I mentioned in January's "Movie Review Mistakes?" article I think First Class is a better film than I originally gave it credit for. I was too harsh, but I could probably chalk it up to the fact that it was on;y the second movie review I ever wrote (June 2011). Enjoy.
Last night I saw X-Men: First
Class, the latest in a growing line of X-Men films. And to be
honest it was kind of a mixed bag.
First let's take a look at the characters. While all roles are
well-acted only some of the characters are really interesting. The
Professor, Magneto, Beast, Mystique, and Banshee are all fantastic;
you just can't take your eyes off them in whatever scenes they're in.
It was a real treat to see Professor X (James McAvoy) portrayed
so differently: younger, energetic, and a touch egotistical. The
villains on the other hand were pretty see-through and dull. By
the end of the movie you won't even remember their names. Also, I
couldn't help but feel that Beast could've used a little more
development towards the end after he turns himself into a monster.
The matter is addressed for about one minute and then dropped
forever.The plot also has its ups and downs. The action scenes are intense and a lot of fun to watch thanks to the great CGI. The setting, 1962, was also fun to see, and I love how a summer blockbuster movie dramatically portrays the Cuban Missile Crisis (albeit with mutants and all). That part (the climax) where Magneto catches and stops the hundreds of American and Soviet missiles from killing the X-Men is just awesome. And what superhero team movie is complete without a training montage, eh? This film also has some good jokes too - especially Wolverine's cameo appearance! Nevertheless, this movie's plot has many shortcomings. First and foremost, the villain's plan was bland and just totally lame! They want the USA and USSR to go to nuclear war so humanity is wiped out, only the strongest survive, mutants rule the world, blah, blah, blah... Next, the romance between Professor X and that MacTaggert chick near the end sort of came out of nowhere. Furthermore, why did Mystique leave the X-Men and join Magneto even though she didn’t really have any motivation to do so?
Yes, this film has plotholes, but unlike Thor these plotholes are just obnoxious and confusing. For instance, no explanation was given for why Beast screwed up his "mutant cure" formula so badly. Likewise, when young Magneto freaks out and kills the Nazis at that concentration camp, why did he kill everyone except the guy who killed his mother? I guess he just felt like waiting 18 years so he could go through the trouble of searching the world and finding him first.
Lastly, this movie just totally screws up the timeline of the other X-Men movies. The ending - where Magneto leaves the X-Men and Xavier is paralysed - contradicts what we saw in both X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine which both suggest that up until just a few years ago Xavier could walk and that he and Magneto were still allies.
So to sum up, we've got a movie with cool heroes, lame villains, a dumb plot, cool action scenes and CGI, great jokes, big plotholes, and good acting. We've got a movie that is entertaining but it screws up the continuity of the other films. I will recommend this for X-Men fans. But for casual moviegoers, you might like this.
I give it three stars out of five.
No comments:
Post a Comment