Movies Exposed: X-Men: First Class
MY FIRST MOVIE REVIEW!!!! YAY!!!
So I decided that I shouldn't limit my writing to American Idol. I need to expand to something that will always be a constant. MOVIES!!!! I probably go to movies more than most people. In the past month, I have seen at least 7 movies at the theater. The people at AMC "forced" me to buy one of their reward cards because of the amount of time that I spend there. Lame. Anyway, I enjoy movies just about as much as I enjoy music. What better way to start this new venture than with the most anticipated movie of the year, IMO, X-Men: First Class.
Plot/Storyline: I thought that plot was pretty good. The continuity and actual adaptation from the comics left a lot to be desired. I understand that this is a "reboot" but if you are doing that at least "reboot" it into the proper direction. The First Class should have been Angel (the male billionaire one), Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Iceman, and Beast. Very disappointed that they decided to include only one of those characters. To add insult to injury, they included Cyclops' younger brother. Makes total sense??? With that issue aside, the storyline was developed in its own right. This was definitely a more mature/violent movie than the other ones. I did love how they tied in the opening scene from "X-Men" into the opening scene of the movie. I always wondered what happened to Erik Lensharr. I enjoyed the dynamic between Mystique and Professor X. It explains why Mystique could so easily go into the X-Mansion and Cerebro during the first film. They did a great job with making you think that this story actually took place in the 60's - 70's. Incorporating historic events and figures brought a realism to film.
Characters:
*James McAvoy as Professor X: He is a great actor definitely. But I never got Professor X from him. He brought a lot of youthful energy to the character. I do like how we saw Professor X evolve into the leader/activist that he is. I hated how they portrayed the paralyzing of Professor X. Not spoiling but just know that true X-men readers will be TERRIBLY disappointed.
4/5 stars.
*Michael Fassbender as Magneto: Wow what an incredible portrayal. He is exactly how I would imagine Magneto to be when he was younger. The angst and fervor was spot on. I wanted to sympathize with the character but I knew where he would end up. Magneto started out with a mission and just when you think that he had given up on that, he surprised you. Loved how they showed how Magneto had that charm to seduce a certain individual and manage to recruit others to join his cause.
5/5 stars
*Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw: Sebastian Shaw is such a bada**. So Kevin Bacon does not do it for me. In the comics, he is such a powerhouse. He seemed kind of weak to me. Both acting and physically. Seemed very cartoonish and didn't really bring it to life.
3/5 stars
*January Jones as Emma Frost: She is such an iconic character and I think that Ms. Jones did it justice. There were moments of inconsistency but I still loved her portrayal.
4/5 stars
*Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique: Stunning. She gave a new dimension to Mystique that was toyed with in the cartoons. I saw her more as Raven than Mystique. Great character choices and great line deliveries. Best acting in the movie IMO.
5/5 stars
*Nicholas Hoult as Beast: Great portrayal of the character. So glad that they included him in this movie. Loved to see how the transformation took place. Mr Hoult did a superb job with handling the difficult task of being a Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde type character. Going from hiding his mutant power to having this permanent reminder of his mutation.
5/5 stars
Other characters like Havoc, Banshee, Azazel, Riptide, Angel, and Moira McTaggert were just one dimensional. They were great in their own right but nothing like the comics. I mean when did Moira McTaggert work for the CIA?
I understand that they couldn't bring in Angel because he wasn't introduced until the 3rd film. I know why they couldn't bring in Iceman. He was introduced as a teenager. But why not include Cyclops and Jean Grey??? That is my biggest gripe with film. Havoc is cool but how much cooler would it have been if it were Cyclops instead. There is always room for female characters on the team so Jean Grey would have been fine.
I totally recommend going to see it. I didn't want to give away too much but it was definitely a great movie. As a matter of fact, I will be seeing it again. Just in case I may have missed something. Overall I give it 4.5 stars/5 stars!!!!
So I decided that I shouldn't limit my writing to American Idol. I need to expand to something that will always be a constant. MOVIES!!!! I probably go to movies more than most people. In the past month, I have seen at least 7 movies at the theater. The people at AMC "forced" me to buy one of their reward cards because of the amount of time that I spend there. Lame. Anyway, I enjoy movies just about as much as I enjoy music. What better way to start this new venture than with the most anticipated movie of the year, IMO, X-Men: First Class.
Plot/Storyline: I thought that plot was pretty good. The continuity and actual adaptation from the comics left a lot to be desired. I understand that this is a "reboot" but if you are doing that at least "reboot" it into the proper direction. The First Class should have been Angel (the male billionaire one), Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Iceman, and Beast. Very disappointed that they decided to include only one of those characters. To add insult to injury, they included Cyclops' younger brother. Makes total sense??? With that issue aside, the storyline was developed in its own right. This was definitely a more mature/violent movie than the other ones. I did love how they tied in the opening scene from "X-Men" into the opening scene of the movie. I always wondered what happened to Erik Lensharr. I enjoyed the dynamic between Mystique and Professor X. It explains why Mystique could so easily go into the X-Mansion and Cerebro during the first film. They did a great job with making you think that this story actually took place in the 60's - 70's. Incorporating historic events and figures brought a realism to film.
Characters:
*James McAvoy as Professor X: He is a great actor definitely. But I never got Professor X from him. He brought a lot of youthful energy to the character. I do like how we saw Professor X evolve into the leader/activist that he is. I hated how they portrayed the paralyzing of Professor X. Not spoiling but just know that true X-men readers will be TERRIBLY disappointed.
4/5 stars.
*Michael Fassbender as Magneto: Wow what an incredible portrayal. He is exactly how I would imagine Magneto to be when he was younger. The angst and fervor was spot on. I wanted to sympathize with the character but I knew where he would end up. Magneto started out with a mission and just when you think that he had given up on that, he surprised you. Loved how they showed how Magneto had that charm to seduce a certain individual and manage to recruit others to join his cause.
5/5 stars
*Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw: Sebastian Shaw is such a bada**. So Kevin Bacon does not do it for me. In the comics, he is such a powerhouse. He seemed kind of weak to me. Both acting and physically. Seemed very cartoonish and didn't really bring it to life.
3/5 stars
*January Jones as Emma Frost: She is such an iconic character and I think that Ms. Jones did it justice. There were moments of inconsistency but I still loved her portrayal.
4/5 stars
*Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique: Stunning. She gave a new dimension to Mystique that was toyed with in the cartoons. I saw her more as Raven than Mystique. Great character choices and great line deliveries. Best acting in the movie IMO.
5/5 stars
*Nicholas Hoult as Beast: Great portrayal of the character. So glad that they included him in this movie. Loved to see how the transformation took place. Mr Hoult did a superb job with handling the difficult task of being a Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde type character. Going from hiding his mutant power to having this permanent reminder of his mutation.
5/5 stars
Other characters like Havoc, Banshee, Azazel, Riptide, Angel, and Moira McTaggert were just one dimensional. They were great in their own right but nothing like the comics. I mean when did Moira McTaggert work for the CIA?
I understand that they couldn't bring in Angel because he wasn't introduced until the 3rd film. I know why they couldn't bring in Iceman. He was introduced as a teenager. But why not include Cyclops and Jean Grey??? That is my biggest gripe with film. Havoc is cool but how much cooler would it have been if it were Cyclops instead. There is always room for female characters on the team so Jean Grey would have been fine.
I totally recommend going to see it. I didn't want to give away too much but it was definitely a great movie. As a matter of fact, I will be seeing it again. Just in case I may have missed something. Overall I give it 4.5 stars/5 stars!!!!
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