In a recent post I commented that, after hearing the reviews, this movie must have slipped by my radar. People were gushing with such zeal about this movie, claiming that it had been overlooked because it was yet another X-men movie, I felt I just had to go check it out. So, after attending the store closing of my neighborhood Starbucks (yeah, they do actually close them), I went to check this film out.
After all the positive word of mouth I'd heard about X-Men: First Class, my expectations were pretty high. Things open as the first X-men movie did with Erik ripping open the gate at a concentration camp as the Nazis take his mother from him. This version continues on in that time period just long enough to get Erik angry and reveal his potential to an evil German officer played by Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon? Yes, and he's great as a maniacal mutant bent on the destruction of the world.
Other than Erik's revenge, the rest of this story revolves around the loyalties of the angry and single-minded Erik, a flawed, more human Dr. Xavier and the conflicted Mystique. The other story lines are weak compared to those of these three. Some of it is even silly and ridiculous. The Beast just looked plain silly. I'm sorry. The Muppets look better than this powder blue Ewok. The poor makeup, or whatever they did, totally destroyed the mood. I had to keep from laughing every time his ridiculous image popped up on screen. The worst part about it is his role is so integral to the storyline and Mystique's inner struggle.
The other mutants are totally disposable, adding only a pretty face or an overused power with no real purpose to the story. Eric and Xavier are the key to this movie,and neither disappoints. While I would liked to have seen this story revolve only around those two, there is still enough between them to make this a decent watch. It is not as good as the first X-men movie, but there is enough quality storytelling and impressive acting to make this movie more enjoyable than the other three films that followed the original.
Was my radar right about this movie? I wish they would stop rebooting every comic book and start them all at the beginning. Everyone knows what's going to happen already. Although, Kevin Bacon as a German speaking villain was a major plus. Was it worth going to see in the theater? In honesty, I wish I had waited to watch this at home with friends for the first time. I'm sorry, I just can't forgive them for the powder-blue teddy bear they made Beast into.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
-aap
Showing posts with label X-Men: First Class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X-Men: First Class. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Super 8
I had been planning to see my next movie on a Wednesday night, but I just couldn't pull the trigger with the selections from Memorial Day Weekend - they didn't hold a real interest for me. Even the new X-men movie barely made a blip on my radar. Although, I have heard both X-Men: First Class and Kung Fu Panda 2 are actually pretty good films. If I had tons of money, I might have been more willing to take a chance on one or both of those films, but since I, like so many people these days, am not a gazillionaire, I try and choose wisely what I spend thirty dollars to go see in a theater. This is the week I have been waiting for all year - a movie worth my shelling out the equivalent of half a tank of gas for is finally upon us.
Super 8 will open this Thursday Night/ Friday Morning and you can bet that I will be there in line, even if the NBA finals are still going on. But hopefully they will finish before I make the short trip to my local theater to check out this summer blockbuster.
The buzz around this movie is weird. Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about the awesome potential of this film for months, but I get a mixed reaction from others. Most people see it as I do: A throwback to Spielberg of the 70s and 80s. Which, in my book of hit and miss assessments, is a great thing. But there are others who don't see it that way, and I can understand their concerns. An over-18 crowd might not be interested because of the age of the lead actors. They may assume it is only a children's movie. And child actors can be hit or miss as far as performances, too. Spielberg has a knack for getting great performances out of his young actors, but he is not directing this. This is JJ's first real crack at directing a film that relies so heavily on youngsters. The fact that people have been held in suspense about the creature, much like Cloverfield, could also get under their collective craw. A frustration with the trailers and not knowing what they are going to see, much like the town folk who repeatedly ran when the boy cried wolf, might dissuade a percentage of people from the theaters.
I think the producers are right not to show the creature until they have to. Industrial Light and Magic is doing the effects after all, so naysayers can rest assured that the creature won't suck. Many trailers for films these days show so much of the film that you know what happens before even going to the theater. That is not entirely the case with this movie. We know there is a train wreck as kids are filming a super 8 movie, and that chaos breaks out afterwards as the creature escapes. But we don't know what the creature looks like, its motivations or history. It worked for Spielberg with Jaws. And it has me counting down the hours till 12:01 Friday morning to see this movie.
-aap
Super 8 will open this Thursday Night/ Friday Morning and you can bet that I will be there in line, even if the NBA finals are still going on. But hopefully they will finish before I make the short trip to my local theater to check out this summer blockbuster.
The buzz around this movie is weird. Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about the awesome potential of this film for months, but I get a mixed reaction from others. Most people see it as I do: A throwback to Spielberg of the 70s and 80s. Which, in my book of hit and miss assessments, is a great thing. But there are others who don't see it that way, and I can understand their concerns. An over-18 crowd might not be interested because of the age of the lead actors. They may assume it is only a children's movie. And child actors can be hit or miss as far as performances, too. Spielberg has a knack for getting great performances out of his young actors, but he is not directing this. This is JJ's first real crack at directing a film that relies so heavily on youngsters. The fact that people have been held in suspense about the creature, much like Cloverfield, could also get under their collective craw. A frustration with the trailers and not knowing what they are going to see, much like the town folk who repeatedly ran when the boy cried wolf, might dissuade a percentage of people from the theaters.
I think the producers are right not to show the creature until they have to. Industrial Light and Magic is doing the effects after all, so naysayers can rest assured that the creature won't suck. Many trailers for films these days show so much of the film that you know what happens before even going to the theater. That is not entirely the case with this movie. We know there is a train wreck as kids are filming a super 8 movie, and that chaos breaks out afterwards as the creature escapes. But we don't know what the creature looks like, its motivations or history. It worked for Spielberg with Jaws. And it has me counting down the hours till 12:01 Friday morning to see this movie.
-aap