#140RVW
Solid start. With the opening scene, Singer lets you know this is going to be a serious film. Comic book movies would never be the same…
What’s more:
Mutants. One of the many reasons I always read DC Comics, not Marvel. Not that DC didn’t have its own goofy stuff, but I just hated the idea of mutation. In theory it makes for great story material. In practice, it’s a loophole for writers that allows them to justify anything they feel like. Once you’ve opened the door to allowing characters to change their physical being, it’s tempting to use that capability for everything.
All by way of saying that I’m not that familiar with all of the characters and storylines of X-Men. From what I have read, this seems very much in the spirit of the comics.
The biggest criticism I have of X-Men is the same problem with all superhero series starters; you spend so much time developing the setting, characters and tone, there’s no screen time left for a serious showdown. It would be so much more satisfactory to just leave the battle with the villain to a sequel; there’s never enough breathing room to create anything other than a surface-level good vs evil conflict. Interestingly, I read that the treatment that author Michael Chabon put together actually did put the villains in the sequel; wish I could see that.
The other major issue is the promotion of Wolverine to the focus of the entire film series. Considering how the character is the linchpin of this movie, it’s sort of amazing they went with an unknown actor. Yes, I love Wolverine – everyone does. But focusing on any one character necessarily leaves other characters out in the cold. How much you can about the rest of the X-Men being relegated to the bench depends on your knowledge of the series.
But in spite of the Wolverine obsession, this is a good, solid movie that made the next decade-plus of superhero movies possible. Hopefully you think that’s a good thing…
Other odds and ends written down while I watched this for first time in years:
- Patrick Stewart’s voice – yes. Wish he’d do more voice-overs or audiobooks.
- Opening scene so good at setting tone & theme of series.
- The anti-mutant tenor provides a perfect setting for these stories.
- Gorgeous framing of shots by Singer & DP Newton Thomas Sigel.
- McKellen: what a massive talent. And barely on the radar for most of us at this point in his career – how much that would soon change…
- The acting in this is so thick.
- Hugh Jackman is such a discovery. Wonder if the Wolverine obsession of these movies is due to the character or Jackman. Probably both…
- Watching this for the first time in a long time. Forgot this was made at the dawn of the age of excessive color timing.
- Sabertooth is so ridiculous. One of the only missteps in the vision for this movie.
- Ray Park as Toad. Don’t forget this was right after Phantom Menace. What a great talent for such a foolish character…
- Famke Janssen almost makes up for her Bond villain with performance as Jean Grey. Almost…
- Introduction of the school is so well done. You can’t wait to see more glimpses of the characters.
- James Marsden great as Cyclops. As to Halle Berry’s Storm…ugh.
- Bruce Davison is so perfect in this part.
- Mystique…
- Anna Paquin’s now you hear it now you don’t midwestern accent is a bit surprising from an Oscar-winner. Although Berry is also trying on an accent that doesn’t fit. These questionable Oscar selections sure do a lot of damage down the line…
- Cerebro is a neat room, but if there is a dorkier helmet to be found they must have given up looking for it…
- Ah, the old “I can shape-shift into anything” plot device. The first refuge of the lazy writer, just after time travel and before cloning…
- Magneto – oh, they did find a dorkier helmet…
- The practical effects used in the stand-off at the train station make all the difference in the world.
- Uniforms are an improvement over the blue & yellow spandex, if not by a lot…
- I’m not a big X-Men comic reader; couldn’t they have found anyone better than Toad?
- I want one of these cool 3D map things!
- Fights pretty good, but too much wire work, like everything post-Matrix.
- Believe it or not, the “know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning” line was written by Joss Whedon. A rare mistake by the legend.
- Pretty good battle, although the whole thing feels like a paltry climax for such a good story. Little more than a warm-up for the sequel.
- Love the cell for Magneto…
Poster:
Trailer:
http://youtu.be/XUoFU5cduIs
