Thursday, June 9, 2011

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS Movie Review Double Shot

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you another super-powered double feature of two fresh movie reviews! We'll return to you to our regularly scheduled 'Emails' series (every Mon, Wed and Fri!) program tomorrow. Please enjoy!

SPOILERS! DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER! TURN BACK! (unless you've seen the film)

Review of X-Men: First Class by Rick

This is an odd review for me to write. It is odd in that X-Men was one of my favorite comics when I was collecting and like a lot of people I have a strong fondness for the characters. It is hard for me to watch what the comics have become. Oversold. Over hyped. In many cases the artwork is just about as much gibberish as the stories. Characters sprout up at an alarming rate and the mutant abilities they posses are so outlandish as to be comedic punch lines. In many ways the "success" of X-Men as a tent pole franchise for Marvel is what has destroyed its uniqueness. While this is not to sweepingly condemn art and story in all the X titles, coherent work is drowned out by the incoherent. This trend has continued with the X-Men films. Without much surprise, the first X-Men film was the best of the lot.

If you want to have a quick read about the high pressure/high stakes of film making take a look at the wiki for X-Men (film).

It has the typical trajectory of many movies during the development process where rafts of scripts are written and characters are included, excluded and blended together for budgetary and other reasons. For me this is an important consideration. While the wiki I have linked to discusses the original X-Men film, the behind the scenes twists and turns of making a big movie are pretty standard. Big budgets and egos are involved as well as contracts, overall film schedules and casting. It is sort of a fascinating area of study that makes you wonder how and why movies get made at all! I include this here to give context to any discussion about the finished product.

As a movie goer, I often rate movie titles for there appropriateness and impact. This title, X-Men: First Class, is bad I feel for a whole variety of reasons. The first class that they speak of is not the first class from the original comics or the team from the Uncanny X-Men. The inclusion of young characters to populate the school includes: Mystique, Angel (the Tinkerbell girl), Beast, Banshee, Darwin and Havok. Am I forgetting anyone? It is hard tell. "code names" are given by the Mystique character for flimsy reasons to the rest of the group. Perhaps the First Class has something to do with high quality? No. My third guess is about airline seating and a fourth guess is postal mailing. We could see sequel titles like: X-Men: Handle With Care; X-Men: This Side Up; X-Men: Xpress Delivery... You get the idea. If they are talking about the first group of mutants to be at the Xavier mansion, great. Except this movie has very little to do with that. The students have almost no bearing on the main plot which involves Magneto taking revenge. They are barely involved in the climax of the film and have nothing to do but provide dorky training sequences and some forgettable dialogue toward the secondary plot. So why is the movie named for them?

It has to be expected that extreme liberties will be taken with the source material as far as which characters were used, what story lines from the comics would be milked or what themes would be squeezed in. So, in some respects, if you are a purist like myself, you are going to be guaranteed disappointment based on the decisions made by the filmmakers. Forgetting or overlooking this is impossible. Being objective about the rest of the First Class movie and weighing it on its merits as a film is difficult here. Bits and pieces of all the characters have simply been put into a blender and poured into a jumbo, action-packed movie-sized container. In any other setting other than film, this would be considered grossly negligent. Destroying the brand. These characters resemble their comic book counterparts pretty much in name only. So much has been changed or shuffled that it bares no resemblance to the material it comes from.

To look at First Class simply as a film, one must jettison any previous knowledge of the characters involved and try to enjoy it for what it is: an escapist/fantasy/action picture containing a lot of young people. As such it succeeds but just barely. The plot(s) are so convoluted as to leave scenes hanging in mid air with any dramatic tension drained from them by cutting away to other characters. I don't think that anyone can argue that this is a dramatic action picture or a comedy or a coming of age story or a story of good and evil. It would be easy to blame the screenwriters for not getting a proper grasp on what they were writing but this one may have gone through too many hands and been rushed into production.

What was this movie about? Blue teenagers kissing? Magneto keeping a coin from his youth? Xavier teaching people to relax? Kevin Bacon? Despite the overblown "message" of the movie, which is that you can try to fit in or you can accept yourself, the filmmakers tip their hand early. This is a movie about Magneto and his revenge. By trimming the fat, this could have been an interesting, lean action film and character piece about Magneto. The main focus is roughly on him anyway and he is the character with perhaps the exception of Mystique who actually changes in the movie. The first stark images are of Magneto being separated from his parents. An excellent and intense scene already used in a previous X-Men film and thereby offering less emotionally this time out. Magneto won't/can't "move" the Nazi coin for a menacing Kevin Bacon and his mother is shot in front of his eyes. Magneto next crushes a bell, a filing cabinet and an operating room using his powers but never harms Kevin Bacon. When we see him later he is tracking/hunting/killing his Nazi captors anywhere they hide. This is how he comes in contact with Charles Xavier. These early scenes with Magneto are the most concise clips in the film. They also launch the story which is one of red hot revenge. As previously discussed in the blog, revenge is not a heroic quality but you can still make dramatic films with it. Think of recent films like Taken or classics like Death Wish. As much fun as this can be to watch when handled properly, revenge as a motive is not a heroic virtue.

The scenes with the mutant students in this movie didn't do much except fill up time while the main conflict between Magneto and his old Nazi captors stops and starts like said students taking the car out to learn how to drive stick. I am not sure how a tighter script or better editing would have made this look. Correct me if I am wrong but the main focus of the students was 1.) To be introduced, 2.) To do some training, 3.) To be revealed in the costumes & 4.) To stand around and witness the climax of the movie. Yes, it is more complicated than that but only slightly.

The "romance" between Beast and Mystique is a tease both literally and figuratively. It quickly becomes a thinly veiled attempt at injecting the secondary plot into the film. What is normal? Accept yourself. This motif is painted throughout the rest of the picture and is meant in some ways to be a junior echo of the supposedly growing rift between Magneto and Xavier as to their world view. I am never convinced that either Beast or Mystique are invested in one another emotionally in anything other than a shallow sexual way and even this is precipitated by their longing for "normalcy." Not particularly well done and even a little ham handed. You want teen alienation? Go watch Rebel Without A Cause and any one of the characters will give you an education.

The villains. Having strong villains in a story about heroes can be crucial. Emma Frost, Sebastian Shaw, Riptide, Azazel.... I tend to like them as a whole in the same way that the students are likable and Xavier and Magneto are likable. Considering that Riptide and Azazel do not have speaking lines, little can be gleaned of their true character. Emma Frost has only little more to do with the plot or outcome of this movie than strutting around in a variety of sexy outfits and turning to crystal from time to time. Considering the huge cast she made out pretty well and had actual dialogue so I am happy for January Jones in that regard. Collectively, they play the backup singers for Sebastian Shaw in his bid to start a war where any outcome is to his benefit.

Sebastian Shaw is played by Kevin Bacon. This is important because you never stop looking at the character and thinking of him as Kevin Bacon. The script, dialogue and acting are just not strong enough. I was half expecting "Footloose" to be his unofficial theme song playing gently in the background. This bit of stunt casting is great when you can forget who the star is and sink into the story but I could not. Perhaps the younger audiences do not know who Kevin Bacon is and have only his flat performance here to go on. Too bad for him and this movie. Playing a juicy villain can be very rewarding yet Sebastian Shaw here is as dry as a bone. Maybe if there had been some real tension in his opening scene with a young Magneto it would have carried throughout the film. What would Tarantino have done with that opening interrogation scene? Well, aside from making it 25 minutes longer?

Magneto as Nazi hunting James Bond. It feels like his movie, almost. The opening, closing and much of what is in between is propelled by Magneto's burning desire for revenge against his Nazi captors. It is far and away the strongest thread in the movie - more so than the Mystique/Beast tease or Charles Xavier "teaching" his students to be calm and go for the gold or the laughable Cuban missile crisis tie-in. While James McAvoy remains a personal favorite since his role in The Last King of Scotland he really doesn't have much more than a parenting role in Michael Fassbender's movie. Magneto is the only character who truly takes any aggressive action in the movie. Everyone else either reacts to him or follows orders. The other strong character is Shaw who directs traffic on his side of the street. The scene in the Swiss bank could have been taken from early Bond as well as the confrontation at the bar in Argentina. Fassbender looks great in these kind of personal action/drama sequences.

Binge drinking in the Marvel universe. Machismo. Let us not forget that this movie is rated PG13. I am more than a little surprised and concerned that parent company Disney allowed these scenes to go out edited as they were. I am referring to the actual depictions of the use of alcohol in this film. As I presented in a previous post binge drinking by Thor was ACTUALLY shown and not merely suggested. Here in X-Men: First Class we are treated to three scenes showing improper consumption of alcohol. First and most damning is Charles Xavier slugging back beer from a graduated cylinder while students cheer him on in a clear depiction of college fraternity-style binge drinking. Next, Magneto is engaged in a different kind of contest at the Argentine bar while fast drinking beer under a situation meant to evoke machismo and manliness. Last, in a sequence meant to provide humor, Wolverine is clearly sitting by himself drinking shots of alcohol and not engaged in a social situation or shown drinking responsibly. Alcoholics drink alone. Taken together, these scenes of characters consuming alcohol send the message that alcohol is fun and meant to be consumed in large quantities, alcohol is macho, alcohol is even for when you are by yourself. Don't forget this is a PG-13 film. All the examples are of heroes shown ingesting alcohol irresponsibly and none of it was suggested. To an adult this may be entertainment. The drinking age here in NY is 21. Way to go Disney.

Anti-climax. Shaw supposedly has a lot of power. During the final conflict he is actually easily subdued by Xavier and Magneto and is quite helpless when he is killed by the Nazi coin that started it all. Magneto reminds us pointedly in a monologue that he agrees with Shaw in EVERY way. It is only the fact that Shaw killed his mother that let's us know this is indeed a revenge movie. So what is learned? Killing helpless people is okay as long as it is justified. Xavier is to blame for unleashing Magneto's increased powers. Heroes, villains and revenge are all pretty much interchangeable. Oh yeah, accept yourself and kill your enemies while they are helpless. I suppose you can pick your own theme.

I also can't help the nagging feeling that the screenwriters were trying to make some kind of statement about blood money with the gold bar and the bloody Nazi coin. If they were, it wasn't strong enough and therefore didn't tie into the Magneto plot. Too bad. It would have been nice to have Magneto count to Shaw in German instead of English as a tie to the beginning of the film.

Look for the sequel. X-Men: First Class 2: Next Day Air.

Now, way at the end of my review, I confess to having liked this film. Sure, the review seems a little harsh. My complaints are usually confined to character and plot yet you can see what I am thinking in this case. While the movie tended to drag a little, scenes with Magneto were tighter and easier to watch. The X-Men students all were fine in their performances. It made me want to see more Havok and especially Banshee. Costumes and sets were solid as were the effects. I enjoyed McAvoy although he had little to do. His scene with Magneto trying to move the dish was well done. The overall look of the film was well crafted. It is merely my wish that action have more impact, characters have more depth than just a costume, plots be less random, themes be something more than words that are repeated by the characters and tension held throughout the movie. I give the First Class a solid C+ and acknowledge the hard work and effort that went into making it.

Joe Johnston seems much more capable. Trailers for Cap already hint at a deeper telling of the Steve Rogers tale and there are fewer main characters to juggle. Still, the lesson to learn from First Class is for a stronger through line, more tension, more character development and a clearer narrative.

RICK 6/9/2011.

Okay, Professor. Now it's my turn! (Cue Music)

X-Men: First Class Postage Due
by Ben

X-Men: First Class was an interesting and enjoyable attempt at mixing comics lore and history. I understand that there are some vocal supporters out there calling this a top film and I'm glad they liked it. Although I did indeed enjoy the film, I found it felt rushed and difficult to connect with. The performances overall were very good, but I couldn't help but feel like the film was restricted since it had to align itself with the previous films. The film even begins with a concentration camp gate scene which is remade to match the opening scene of the original X-Men.

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence (Xavier, Magneto and Mystique respectively) made far more interesting characters than the rest (although Caleb Landry Jones/"Banshee" was awesome-- he has a huge future ahead.) Kevin Bacon's "Sebastian Shaw" was cool, but I never really felt like anyone should be compelled to do as he says. He's a Magneto-alike on a boat who has his thumb on two military leaders-- although there is no way to know why these two are willing to be intimidated. Later on, Colonel Hendry says he wants his money, but really? You're going to rise to a trusted insider and then betray your country for some petty cash? No skeletons in the closet or family being held hostage? They don't seem to be sympathizers or war mongers so, what gives? With Emma Frost around, it seemed odd that Shaw needed to intimidate anyone anyhow. Why not just have her plant post-hypnotic suggestions or control their minds? The questions of "how" and "why" embody most of my odd feelings about the film. Could a yes vote from one Colonel (not even a General) really lead directly to WWIII? Although there has to be cardboard cutouts in any film, this seemed to have many. The humans characters seemed helpless to do much of anything. The venerable Michael Ironside on a green-screened ship. Even Oliver Platt's character was pretty unnecessary-- his motives were introduced through exposition, he provided no conflict and was immediately sidelined. Other reasons for things were not clear-- like why did the Russians make Shaw an anti-telepath helmet and matching engine room? Was it just so he could be sure Frost, who had looked into his mind and utterly devoted herself to his cause, couldn't read his mind?

I liked the film, but it felt like it was all happening on a screen-- I wasn't there, wasn't involved with the characters. We get a macro-view of events instead of being inside them-- as if this was an action film which for all intents and purposes this was not. It is a spy drama with sci fi elements and two major action sequences. Charles' caring for others is established by him taking in Raven/Mystique-- poof. No conflict. Charles' identifying with Erik seemed to happen off-screen. Obviously, looking into Erik's mind and sharing his memories links them, but for some reason as an audience member I didn't feel their connection. Almost like the film makers didn't want to make them too friendly so when they did part ways, it wouldn't feel so bad. Nothing, absolutely nothing gets to Charles. He never for a second is not in control or has any doubts. We got to see part of Erik's fight with his powers, but not Charles. As a boy he never had any trouble keeping the voices out? Never seeing his trial by fire, we only get to see the surface of Charles' mission and don't know what drives him except curiosity. Curiosity is great, but it doesn't make someone fight their entire lives to save young people. There has to be a deeper reason.

The film was something preordained. As if all events were already written so, the story lacked tension-- which I think may be the fatal flaw of any prequel. I was never afraid for anyone's life even when they're shot. 'Nobody moves!' 'Oh okay. Nothing can be done to change anything so, might as well not move.' I loved Erik's emotional connection to his powers-- brilliant. He, unlike any other character, had an emotional roadblock to overcome. Unfortunately, like Charles and Mystique, no one else had much of a problem with their powers and it only took a week to master them. Everyone came out of the oven done and ready, no conflict required.

Hank and Mystique's subplot was decent, but it again just felt inevitable and ultimately surmountable without much effort. The powers possessed by all the supporting cast felt like one of the outer-rim Marvel films Ghost Rider or Electra where they had to use second and third-string characters or created variations. Havoc in the comic is an incredibly complex (to the point of depressing) character, but in this film he's just living the dream. The young mutants sit around for a chunk of the film in what we like to call a conference room scene-- doing nothing but gabbing about their powers. Without seeing them hide their powers or have problems controlling them in some emotional, impactful way, I don't see the contrast now that they are to feel free to show them off. What we do see are mutants who are functioning perfectly well in society. No human ever personally discriminates against a mutant showing us the reason why they feel they have to hide-- a pair of hecklers shoved in late in the game don't count. Sure, we may not be comfortable with Angel being a stripper, but she seems perfectly fine with it. I'm not saying we need an anti-mutant uprising, but we at least need some folks who don't understand and some consequences thereof. Someone at the nudey bar gets violent with Angel and her wings pop out. She's goes to melt a guy's face, but ends up hurting someone else. She's about to get lynched when a kindly professor and his swinging pal save her. At least this way she'd have something to get over. But why no difficulties, no discrimination? Is this because the makers assume we know about all that from the other films? Is this a prequel or a sequel? Not even when Charles seeks mutants through the perfectly functioning Cerebro, or when he and Magneto collect mutants does he catch a glimpse of injustice. What are they saving these kids from then? I don't think the film needs to belabor the point, but deep down, X-Men is about empowerment. All of us at some time or another feel like we're different. This is especially true as we enter adolescence and have to battle changes not only in our bodies, but in our minds as realities dawn on us that (hopefully) we were too young to realize before. X-Men is an allegory for those trials as well as those dealing with discrimination. These stories give us characters to identify with, heroes who through hard work and determination take responsibility for their plight and turn their differences into wondrous advantages. Not that I would want to diminish the movement, but setting this film during the 60's and having nothing to do with the Civil Rights Movement seems a bit odd. Given this is X-Men we're talking about, I'd have thought there would be a clearer relationship to that than the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Overall, the locations and costumes were wonderfully 60's, but the dialog and feel of the film was mostly contemporary and bland. This is something that I'm concerned with preventing in my own film making: a lack of style. I would not want this film to be a 60's parody, but it didn't feel like it captured the times like say, a Frost Nixon or Munich. The "updated" James Bond and Batman films also suffer from a lack of style, but Christopher Nolan and crew still makes it compelling through story and superior craft. (Updated Bond is ultimately bland, but has some amazing action.) I think the problem may be in trying to update all these characters and worlds that were created in the 1940's, 50's and 60's. You're taking black-and-white fantasy and forcing it into a contemporary space where everything is grey. The X-Men, like Spidey and other Marvel 60's heroes especially, are realistic characters experiencing pain, doubt and guilt. That makes them human and accessible, but they are still bold, supernatural beings existing in worlds more fantastic and textured than our own. I can't help feeling like the world created in First Class is normalized and flavorless. I live in reality every day. I don't want to go to the theater and see my world simply reflected-- I want to escape my corporeal bonds! It's also like the filmmakers don't want to betray that their work is derived from something else. The Hellfire Club was obviously inspired by BBC's The Avengers and that's just great. The only real surviving similarity is Frost who seems like an out-of-place Austin Powers sex bot. Why not keep the original inspiration? It's like taking all the marshmallows out just leaving the bland oat bits.

I did enjoy the film, but I do hope that Captain America: The First Avenger is not flavorless. If it's set in WWII it should feel like we're visiting the 1940's. It should not feel like our contemporary world with 40's props and uniforms. Thanks for reading, folks! And be sure to tell us what you think in the comments below.

BEN 6/9/2011.

1 comment:

  1. There was a lot of drinking in this movie, I found it odd as well.