Wonderful, marvelous, amazing. Ok, if you read my last post you will know I am biased and love comic books. But who cares - I truly enjoyed the latest X-Men movie, a prequel showing a version how Professor X and Magneto began. Now the comic book aficionados know the story line is not exact, but I think they will still like this movie.
The movie opens with a near-perfect repeat of the 2000 X-Men. We see Erik Lehnsherr as a young Polish Jew arriving at a concentration camp. The anguish of the moment is very well done. One of the few times I was less than please occurred during the introduction of Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) – I cannot fathom why a young Polish boy is speaking German with the “doctor.” Still, this scene is otherwise good and opens up a better understanding of Erik. Michael Fassbender does a splendid job as Erik. You feel his turmoil – you see how he makes his choices (good and bad). He gives Magneto a human side, something fans have known for years. Erik is not evil – yes, he becomes one of the biggest bad guys in comic book history but there are events in his life which lead Erik down the path to Magneto.
James McAvoy (recently heard as the voice of Gnomeo in the cartoon Gnomeo and Juliet) plays Charles Xavier, an intellectual prodigy and telepath. In the comic book he completes his degrees while still a teenager and is bald before 20 (I assume they were hard pressed to find a young actor willing to cut it all off). Charles compassion for his fellow man – human and mutant – is very strong. This theme has run throughout the recent movies. Even the cartoons of the 80s held this ideal (in the comic books Professor X screws up from time to time and occasionally makes judgment errs). This Charles truly wants peace and thinks human fears can be allayed (although we already know this is difficult at best).
There are familiar characters to the comic book readers, such as Moira MacTaggert played well by Rose Byrne and Emma Frost (January Jones). Sometimes I think the movie writers use the names for fan recognition but then minimize their significance or change their functions to fit the story better. Most audiences will recognize Raven - later known as Mystique – nicely portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. Zoë Kravitz (progeny of Lenny Kravitz and Crosby Show Lisa Bonet) plays Angel and Nicholas Hoult plays Beast. Oliver Platt rounds out the cast as a sympathetic CIA agent. There are additional mutants and humans relevant to the story – most are well-acted or at least work well with their CGI demands.
The basic story is interesting and well-written. Placed into the context of a real and frightening situation in our history – the Cuban Missile Crisis – the mutants must save humanity from a megalomaniac (don’t want to spoil it by telling you whom). Many viewer of this movie may only know of this event through history books. Those who lived through it could tell you just how close we came to WW3. This spin is intriguing and provides a magnificent backdrop to the stories of Charles, Erik and their band of mutants. There is action, adventure, explosions and heartache - the perfect summer blockbuster.
So, if you like comic books, action, or stories about saving humanity…go see X-Men: First Class.
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