X-Men: First Class
So I’m not a particular X-Men fan, but I have seen the earlier ones, I do in general like a good comic book flick, and I particularly like an origin flick. The reviews were in and it was supposed to be entertaining so it sounded like a good matinee, and the right time and place doesn’t hurt.
It’s called first class so you kind of know where the story is going, but it’s basically framed around the origins of and the relationship between Professor X and Magneto. Because they have a lot of story that they’re trying to tell the movie keeps moving. Unfortunately because they’re cranking through so much territory, and because you basically have a clear idea where things are going, you’re never quite invested.
Being a comic book franchise it makes it sort of ok that the characters are basically cartoonish, not just in their abilities but in their dimensionality (or lack thereof). What worked for them was the casting of James McAvoy (Atonement) as an idealistic man, a born leader able to bridge the gap between mutant and human using his mentalist abilities always for good, and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) as a tortured boy and man who is clear that his abilities to manipulate metal make him separate from humans. They each capture the essence of where Charles (X) and Eric (Magneto) come from and map to who we see them as later in life.
So I can’t for the life of me keep all of these characters straight and I might have appreciated it more (or noticed inconsistencies more) if I were an avid follower. But overall I was able to appreciate some of the character development as well as a couple of cameos. All in all it did in fact keep me entertained as a good summer matinee.
Most intriguing preview: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara/Least intriguing preview: The Change-Up with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds
Notable dvd releases 6/28:
- Barney’s Version – Dustin Hoffman looks back on his/Barney’s life – probably skip it
- Beastly – A cocky hot dude, Alex Pettyfer, gets the tables turned and must gain depth and love, Vanessa Hudgens – definite pass
- Cyrus – Can romance survive an awkward mother son relationship, with John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei – uncomfortable humor mostly worked
- Sucker Punch – Comic booky fake reality to escape prison – definite pass
- Law & Order: CI (Season 6) – More crazy criminals – for the usual fans
- Rizzoli & Isles (Season 1) – Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander do the cop coroner buddy thing – for fluffy formula fans
- Warehouse 13 (Season 2) – Weird things get found and stored, a syfy twist on partner cop formula – for syfy formula fans
