Well, to start off Marvel May, I thought I'd begin with one of the earliest Marvel Comics movies to come out that's in my possession: X-Men!
I love the X-Men! They're one of my favorite superhero teams. Mostly because their series' produced a lot of characters I love/think are cool: Rogue, Psylocke, Gambit, Deadpool, Wolverine, and of course, Nightcrawler to name a few. So I figured I'd start out with that! Does it hold up, 13 years after it came out? We'll see!
In "the not too distant future" (Next Sunday AD), humankind fears the rising of mutants: superhuman individuals who claim to be the next step in human evolution. We see one of these mutants, a young girl called Rogue, develop her power to syphon people's life force and powers. She runs away in fear of what she could do, and meets the mysterious Wolverine. After a fight with Sabertooth, they end up at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, a school for mutants and home of the X-Men. They soon end up involved in the conflict between The X-Men and Magneto and The Brotherhood, who believe mutant supremacy is the only way they'll be accepted. Decent special effects, superhero fights, and science I don't fully understand ensues.
I think they did a good job at casting three of the major roles in this movie. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman all do fantastic as Professor X, Magneto, and Wolverine respectively. The others do good, too, but they're the standouts.
They showed the dark grey morality of Magneto pretty good. I especially like how with Wolverine, they got to show one of the traits that I adore/find amusing about him: that while he's one of the baddest bad boys of the Marvel Universe, he's also kinda a mentor/surrogate father to almost all the teenage mutant girls! In the movies, it's Rogue, but in the comics he's been one to Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, X-23 (technically, by cloning genetics, he IS her dad, biologically), Armor...
The effects are pretty good for early 2000s, they still hold up. Like Cerebro is cool, and that computer thingy that looks like those little metal needly things you can stick your hand of face into and it keeps the shape. I especially think they had a good time with Magneto's magnetic stuff, which was really good. I also think they had a lot of fun with how much punishment Wolverine can take. And the story's pretty decent, too.
Though I do have one problem: how the heck does magnetism generate mutating radiation at all? Especially with Magneto's funky device? I don't think magnetism creates that strong of radiation.... I mean, yeah, I'm questioning comic book science, but I still wanna know! (Also, fun fact: Professor Xavier's mutation was the result of radiation. Maybe it's a nod to that...) But, I did like the idea of Magneto turning Senator Kelly into a mutant. It was awesome karma.
I feel the need to mention it now: I do NOT like the character of Cyclops. Here or otherwise. I just don't. Most of it might be the recent stuff I've heard about the character (that he's basically becoming Magneto 2.0), though to be fair that could be Wolverine fanboys running things and it basically being "make your fanfiction from when you were 12 where Wolverine was a freaking god and Cyclops was a big jerk canon". And there was the fact he left his wife and son when Jean Grey came back to life. And that in-comics he's dating Emma Frost, who I also despise. But I gotta ask: people who've read more X-Men than me, was Cyclops ever cool? Like, back in the early days of the X-Men? I genuinely want to know. Does he have fans? And why?
Like, one of the things I don't like about movie Cyclops was when he gets onto Wolverine for accidentally stabbing Rogue in his sleep. I'm sorry he was SUFFERING A PTSD-INDUCED DREAM AND ACCIDENTALLY HURT SOMEONE WHO WAS CHECKING ON HIM! Seriously, he didn't know! >:( Sorry for ranting. I just don't like Cyclops. (Why does half the mutant population now have to be connected to him by blood or other relation again?)
But, I have realized I like Mystique, now. She's pretty cool. Though, I have to wonder, too: how does she make clothes when she shapeshifts? Is it just skin? (Eww....) I can't be the only one who wonders this... (Also, I don't think she can turn into inanimate objects, movie. Sorry...)
Final Thoughts:
Tomorrow(?), I review the improved-from-the-original sequel, X2: X-Men United! AKA "The one with my beloved Nightcrawler in it!"
I think they did a good job at casting three of the major roles in this movie. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman all do fantastic as Professor X, Magneto, and Wolverine respectively. The others do good, too, but they're the standouts.
They showed the dark grey morality of Magneto pretty good. I especially like how with Wolverine, they got to show one of the traits that I adore/find amusing about him: that while he's one of the baddest bad boys of the Marvel Universe, he's also kinda a mentor/surrogate father to almost all the teenage mutant girls! In the movies, it's Rogue, but in the comics he's been one to Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, X-23 (technically, by cloning genetics, he IS her dad, biologically), Armor...
The effects are pretty good for early 2000s, they still hold up. Like Cerebro is cool, and that computer thingy that looks like those little metal needly things you can stick your hand of face into and it keeps the shape. I especially think they had a good time with Magneto's magnetic stuff, which was really good. I also think they had a lot of fun with how much punishment Wolverine can take. And the story's pretty decent, too.
Though I do have one problem: how the heck does magnetism generate mutating radiation at all? Especially with Magneto's funky device? I don't think magnetism creates that strong of radiation.... I mean, yeah, I'm questioning comic book science, but I still wanna know! (Also, fun fact: Professor Xavier's mutation was the result of radiation. Maybe it's a nod to that...) But, I did like the idea of Magneto turning Senator Kelly into a mutant. It was awesome karma.
I feel the need to mention it now: I do NOT like the character of Cyclops. Here or otherwise. I just don't. Most of it might be the recent stuff I've heard about the character (that he's basically becoming Magneto 2.0), though to be fair that could be Wolverine fanboys running things and it basically being "make your fanfiction from when you were 12 where Wolverine was a freaking god and Cyclops was a big jerk canon". And there was the fact he left his wife and son when Jean Grey came back to life. And that in-comics he's dating Emma Frost, who I also despise. But I gotta ask: people who've read more X-Men than me, was Cyclops ever cool? Like, back in the early days of the X-Men? I genuinely want to know. Does he have fans? And why?
Like, one of the things I don't like about movie Cyclops was when he gets onto Wolverine for accidentally stabbing Rogue in his sleep. I'm sorry he was SUFFERING A PTSD-INDUCED DREAM AND ACCIDENTALLY HURT SOMEONE WHO WAS CHECKING ON HIM! Seriously, he didn't know! >:( Sorry for ranting. I just don't like Cyclops. (Why does half the mutant population now have to be connected to him by blood or other relation again?)
But, I have realized I like Mystique, now. She's pretty cool. Though, I have to wonder, too: how does she make clothes when she shapeshifts? Is it just skin? (Eww....) I can't be the only one who wonders this... (Also, I don't think she can turn into inanimate objects, movie. Sorry...)
Final Thoughts:
- Favorite parts were a lot of Wolverine's lines and all the Ellis Island stuff at the end (I especially liked Wolverine and Cyclops's banter)
- Cyclops you are not cool enough for a motorcycle. Nor can you stealth when you have your BIG FREAKIN' VISOR ON!
- I won't get into continuity errors with Origins or First Class, here. I might get into them if/when I get to them. (Since it's their fault said errors exist...)
- I'm not as well-versed in DC as I am Marvel, but does movie!Toad look a lot like DC's The Creeper?
- Also, Rogue's hoodie jacket and her scarf/V-neck looks kinda remind me of two of her later looks in comics. Which is weird, seeing as those looks weren't around in 2000, I think...
- I forgot to mention, I really like that they didn't kill off Magneto in this movie. It kinda bugs me when they kill off the villains in superhero movies, especially big ones like The Green Goblin in Spider-Man...
Tomorrow(?), I review the improved-from-the-original sequel, X2: X-Men United! AKA "The one with my beloved Nightcrawler in it!"
Nice review.
ReplyDeleteI liked both Hugh Jackman as Ian McKellen as Wolverine and Magneto. Both nailed the roles.
All the blockbuster success that Marvel Cinematic Universe has been enjoying off late started with this gem of a movie.
PS: I liked Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy's performances as Magneto and Prof X in First Class equally well.
B2B.
Thanks! I liked McAvoy and Fassbender in First Class, too. I hope I'll get to review it this month. (It's not currently in my possession, but I hope I'll get a copy soon...)
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