Posted on 06/05/2011 6:55:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Already reported to have grossed $3.4 million in midnight runs at the domestic box office, X-Men: First Class is expected to rival opening figures close to Batman Begins and the first X-Men film, according to Twentieth Century Fox.
If youre into back-stories and reworked beginnings, Matthew Vaughns latest interpretation of a classic Marvel Comics series is sure to please.
Exploring the origins of the relationship between Professor X and Magneto, the movie focuses primarily on the two archenemies, who were once the closest of friends, working together with other mutants to stop the greatest threat the human and mutant world had ever known.
While Charles Xavier hopes to help humanity and thus garner acceptance for his mutantkind, Erik Lehnsherr is not so optimistic, with wounds from his past so deep that it appears no human, or mutant, could possibly right them.
Though many comic book lovers have complained of the liberties taken from the original source material, many critics still find the story fresh and applaud the new venture.
Screen Rant calls the story between Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) the glue that holds the film together, with both actors excelling in their roles and displaying awesome chemistry.
Avid Marvel fans, however, were disappointed to find writer Stan Lee a no show in the movie, as he usually makes a cameo in Marvel Comics adaptations.
Nonetheless, the film appeared to be engaging enough to spend all two hours and eleven minutes locked down and dutifully seated.
Focus on the Familys Plugged In critiqued that the film [was] an artistic return to form for the franchise: its a well-told story loaded with the sorts of themes and ambiguity that made the first X-Men narratives interesting.
Not just another no-brainer, summer blockbuster X-Men: First Class seems to go even a little deeper and offers audiences more than just an action-packed, feel-good ride.
Finding some elements of humanity, or more often than not mutanity, Plugged In shared a bit of its own interpretation, and unveiled perhaps the underlying intention of the film, as well.
[The movie] tells us, [and] rightly so, that being good is hard work, it noted.
All of us, be we mutant or human, must always strive to suppress our baser, more animalistic tendencies and give voice to the better angels of our beings: Charles and the X-Men represent those better angels. Erik and his crew come to represent an embrace of our true natures, even though those natures are often quite nasty.
Theres plenty of scriptural precedent for such a struggle, the critic added. And theres a pretty large part of me that welcomes the spiritual discussion it naturally prompts. But while X-Men: First Class lauds many of the right things, it dabbles in a host of wrong ones. Because while trying to exhort us all to be better men, it gives us what makes us worse. It wants it both ways. And Im not so sure Charles would appreciate the sentiment.
So whether youre in for the action, the visual effects, or for a story with a good (or bad) moral, X-Men: First Class promises to deliver all three, be it however weak or strong.
The film is rated PG-13 and also stars January Jones, Oliver Platt, Rose Byrne and Kevin Bacon.
The best part of this strategy is that it is less of our money going to the Hollywood left.
In Laz's absence, I'll say it. "I'd hit it!" :)
RE: The best part of this strategy is that it is less of our money going to the Hollywood left.
Well, if that’s the goal, then wait for it to be available in your local library.
I watched Spiderman 1, 2 and 3 by borrowing the DVD’s from our library.
Yep.
Like right now I'm resisting downloading it for free via teh torrents.
“In Laz’s absence, I’ll say it. “I’d hit it!”
Oh, there are definitely a lot of FR gals who would just love to hit it! Thanks for obeying the “rules”, Diana! ((( giggle giggle )))
Hugh Jackman’s cameo in this movie is one of the best parts.
Is he just a little kid? I mean this takes place when the older X men were quite young.
I agree with this. I was disappointed in the movie. Part of the underlying message of the franchise has always been that we ought to respect those who are different from us. Not a bad idea. However, they have made a serious shift beyond mere respect. Now those who are "different" have entitlement and there is the implication that they are, by definition, better than the rest of us. Way off track, IMHO.
Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. C. S. Lewis
As shown in the 20012002 miniseries Origin, Wolverine was born as James Howlett in late 19th century Alberta, Canada, to rich farm owners. The character grows into manhood on a mining colony in Northern British Columbia, adopting the name “Logan.”[24] Logan leaves the colony and lives for a time in the wilderness among wolves, until returning to civilization, residing with the Blackfoot Indians. Following the death of his Blackfoot paramour, Silver Fox, he is ushered into the Canadian military during World War I. Logan then spends some time in Madripoor, before settling in Japan, where he marries Itsu and has a son, Daken.
During World War II, Logan teams up with Captain America and continues a career as a soldier-of-fortune/adventurer. He then serves with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion[25] during D-Day, and the CIA, before being recruited by Team X, a black ops unit.
As a member of Team X, Logan is given false memory implants. He continues on the team, until he is able to break free of the mental control and joins the Canadian Defense Ministry. Logan is subsequently kidnapped by the Weapon X program, where he remains captive and experimented on, until he escapes, as shown in Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Weapon X” storyline which ran in Marvel Comics Presents. It is during his imprisonment by Weapon X that he has unbreakable adamantium forcibly fused onto his bones.
Logan is eventually discovered by James and Heather Hudson, who help him recover his humanity. Following his recovery, Logan, this time under the supervision of Department H, once again works as an intelligence operative for the Canadian government. Logan becomes Wolverine, one of Canada’s first superheroes. In his first mission, he is dispatched to stop the destruction caused by a brawl between the Hulk and the Wendigo.[26]
Later on, Professor Charles Xavier recruits Wolverine to a new team of X-Men. Disillusioned with his Canadian intelligence work and intrigued by Xavier’s offer, Logan resigns from Department H.[27] It was later revealed, however, that Professor X had wiped Logan’s memories and forced him to join the X-Men after Wolverine was sent to assassinate Xavier.[28]
>Like just about any movie these days, there’s no point in seeing it in the theaters. Wait for the DVD to come to Redbox, and then use a free coupon code to rent it.<
Sounds libtard enough for me but I will wait for other Freepers to post their interpretation of the filn. However, if it shows up ready for download on bit torrent, well...
Well, that explains it! Thanks. I find his character (Logan/Wolverine) very different from the others in a good way.
>Like right now I’m resisting downloading it for free via teh torrents.<
hehe same here. But I dont waste my bandwidth with crappy cam versions. I usually wait for R5’s first. I mostly hand out my dough if a movie has conservative or RW producers like Atlas Shrugged or similar tones such as Battle; Los Angeles.
But I suppose it depends on how drunk you got me.
I thought this was the best of the Xmen franchise, simply because it put so much on the characters and why they make the choices they do. I hope they do more with Banshee and Havoc, but they mucked around with their storylines from the comic. ALSO: there is no kind of "extra" at the end of the credits, as in "Iron Man." After sitting for 5 minutes watching credits scroll by, my backside was rather put out.
Don’t think I could buy Kevin Bacon as a Nazi......Maybe wait for DVD or skip it all together.
RE: ALSO: there is no kind of “extra” at the end of the credits, as in “Iron Man.”
Well, what do we expect ? We already know the “extra”. After all, this particular film is a PRE-QUEL.
RE: Wolverine was born as James Howlett in late 19th century Alberta, Canada, to rich farm owners...
So, Wolverine, like vampires, does not age !!
RE: Dont think I could buy Kevin Bacon as a Nazi......
Yes, from a teen dancer in Footloose, to a spoiled frat boy in Animal House, to a Mutant Nazi, what could go wrong :)
I wonder why they didn’t ask the other Kevin, Kevin Kline to do it instead...
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