Action Monday: X-Men - First Class (2011)

Title: X-Men - First Class (2011)

(Backlogged and edited 6/21/11 & 9/10/12)

     It's interesting to look back, a little over year later,  and see what a movie has done to the cinematic landscape, from the point of which it was still in "advanced screenings". For a long period of time the project that eventually would become "First Class" was a muddled confusing mess. It was based off a comic book that wasn't common knowledge to non-comic book fans. It was coming off 2 much maligned film entries ("Last Stand" & "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). So in the world that was exceedingly becoming mostly superheroes-centric in the summer, the brilliant minds at FOX did what any producers would seemingly do......They hired Kevin Bacon to play their big bad (This one not This one).
       In the most basic terms "First Class" is fun. A lot of fun. At times it is even a stellar film, but odd casting/scripting moments threaten to derail the film mid-stride. Not that one can really blame the filmmakers. They were trying to bridge two gaps simultaneously: those of the average film-goer and those of the the more hardcore nerdset. Truth be told in the end the studio will always side with the money and the nerds invariably will take what minor victories they can (and secretly hate on all the minor discrepancies [it's a weird culture, hence having a side bar in a side bar]). The lead cast does more than capable work, helping to sell the overall endeavor. This being a true "origin story" we get a vary wide cast of time to try and fully understand 3 characters, and then throw in a a conflict and some teenagers to pad things out. Honestly, had this film solely focused on Magneto, Xavier, & Mystique, then the case could have been made for a potentially great and game changing film. If you are paying attention for most of the film, you could feasibly explain the central conflict away as: Xavier and Magneto fight over the future of Mystique to further their own mutant cause, and that works. It works very well. Out of the 3 leads though, it is Michael Fassbender's coming out party as Magneto. Anyone who has yet to see the film, and is confused as to why within the last year, and the next subsequent few years are littered with films featuring his name (and Tom Hardy's after "The Dark Knight Rises") need to see this film, as well as Hunger (or in Tom Hardy's case Bronson). Fassbender's work here is where the fun element comes from. Infusing a mutant James Bond with an ax to grind against any and all Nazi's is a moment of sheer brilliance. The Magneto here isn't fully at his most evil, nor powerful. He is a blunt and angry blunt instrument to be fashioned into whatever vision the right person wants him to be. He feels alone and alienated, not by his powers, but by the events that plagued his early life. On the flip side of the coin we find James McAvoy as the privileged and calming Charles Xavier. His main contention in the film is that he is following Patrick Stewart's exceedingly successful run in the previous 4 films. The Xavier here can easily be seen morphing into Stewart's role eventually, though his self appointed braggadocio is a little thick. We know his eventual endgame, though the movie does make it a wrenching and is cripplingly effective (sorry).
  Last but not least is fan favorite Raven (Mystique) as portrayed in this younger state by Jennifer Lawrence, pre-HUNGER GAMES craze. She is serviceable at best, though the fault isn't 100% her own (about 60% 50%). The film asks her to have the emotions of her Rebecca Romijin counterpart, while simultaneously asking her to carry the bulk of the developmental role along side Fassbender. They are the two standing on the outside, who constantly question what the world will think of them if their powers are ever found out, but....then they decide to give her Beast as a love interest. Here we find ourselves as the heart of the issue of the story. We begin with the basic origin stories of our 3 main leads, bring them all together with a bang, let them spend a little time tat-a-tat, and then someone from the producers office says "we need more teenagers!" This is one of the few films (at it's initial set-up at least), that could effectively been a very good cheat film where the "First Class" of the title isn't even brought up until the very end (though in a throwaway sense, it technically still is). At the expediency of a weird section of the film, Magneto and Xavier take a globe-trotting holiday recruiting as many mutants they can, as long as they are under 30 (save for Darwin). They then get caught up with a government organization, bad guys appear, and the Cuban Missile crisis happens. Yes, it is a period piece, of sorts...or not. Throwing in a bunch of teenagers is needed to found the basis of the X-men, but their choices for the most part (of the included mutants) leaves much to be desired, not to mention their characterization.
    The most frustrating thing about the last part above is that it is all conveyed with a sense of Fun. There are action set pieces, there are smarmy asides, references to other comics and characters, and Oliver Platt. A lot happens, with quick lines to explain it away, but it feels crammed and rushed when you think about it, but melts away to the fun underneath when watched. Much of that credit is due to the direction of Matthew Vaughn, writing of Jane Goldman and guiding hand of the ever omnipresent Bryan Singer. They get what they want the film to be, and they understand how to make the audience enjoy what is on the screen, without being emotionally involved. That disconnect comes at a steep price, because it is due to servicing both the mainstream public, and die hard comic book fans. There's the blockbuster element and the name checking element, fighting both for control of what is meant to be a tent-pole film. What you are left with is a film that upon inspection starts to loose it's luster, saved by the fact that when you are watching it the first time, you are enjoying it on the most basic level. Is it fun? We've covered that. Is it good? Depends on the scene, but is at least is so in a kinetic fashion. Is it a good start to a new franchise? A very positive yes. If they take what worked in this film, further expanding it into it's own thing, finding it's voice with each film: yes. Though it must be said that if they go for the jugular concerning the blockbuster element of it, given FOX's past with superhero films, could sink it. In the end, "First Class", is an enjoyable diversion. It's fun, loud, at times enthralling adventure piece, contained within a muddled story, that coasts along thanks to the performances of its star cast. At the very least, it's hard to totally be against a teenage oriented comic-book movie in 2011 that manages to showcase performances from the likes of Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Michael Ironside, Ray Wise, James Remar and Rade Serbedzija....and January Jones once more showing she has the acting ability of an shiny unplugged toaster.

*** 1/2 out of *****