Many of us feel like 20th century Fox and CBM’s just aren't a good mix. So we can’t or wont support the stuff they put out because there lack of attention to detail to actual comic books. When I first heard that they maybe rebooting X-Men to show the First Class I was initially excited because i thought we could get to see Angel, Beast, Cyclops, and Jean come together on the screen the way they should be but as more details came through I was confused and disappointed as many were. I was somewhat disgusted with many of the thing i was seeing but as time went on more details came out I thought well maybe I should give it a shot if only to be pleasantly surprised or disappointed. So I ask what are the reasons to get excited or to not get excited for this movie?
What can’t seem to get you excited for it?
20th Century Fox
Everyone is down on fox they seem to make radical drastic changes to the source material with campy ridiculous sitcom dialog. Usually you judge movies by the previous movies the studio has done, so if you look at the last three movies they have produced Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-men origins: Wolverine. Those last few movies don’t get you excited to see this movie. We all have come to feel that Fox seems to not care what a true fan cares about.
The Story
The story has some inaccuracies when it comes to comic book history. Havok, Mystique, Banshee, and Magento are apart of the first class of the X-Men, Azazel is a part of the Hellfire Club, Havok is the older brother of Cyclops and Beast & Mystique are hooking up. It all seems like comic book timelines and stories have been ignored.
Using the title First Class
The fact that they used the title First Class was misleading to CBMers from the start but the fact that it won’t follow comic timeline/history/mythos seems downright indignant. So the First Class movie excludes Angel, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey, but includes Professor X and Beast. Everyone thought when they heard First Class that they would get the actual first class but you don’t instead you get instead a mixed bag of characters. I wanted to see Angel, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey in the movie but I wanted them represented in the right way, the way they should’ve been portrayed in the first films.
We wanted a reboot
Is it a reboot or a prequel, either way most fans will tell you that they wanted a reboot set in the present. The simple fact that they used First Class probably isn’t the reason people refused to give this movie a shot but I think it’s so deceptive to do so. From an origin perspective we want to see the first team Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey(were never going to get that).
Buildup
This movie has been put down and hated on from the get go, it maybe impossible for some people too like it. Your expectations is that it’s going to suck and your either not going to see it or your not going to give it a shot because of it.
What can get excited about it?
Actors (The Leads)
Michael Fassbender – from the look of the trailers it seems that Fassbender will be brilliant as Erik/Magneto the look and delivery of each snippet he’s in makes you feel as if he’s going to deliver in this movie. His work in 300 as Stelios and in Iglorious Bastards(SAG award for best ensemble cast) as Lt. Archie Hicox are some of the highlights of his career, this movie should be no different and he will probably be the breakout actor from this movie.
James McAvoy
McAvoy is best known for his work in Wanted as Wesley and Atonement(Nominated for golden globe) as Robbie Turner. McAvoy plays up on the emotion of most of his character and if you judge from the trailer he's doing the same with Charles. You can see a more emotional and sensitive version and I’m not sure how to feel about it but if that the way he’s going to play him than he will do his best.
January Jones
January Jones is mostly known for her Emmy Award winning role on Mad Men but her movie roles are relatively small but include American Wedding and Unknown with Liam Neeson. She’s a good actress and judging by her outfits it seems like they are portraying Emma Frost (The White Queen) the right way as far as wearing white and costume(cleavage) and while I’m not sure about the graphics in her diamond form(feels like doesn’t transfer to film well) I think as a femme fatale she will play her role well.
Kevin Bacon
Most people know Bacon from Footloose, Flatliners, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River, Hollow Man, Frost/Nixon and the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game which is based on the idea that through his acting career, any Hollywood actor can be linked to another in a handful of steps based on their associations with Bacon. Bacon has won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. He’s the main villain Sebastian Shaw (The Black King) and while he may not excite you in this movie and but he’s a good actor and will add something to the story.
The rest of the cast includes mostly relative unknown young actors with some character actors, this can be looked at as a good thing in some cases as you wont look at them and say you know them front this and that, which helps you view these actors as the comic book characters that they are portraying.
The Story
The movie is set in the 1960’s set in the time during the Cuban missile crisis were in which the Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr still friends have to band together and put a team together of mutants to save the world against the Hellfire Club. This sounds like a good backdrop to at the very least a good premise to a movie.
Writers
Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz have most notable writing credits on Thor & Fringe and Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn most notable writing credits are on Kick-Ass & Stardust. Most of these stories are complex ideas rooted within Scifi & fantasy.
Thor
Many would argue that this was Marvel studios best movie over Iron Man, at the vary least better than Iron Man 2 but some would say the pacing was too fast, some character & parts of story were underdeveloped. However you may feel this was a good movie better than the most of the other Fox movies and it did a good job of integrating a character with complicated story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fringe
Most people who are fan of Sci-fi like this show because of the complicated subject matter that they cover. It’s a J.J. Abrams production and it’s an original story and completely out of the box and yet they make it work for general audience and hardcore sci-fi fans.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
This show takes the Terminator franchise in whole new direction and make its own self-contained story.
Kick-Ass
Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn took the comic book genre into a whole new light
Director Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn directed Stardust, Kick-Ass, and Layer Cake, which for the most part are positively reviewed and critically acclaimed. Kick-Ass is the only comic book movie that Matthew Vaughn has done and he took a superhero genre into the R-rated, blood and guts area while keeping a good story intact. I thought Kick-Ass was good most people loved the movie and it was more critical success than box office smash but commercially it did well given the subject matter. Vaughn has his own style but he’s kind of a combination of Guy Ritchie and Sam Raimi, he does a good job of incorporating a little known comic book and sticking too most of the comic books important segments, while making it popular for general audiences. Vaughn is a good story teller he have made another good movie in this one. He’s shown that he can be fateful to a comic book and still make a good story.
Buildup
There’s been so much hate and so much has been made about Fox comic adaptations that you have no expectations for the movie. At the very least if you go in there with the thought that this will be a typical Fox movie that you will might be slightly surprised. Could it really be as bad as it’s being bashed.
When the first X-men film came out I thought it was awesome not because the movie was good (It wasn’t really) but because you got to see your favorite character from the comics come to life. You seemed to lose sight when it came out that they left out Angel and Beast and that the other characters weren’t represented the correct way you were just happy to see a movie about one of your favorite comic books. So Fox has disappointed in the past and most aren’t going to give this thing a shot so not to get fooled but should we be this way? At the very least they’ve put our comic book icons on screen for us to see, granted probably not the best they could’ve done but it hasn’t been completely terrible there have been moments. I don’t actually know if this movie will be good the trailers aren’t bad and I’m not amped up to see it like I was for say Iron Man, Thor, TDK or how I am for Captain America & Green Lantern and I probably wont rush to see it but I most likely check it out even if just a Matinee. So to check it out or too not check it out, that is a question? I say even if you don’t run out to see it take a look at even if Matinee or DVD.