What? Darwin Is Evolving! Wait... Oh

Today is going to be the first blog for a themed week I'm calling “comic book film review” week, in which I will review three of this year's comic book adaptations, now that I have all three on DVD and thus have more time to explore them. Let's kick things off with X-Men: First Class.

I don't think I need to go into great detail about the X-Men, but I'll give a brief overview: the X-Men are mutants, considered by some to be homo superior and they constantly face adversity from the human race, as well as evil mutant teams like the Brotherhood and the Hellfire Club. That is, when they're not engaged in mini-civil wars within their own ranks.

Before X-Men: First Class, there were four X-Men films, and each was a financial, if not critical, success. But after X-Men: The Last Stand, the decision was made to take the franchise in different directions. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a prequel to the original film series, and is usually considered the weakest installment in the series. As of writing this blog, a sequel is on the way, entitled The Wolverine. In fact, the original series has a fourth film potentially being made. And then there are all the other spin-offs... yeah, these are topics for another blog.

Today, we're looking at the newest addition to the X-Men film franchise. So, will First Class prove too cool for school or will we see it in detention? Let's find out.

Set largely in the 1960's, Sebastian Shaw and his fellow mutants are conspiring to start World War 3, in order to make mutants the dominant species. With the CIA keeping tabs on Shaw and his band, Moira MacTaggert enlists the help of mutant expert (and powerful telepath) Charles Xavier to convince the CIA of the existence of mutants. With the help of a new ally, Erik Lensherr, Charles sets out to find others like them and stop Shaw's plan from coming to fruition.

Like the previous X-Men films, there is a large cast of mutants (albeit this and Wolverine have a slightly smaller roster) so let's start with a brief description of each mutant's power and little details.

Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy), as noted above, is a telepath. And a very powerful one at that.
Erik Lensherr/ Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is a master manipulator of magnetism. But I bet you knew that.
Raven Darkholme/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is a shape-shifter. And, in this universe, Charles' adopted sister (of sorts. Kinda complicated.)
Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) has animal-like physiology and enhanced strength, stamina, agility and a whole bunch of traits (and in this film, he does gain the blue fur he is well known for. And that is not a spoiler.)
Emma Frost (January Jones) is also a telepath, but she has a secondary ability: transforming her body into a diamond form.
Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) absorbs kinetic and radiated energy and controls it.
Angel Salvadore (Zoe Kravitz) can fly (much like the Angel from X-Men we all know and love) and spit acid (yeah, the other Angel can't do that...)
Sean Cassidy/Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones) screams at ultrasonic levels, which he can also use as a form of flight.
Azazel (Jason Flemyng) is a teleporter (and in the comics, the father of Nightcrawler)
Armando Munoz/Darwin (Edi Gathegi) adapts to situations as they come (growing gills in water, becoming heat resistant around fire, that sort of thing.)
Janos Quested/Riptide (Alex Gonzalez) creates whirlwinds.
And Alex Summers/Havok (Lucas Till) absorbs energy and blasts it.

Now, there may be spoilers for the rest of the review, but Charles getting paralyzed and Erik striking out as Magneto are NOT spoilers. You kind of expect this if you know even the slightest of X-Men. Everything else is still fair game for spoilers so I warn you now.

Now, in a film with this many characters, chances are you're going to try and pick your favourites and pick the ones you either hate or just would have cut out of the film. Based on the acting, the characterization and the dialogue, my favourite characters would have to be Erik (I don't call him Magneto because he doesn't really become Magneto until the end), Darwin and Azazel. Michael Fassbender has a hard act to follow with inheriting the role (in a way) from Sir Ian McKellen and he nails it. His anguish, his determination, his hard exterior that hides a heavy heart, Fassbender just gets it. If I had to choose a favourite part, a part in which he truly shines, it's near the end, where he's poised to take on the role we all know him for. After a bullet aimed for him is deflected, it hits Charles in the back. The look of horror on Erik's face just sells it. He's panicking, his best friend in the whole world is in pain, he doesn't know what to do. His dialogue after that only confirms just how good Fassbender is and I really, really hope he gets some excellent roles now.

Darwin didn't get much time to develop but what he did get, he used well. He was funny, laid-back and his power is frickin' awesome. Unfortunately, he gets killed off soon after his introduction. I may joke about it in the title of this blog (as well as referencing Pokemon but that's neither here or there) but in all seriousness, damn. He doesn't even get a big send-off. He dies and then the scene changes. Wow, thanks a lot, movie. Take one of the coolest characters in the movie and get rid of him. Oh well, at least he did try and stand up to the villain. He may not have been a hero for long but he was an X-Man through and through.

Azazel doesn't say much and is treated like a lackey but besides looking cool (it's like if the Devil wore a suit to work. No, no! He's like that one background character from that episode of Angel! Season 5, The Girl In Question. He works in the Italian branch of Wolfram And Hart. Yeah, he looks like that guy! Also, just to clarify, I do not think the Devil is cool, I'm just describing him for anyone who doesn't know who the Hell he is. Pun not intended), he has one of the most super awesome powers (as I mentioned above, teleporting). And what does he use it for? He drops people. From the sky. Yeah. Badass or what?

I'll come back to some of the other characters later, when I go into the negatives.

The action scenes were really damn impressive and they didn't feel overblown, either. The battle toward the end felt really authentic (as authentic as a movie with mutants can be anyway) and I really liked Erik and Charles' confrontation with Emma Frost, in which Erik uses a bed frame to constrict her.

However, there are two very big negatives that keep this film from being one of the truly excellent films of the year.

Going back to the characters now, despite being a new take, I don't think I like the changes made to Xavier and Beast. Neither of them has any tact when talking to Mystique about her power and disregard her feelings. Or, to put it bluntly: they kind of act like dicks. Xavier can't even answer a simple question she directs to him (OK, it might be about if he thinks she's attractive and would they date if they didn't know each other and he responds with “But I do know you”. Dude, it's called a hypothetical. You're a scientist, you should know all about those. The correct response is “You're my sister” because after growing up with you, that's what she IS). And if you want more dickish behaviour, at the end of the movie, he and Moira (Rose Byrne, not playing a mutant and her character's not American in the comics despite being one here, doing a very good job) share a kiss... which he uses to wipe her memory of the existence of mutants. You might be trying to protect yourself and the others but now her credibility is shot to Hell. And you could have trusted her or gone another way. But nooooo, you had to wipe her mind.
And don't give me that “it's an alternate universe, they can do what they want” song and dance or the routine of “he's only young, he'll grow into the guy we know”. You know who else was brain-wipe happy? The Xavier of the Ultimate Universe and that universe is filled with arseholes! This is not a path I want to see Xavier go down.

Beast isn't that much different either. He openly tells Mystique she's beautiful when transformed to the state she normally appears in (not the blue, I mean when she's in public).
I've stated in my X-Men comic review that Beast is my favourite character. Even in the aforementioned Ultimate Universe, Beast escapes arseholeification. But here, he had to be vain and self-centered. And no, I will not take the “young = allowed to make mistakes” argument here either. Being young does not absolve you of everything you do. And at his age, he should know better.

Also, what the Hell is up with Angel pulling a face heel turn? One minute she's happy to be free from the life of a stripper and having fun with her new mutant friends, the next she's off to help bring down humanity. Hell, when Sebastian Shaw makes the offer for any mutant to join him, she takes it up with no hesitation and gives some bullcrap reason. I basically view it as “Oh hai losers, I'm off to join the winning side kthanxbai”. Or, however it would be said in the 60's. Probably involving some dialogue about felines and the shapes of boxing rings.
I reckon she just saw their clothes and powers and wanted to live it up. It's just so poorly executed.

But the biggest gripe I have with the movie: it can't decide if it wants to be a prequel or a reboot. It wants to be both, but it can't happen. The two cancel each other out. If it's a reboot, why did you reuse the footage of Erik in the camps from the first X-Men movie? And why put Hugh Jackman as Wolverine for a cameo if the films aren't connected? (Granted, that scene was funny). Is Hugh Jackman-as-Wolverine a constant in all the multiple universes?

But if you are a prequel, that just raises further questions: why is Charles paralyzed at the end of this movie if he can walk in The Last Stand? And more to the point, why would he and Erik be all chummy for one little girl? And why is Emma Frost an adult when she appears as a teenager in Wolverine?
No, movie. You pick one or the other. Casino Royale did. Sure, Judi Dench portrayed M again but at least they said outright they were rebooting Bond and bringing him back to basics.

Admittedly, they do lean more towards reboot but they don't outright say it and before release, it was even being touted as another prequel. Heck, because of the early Erik scenes at the camps, X-Men Origins: Magneto was scrapped.

All in all, a solid movie, but some things still bug me. Unlike Bridesmaids, I think I rated this one a little too high initially. Thus, I give it 3.5/5 (now it's much Bridesmaids)

P.S Still hoping to see Apocalypse one of these days. And can someone please hurry up with the Deadpool spin-off?!