X-Men: First Class

[Jobydrone]

Wraith:

[spoiler]I don't think anyone in the theater caught the other one you're talking about at my showing. I'll admit it went over my head too.  Pretty neat idea though.  They made both cameos really make sense story wise, rather than just throwing in stars or characters for the hell of it.  A really smart script all around.[/spoiler]

[RickPeete]

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  A must see!!!

My only complaint is the huge amount of retcon regarding the origins of the X-Men themselves.  I mean it all 'worked' as far as the movie went, but as far as comic book mythos, they really made changes.

[wraith1701]

Wraith:

[spoiler]I don't think anyone in the theater caught the other one you're talking about at my showing. I'll admit it went over my head too.  Pretty neat idea though.  They made both cameos really make sense story wise, rather than just throwing in stars or characters for the hell of it.  A really smart script all around.[/spoiler]

I agree; it was a very well constructed story.  :)

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  A must see!!!

My only complaint is the huge amount of retcon regarding the origins of the X-Men themselves.  I mean it all 'worked' as far as the movie went, but as far as comic book mythos, they really made changes.

I agree; definitely a MUST-SEE.  ;D

The writers took a ton of liberties in constructing the movie back-story, but I think it was necessary.  When it comes to comic continuity, we're talking about decades & decades of backstory, much of which has been filled in, deleted, revised, and retconned; then added back, then deleted again, then re-retconned, and on and on; all within the comics.  Trying to put the comic origin on screen would have been a crazy, incomprehensible mess. 

You're right; this story is a BIG change from the comics; not only in the events depicted, but in the backstories of the characters, their ages,  and their relationships.  This has been the case since the first X-Men movie came out though; and the divergence from comic continuity has only grown with each subsequent film.  Because of this, I've long since come to view the X-Men films as a different world from the comics; sort of an Alternate Universe version of the X-Men.

I think the changes worked on several levels:  They told a tight; comprehensive story that stays more or less true to the heart & feel of the X-Men comics.  They cut loose the baggage of the original cast & opened the door to lots of new ideas, injecting new life into the film franchise.  And even though the film distances itself from the previous films by going back in time, it still manages to allude to the events that will eventually unfold in the first 3 X-Men films.

I'm a long-time X-Men comic fan; I've been reading Uncanny on & off since the late 70's, and I still follow Uncanny as well as several other X-Men titles.  Even so, I'm totally cool with the changes the film has made, and I hope to see subsequent films following this new direction.  :)

[Ronzo]

I will be taking my family to watch X-Men today after brunch. First day off I have had in about 2 months.
RONZO ;D

[Rico]

Saw this movie today and really enjoyed it.  As I said on today's podcast and at other times, besides Spidey, the X-Men have always been by far my favorite comic books & heroes.  This movie has a very real vibe to it and the script and actors all were great.  I like the retro feel to some things too.  I actually didn't have a big problem at all with some of the adjustments from the X-Men comics and history.  I've always viewed the films as sort of an alternate version of the X-Men's story anyway.  No big deal at all too me.  James McAvoy (Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), and Jennifer Lawrence (Raven/Mystique) all were very, very good and convincing.  Marvel really did a good job with this one.

[Bryancd]

I want to see this one, I really like the films and I know nothing about the comics, so I am a blank slate, so to speak. I never even bothered to see "Wolverine".

[wraith1701]

@ Bryan - One of the coolest things about this film is that while it stays true to the major themes expressed in the X-Men comics, it isn't a slave to decades & decades of continuity.  Even without having read a single comic, you'll have no trouble getting into it.  GO SEE IT, MAN!  :)

@ Rico- YES!  I was wondering what you thought of the film.   I'm glad you liked it, Rico!  ;D

And I agree; when it comes to watching movie adaptations of comics, it's best to view them as separate entities, and enjoy them for what they are.  Besides; even the comics themselves have different versions of the same characters, with different histories.  With Marvel, you have the Ultimates version of many characters, the main Marvel version of the characters, and even alternate universe versions of the same characters within the same 'main' Marvel books.  

This film was very well done.  Great performances, and it held true to the heart & soul of the X-Men comics.  In many ways, this feels more like the X-Men I know & love than the earlier films.  Kudos to the creative team behind it; they knocked the ball out of the park.  HOME RUN!  :)

[MSUFan]

I really wish they had Cyclops in this movie... I mean Havoc is the younger brother of Scott Summers.

[wraith1701]

I really wish they had Cyclops in this movie... I mean Havoc is the younger brother of Scott Summers.

True; and I agree.  :)   

In fact, I think it would have been cool if they could have made the team the actual Comic 1st Class team: Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, and Jean. But it looks like the film is trying to be more a prequel to the 1st 2 films than a reboot. The first 2 already set up Iceman as being a kid they don't discover until the 90's, and Jean as a girl they don't find until the 70s. 

Here's something trippy: [spoiler] I've heard that the director & writers intend on establishing Alex as Scott's father, instead of his little brother.  But at the same time, a couple of folks have mentioned seeing cyclops during the cerebro recruitment montage. I'm taking that with a grain of salt for now.  I'll have to check out the movie again to see if I can spot him. [/spoiler]

[Jobydrone]

Pretty shocking news.  What was arguably the best of the Xmen movies so far has opened to the worst box office of all of them.  Only 56 Million this weekend with no other big name movies opening.  Hopefully the good word of mouth and critical reception will give this movie some legs, otherwise we might not see another in this (IMO) superior rebooted franchise.

I guess the experience I had of a virtually empty theater on opening night wasn't solely due to the lateness of my showing.

[Rico]

I'm still pretty partial to the first two X-Men movies too.  I liked them quite a bit.  But this one has pretty good reviews and word of month and was still top at the box office over the weekend.  How they break down (not adjusted for inflation):

X-Men (2000) Cost $75 million, made $296 mill.
X-2 (2003) Cost $110 million, made  $407 mill.
X-Men: Last Stand (2006) $210 million, made $460 mill.
X-Men First Class (2011) Cost $160 million

[ElfManDan]

What about the X-Men: Wolverine film?

[Rico]

What about the X-Men: Wolverine film?

Ahh, yes.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) Cost $150 million, $373 mill.

[ElfManDan]

I confess not the best shining moment of the X-Men movies the Wolverine one. I really need to get out and see First Class though. Time and money are just not my friends these days and likely won't be for another week at least.

[stonut]

Well I would recommend Xmen to anyone, I enjoyed and I am not an expert by far. That said I enjoyed the story, although.....spoiler here........someone coming out the cinema said havoc should be shooting from his hands not his chest. Not that it made any difference to the story.