Blackmoor Vituperative

Saw X-Men First Class this evening with some friends. Had a lovely time. I wouldn’t say it’s a great movie, but I enjoyed it. I would compare it to League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

1. Based on a comic.
2. Changed in minor ways for no apparent reason.
3. 3/4 of the movie is what would normally be the first 1/4 of a movie.
4. Ensemble cast,
5. half of which are filler, and
6. only a couple of which are actually interesting.
7. Glacial pacing — a good portion of the movie is, frankly, padding. The movie could have been called “Waiting for Magneto to come back”.
8. Plot holes you could drive a Nautilus/Blackbird through.

Magneto was very well-played by Michael Fassbender, and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised at James McAvoy as Professor X. I also liked Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, but a lot of the time I wasn’t sure he was really the best choice for the role. He just seemed “off”, somehow: I can’t quite put my finger on it. Far below these was Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, who at least elicited some pathos, if not genuine interest. No one else really bears mentioning, other than Oliver Platt, who was utterly wasted. I can only assume that most of his scenes were cut.