(Class is in Session).
Now here's a movie that's been receiving nothing but negative buzz. I understand where these fans are coming from, they are outraged at the premise, and fail to understand that this is not the "First Class" from the comics, but from the movie canon. I can relate to the disappointment of not seeing the original 5 (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Iceman and Angel) kicking mutant ass while dealing with their teenage feelings and hormones. But people are hiding behind the excuse that "It's not what I wanted, so i hate it" or "The last 2 movies sucked, so this one will too because it's made by FOX". Let me just say this, yes, FOX has screwed the pooch more than many of us can bare, but don't shut your eyes to the other 2 factors at play here, Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer.
Now say what you will about X-3 and Wolverine. The former was dropped by Vaughn altogether after barely 2 weeks, and then Ratner came in to fill the void with little understanding of the franchise. And as for Wolverine...Baraka-Pool says it all. But no self respecting Comic Book fan can say the first 2 sucked, and don't give me the old "Those are not the costumes" bullshit. I think we can agree that a group of dudes in super tight rainbow spandex, wasn't gonna start the comic book movie era. So after two failures (for that's what they are), we finally get, not just the visionary who brought the X Men movies to life, but the genius behind Kick Ass to boot...and people are complaining?
(Shall we have some tea before we go conquer the world my dear?)
I just...what is it about what we know so far, that people hate so much? The fact that Micheal Fassbender and James McAvoy, 2 of the most talented rising actors in Hollywood are in the lead as a young Magneto and Professor X? That we will finally see another villain other than Magneto, and it's the entire freaking Hellfire Club, with Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw (talk about great casting). That January Jones will play Emma Frost in the same outfit she had in "Wolverine and The X Men?" Or for that matter, that the X Men will be wearing costumes closer to the comics? Which i know every fan has been wanting since day one.
(My name is Lensherr...Eric Lensherr...and i have a "Kick Ass" helmet).
The story sounds terrific, the classic fall out between the old friends, and set in the backdrop of other historical social movements like Martin Luther King, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to give context to the birth of the Mutant Revolution. Singer has described it as the first ever, Silver Age Comic Book Movie, with a touch of James Bond to the ahead-of-time technology, and for the international feel and relevance of the characters. If nothing else, this is a fresh and bold new approach to the X Men and Comic Book Movies in general.
(Eat your heart out Patrick Stewart, I get to keep my hair).
The problem I think, is the same as always, and it's that comic book fans hate new approaches at first. They love their status quo as much as they complaining about it. Ideally for them, all comic book movies would be like their comics. Movie one, the X Men team up, and beat Magneto, Movie 2 same but Sinister, Movie 3 same but Apocalypse, and so on. They want the same formula they know to be repeated over and over, rather than let filmmakers interpret the source material and make a film out of it. Ultimately though, good movies will triumph this adversity, as was the case with Chris Nolan's Batman movies. I'm not swearing to God that First Class will be good, I'm just making the argument that there's no reason to hate it before seeing it. Personally, I have a lot of faith in both Singer and Vaughn, and I love the cast they've put together and the premise of the film. So I will go with very high expectation to this film, and I have a gut feeling they will be met.
(They're all staring at Emma Frost's costume...or lack off.)
