December 7, 2011
The emerging trend in comic book adaptations embracing their geeky origins really helps Marvel's newest film X-Men: First Class. Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, hit theatres last month and apart from solidifying Comic Book studio Marvel’s run-of-luck, also shed light on a new appoach, away from the dark realism promoted in Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and Sam Reimi’s Spiderman Trilogy. We saw Vikings fly through outer space in Thor and we will soon see Chris Evans wield a Star-Spangled shield in Captain America and Ryan Reynolds fight alongside a variety of green aliens as the Green Lantern. Without the change of style brought about by Thor and co., X-Men would probably come across as too light-hearted and naive.
A year ago, when Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn was hired to re-imagine the X-Men series, a lot of people voiced critical concerns. It was unclear if Vaughn’s pop-culture style of narrating a story would fit with Marvel’s previous X-Men films. X-Men (2000) is considered the film that essentially started the big superhero interest of this/last decade. It worked as an adaptation of a popular comic, because it was treated seriously. Director Bryan Singer took the genre to a new level and with the phenomenal X2 (2003). X-Men: Last Stand (2006) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), although not as critically acclaimed, functioned in the same way and continued the good box office returns of the series. Now, 11 years after the first X-Men, Matthew Vaughn succeeds in giving the series new life, bringing X-Men back to its comic book roots, while keeping some of the elements that helped create the original.
First Class is set during the Cold War, with mutants as new secret weapons, and Vaughn makes great use of history as an exciting backdrop. He throws in a great ensemble of interesting characters. And although these characters exhibit extreme behaviour and play with their powers in a way which has not been seen in other superhero films, the plot remains grounded because of the great performances by the actors. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do a great job of bringing humanity to “inhuman” characters.
McAvoy and Fassbender play mutants Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, who, as people familiar with the previous instalments will know, are friends and pursue the same mission of helping fellow mutants until they are separated by their different views on mankind. They eventually become enemies and split the mutant society into two factions.
X-Men: First Class really does redefine the prequel. It is different from other prequels in mood and objective. Unlike such films as Batman Begins and Casino Royale, X-Men: First Class could stand alone as a piece of entertainment, and doesn’t need to rely on its predecessors to generate audience anticipation. X-Men does pay tribute to its fellow films, but can be seen in its own right. It is set in its own time and tells its own story.
A year ago, when Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn was hired to re-imagine the X-Men series, a lot of people voiced critical concerns. It was unclear if Vaughn’s pop-culture style of narrating a story would fit with Marvel’s previous X-Men films. X-Men (2000) is considered the film that essentially started the big superhero interest of this/last decade. It worked as an adaptation of a popular comic, because it was treated seriously. Director Bryan Singer took the genre to a new level and with the phenomenal X2 (2003). X-Men: Last Stand (2006) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), although not as critically acclaimed, functioned in the same way and continued the good box office returns of the series. Now, 11 years after the first X-Men, Matthew Vaughn succeeds in giving the series new life, bringing X-Men back to its comic book roots, while keeping some of the elements that helped create the original.
First Class is set during the Cold War, with mutants as new secret weapons, and Vaughn makes great use of history as an exciting backdrop. He throws in a great ensemble of interesting characters. And although these characters exhibit extreme behaviour and play with their powers in a way which has not been seen in other superhero films, the plot remains grounded because of the great performances by the actors. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do a great job of bringing humanity to “inhuman” characters.
McAvoy and Fassbender play mutants Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, who, as people familiar with the previous instalments will know, are friends and pursue the same mission of helping fellow mutants until they are separated by their different views on mankind. They eventually become enemies and split the mutant society into two factions.
X-Men: First Class really does redefine the prequel. It is different from other prequels in mood and objective. Unlike such films as Batman Begins and Casino Royale, X-Men: First Class could stand alone as a piece of entertainment, and doesn’t need to rely on its predecessors to generate audience anticipation. X-Men does pay tribute to its fellow films, but can be seen in its own right. It is set in its own time and tells its own story.