"X-Men" - 04/20/03 - 04/26/03

[Morticia]

This is a thread to discuss the technical and/or thematic merits of "X-Men".

The purpose being to foster intelligent discussion of films without resorting to "It's a piece of crap." or "It's the greatest film ever." (And so that we all can gain a bit of a film education from everyone.)

We'll discuss a new film each week. Either slade or I will post the film in this forum in advance, and lock the topic until the first day of discussion.

Thanks everyone. We are open to any ideas about running this forum.

****SPOILER WARNING**** of course this entire thread is going to be full of spoilers.

[aintnosin]

Just popped my "1.5" disc into the player tonight.

I rate this one slightly below the original Superman and above Spider-Man among comic book adaptations. I thought it did an excellent job of bring forward the personalities of its large cast.

Of all the lead mutants, I thought Halle Barry had the weakest character, having almost no development. She was just a special effect in a white wig.

Ian McKellan gives a sympathetic, understated (for a superhero movie villian) and literate performance. Patrick Stewart is every bit his equal, although the script never really gives Xavier the same depth as Magneto.

I wonder how many of these character deficiencies would have been corrected by a longer version of the film? I wish we could have gotten a real 1.5 version of the film. Hopefully they'll flesh out some of the characters in X2.

I was a little queasy at first at the thought of a big-budget comic book feature using the holocaust as a backdrop, fearing it would be exploitive, but the theme was handled tastefully and integrated well into the story of the film.

I also liked the way, intentional or not, that the letter X was subtle worked into the production design even away from Xavier's headquarters. There was the twisted gate at the concentration camp and criss-crossing beams in the hall way where Xavier and Magneto have their first meeting at the beginning of the film.

[Mac]

Sorry if this seems too descriptive, but I'm a major X-Men fan.

The plot itself was weird, since it didn't match any of the timelines. Why is Iceman being treated as a new character? He was one of the original five. Where's Beast? Why is Pyro attending Xavier's school? What happened to Angel? Why are Toad, Pyro, and Mystique present but not Blob? Why does Logan act like he's never met Sabretooth? Why does Mystique act like she's never seen Rouge? Why are we shown Rouge's parents? Why is James Marsden cast as Cyclops? Who made that decision?

The list of questions go on and on. Singer just decided to take characters and sploosh them together and make a movie. That's basically the concept.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine- Best casting in the film. He was unknown at the time, and really ended up fitting the role. However, the whole thing where he'd never met Sabretooth before was kinda weak.

Patrick Stewart as Xavier- Another good casting job.

Ian McKellan as Magneto- I don't think he's strong enough. He looks really weak. He pulled off the role though, just hope he doesn't deteriorate later on.

Anna Paquin as Rogue- Poor casting choice. Too young. What's up with her thing for Iceman? Where's Gambit? Where's Colossus? Why doesn't she have a thing for one of those guys that she's famous for having a thing for?

Famke Jannsen as Jean Grey- Too old.

James Marsden as Cyclops- He's just not a good enough actor, I don't think. Luckily, he's not having to really act in this movie, so all is good.

Halle Berry as Storm- Of all the characters they decided to include, why Storm? Why not Gambit? Why not Beast? Storm has never really been a pivotal character, nothing really resulted from her. She's always been supporting.

Rebecca Romijn Stamos as Mystique- I guess she fits the role. Her makeup was perfect, IMHO.

Ray Park as Toad- Good job.

Tyler Mane as Sabretooth- See: Hugh's Wolvie.

Shawn Ashmore as Iceman- Shouldn't have been treated like a newbie.

Those are some thoughts.

[SilentBob]

Well its been a while since i've responded int eh forum but i shall type away.


I think the movie is almost on par with Spider-Man. Sometimes it seems to be better then it and then it doesn't. I think they couldn't of picked a better person to play Wolverine. I still love reading my paper when they were in production of the movie. Tons of the movie was filmed near me or almost down the road from my house. But i didn't find out until the day after they had finished taping the :iberty Island scene (Still get a chuckle knowing what they actually hop over to get on the land. Plus knowing what the real Liberty Island is like from my trip a while back) Another great story was an early interview with Hugh Jackman about him arriving in Toronto to start production of the film. He was stopped by security and asked what was his business. He mentioned he was an actor and then was asked what movie he was doing. He happened to say X-Men and the next thing he knew was he had all these guards getting his autograph for their X-Men crazed kids.


Ok anyways back to the movie. I think they did pretty well with their sources for the movie. They didn't ahve the budget like they did for X2(i think around $60-70 Million) Some of the SFX are nicely done and some aren't as good (Wolvie on the Statue of Liberty Swing) But they got teh job done and payed off pretty well in the end

As for the actors and actresses. I think they did a pretty good job for the casting. Well maybe not for Cyclops voice wise (James you do the voice of Solid Snake . . . use it in the movie. Your Cyclops voice is too soft. Your the leader) Patrick Stewart was a no brainer (still thinking if that was pun intended) But overall the had the chomps and pulled it off (still would of done it without some main characters being younger then in the Comics)

The overall plot was different (after growing up and learning about XMen on Fox Saturday Mornings ) The opening shot of Magneto and his mom at the camp was pretty powerful and i think would of been great if they had left it on a bit longer and show Xavier meet him some how. (i think they met in a camp in WWII) I didn't like Rogue being a Teen and running off to Canada but i did like how it got Wolverine to meet Xavier and the X-Men. (go figure) Magneto's device didn't really work for me and so did Kelly being turned into a Mutant. I did like how they used Wolverine Metal Skeleton against him with Magneto. I think they coud of used more shots with the mutants using their abilities. But the plot was a popcorn flick style but it did require some thinking.

It will be great too see what happens now with the X2 movie opening this Friday and hopefully it will tie up some lose ends fromt he past movie.


Oh before i go. Did anyone else laugh at the part when Toad pulls the bar away form the elevator that he had 'trapped Storm' in. I think people thought i was weird, because i knew Parker had done Darth Maul in the Phantom Menace movie and just repeated his signature Duel Laber twirl. (just look at his little chuckle/smile in the end)

yeah ok maybe i'm a geek but i thought it was funny.

[Dave McFly]

I loved the xmen movie i think its one of my top 5 fave comic movie adaptaions right up there with Superman and Batman Its THAT good (well to me it is)
i agree that most of the casting was DEAD ON
i didnt care for magnetos casting but once i saw the movie i thought he was brilliant in the role. oh Silent Bob David Hayter was the voice of Snake in the Metal Gear Solid games and is also one of the scriptwriters of the movie(s) i just played metal gear solid substance and hes listed as voice of solid snake and his name is listed on the credits on the dvd slip cover FYI

[DoubleDeuce]

To answer Mac's question first: The movie is an adaptation, some might say a mutation (ouch! stop throwing things at me!) of a medium that spans over 20+ years with multiple characters. Someone has to pare it down. I realize they can't cover every little nuance so I'm fine with the little liberties they took.

The movie was very enjoyable. I loved that it captured the scope and size of their powers. In my youth the impressive feat for Lou Ferrigno was to knock down a brick wall. C'mon Batman parallel parking the batmobile would be more impressive. In this trees are swung like twigs, optic blasts rip through ceilings, magnetic powers can levitate several cars, etc.

Most of the characters turned out well:
Hugh Jackman was fabulous. Aside from being too tall he absolutely nailed the character. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan were what I expected---greatness. Mystique looked great. The revamped Toad was a big step up from the comic book variation. Anna Paquin did a credible job as a younger, more vulnerable Rogue.

Jean Grey and Cyclops were ho-hum but at least they had some interaction, Storm was by far the biggest waste of talent. Hal Berry has the look but she may as well as been an extra whose eyes glowed. Plus she had one of the worst lines in movie history, "Do you know what happens to a Toad struck by lightening?"
Sabretooth was a disappointment. The guy was too tall and awkward. He didn't have the grace of a giant cat. Plus all he did was snarl, no trash talk with Wolvie at all.

Now for a few more quibbles. The movie was a little understated. The main theme is--if you are an outcast, feared by many, how do you use your powers? While this question is debated by the reserved Prof X and Magneto there is little else by the other characters. There are a few dirty looks from bystanders, anti-mutant signs in the background, a minor ball-room brawl but not much else. Everyone seems to gravitate towards their positions: X-Men are good, Magneto is evil and the most neutral observer, Wolverine, doesn't question anything. He just helps out the X-Men because he has an affinity for Rogue (and Jean Grey). I wish there had been more development of this theme instead of relating it as some sort of background setpiece.

Another observation is a side-effect of so much use of the metallic blue set designs. It looks really cool but it is also emotionally cool. It seems to make everything a little more emotionally distant. Which also coincides with two favorite scenes---the young Magneto and the intro of Wolverine. Both seemed to have a little more emotional depth.

And my last little quibble--the whole Magneto in a spinning Contact like device that enables him to change people into mutants seems a bit absurd. I didn't know magnetism could effect genetics. It ust seemed like a plot device.

Now all of that may sound real negative but I love watching this movie and can't wait for the sequel next month.

[tqpix]

Enjoyable movie, but here are

What I like:

• The special effects
• The metallic sound effect when Wolverine punched his opponents in the ring at the beginning of the movie
• Magneto's helmet looks very similar to the one he wore in the comics
• Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, Patric Stewart, and Rebecca Stamos were perfectly casted in their roles
• Cameo appearances by some mutants like Kitty Pride.

What I don't like:

• Sabretooth and Mystique look so different; I know sometimes you got to change things when translating from comics to movies, but you should at least try to translate the movies as close as possible from the comics
• Rogue is a teenager
• The lightning-hitting-a-toad comment by Storm.

[MiddleEarthGirl]

I loved the pole twirl

[Morticia]

Originally posted by MiddleEarthGirl
I loved the pole twirl

Was that ALL you liked? Why? Please be more descriptive.

[MiddleEarthGirl]

SilentBob: I noticed the saber twirl and my BF and I through the same thing.We looked nuts to most but most Star Wars fans would know that move