After the underwhelming revisitation of 'X2' yesterday, it became glaringly obvious that if this hasn't aged very well, the initial film might fare even worse. With it being the next film on the list, and having some crackers on the horizon, I wanted to watch it as soon as possible so that I could move onto more interesting films.
I might be wrong, maybe Tyler Mane and Ray Park make this film far superior to the first one...
That was sarcasm by the way.
X-MEN (2000 dir. Bryan Singer)
Why I bought it/Why I liked it:
I covered this a little in the last review but as stated before, I loved the X-Men, I wanted to be IN the X-Men and when the first film was announced, it felt like an event.
This was the movie that opened the door to the Superhero genre and finally put the long-loved X-Men characters up on the big screen. As news crept in of casting we rejoiced as obvious first choice Patrick Stewart bagged the role of Professor Xavier. Raised an eyebrow at the announcement of Xenia Ontatopp nabbing the Jean Grey role and questioned why Scottish actor Dougray Scott was cast as fan favourite Wolverine.
Of course, Dougray never got his chance to shine in the role as scheduling conflicts on the filming of Mission Impossible 2 caused him to step away. The poor bastard. Instead up and coming Australian musical actor Hugh Jackman was handed the role and we were off to the races. Hugh was so good, he ended up being the best part of the film and now years later, we can't envision anyone else being as good as Logan. Back in 2000, this was a different story.
It was great to finally see Marvel's main franchise on the big screen and we couldn't wait to see who would be in the next film. But as time passed, we sort of realized that the first film was good, a decent introduction to the characters, but more could be done. 10 films later (12 if we include the Deadpool films), they had been and the roasted chicken had been plucked clean of all meat. There was nothing left to eat and our desire for a freshly roasted chicken has arrived.
But it held a dear part in my heart and 1.5, the version I'll be reviewing was a well-received gift with a ton of extras on it at the time that helped whet the appetite for a much-anticipated sequel.
If I think it'll stay in the collection:
I've got more of a chance sleeping with Marisa Tomei.
Realistically, the once fondly remembered Fox/Marvel collaborations once delicious pieces of popcorn to devour have now sort of turned in the hard unpopped kernels that we find at the bottom of the tub and attempt to eat and crack our teeth with.
Sorry, can you tell I'm writing this before I've had my tea?
Regardless, it's slightly shorter run time and perhaps, a grittier attempt may be a pleasant surprise and continue to rest in my collection but I think it's a tall ask.
And for the record, I'm just watching the theatrical version. The 1.5 version inserts the extended scenes somewhat awkwardly, takes you out of the film.
The review:
Well, I wasn't expecting that.
As stated in previous reviews, I didn't know what perspective watching a sequel ahead of the original was going to give me. In hindsight, it's interesting that I actually enjoyed this movie a lot more than 'X2' in that case.
It seems everything is a lot more subtle in this film, as if Bryan Singer was taking a gamble making this movie so was content on just making a decent 'superhero' film, so that if it tanked or he wasn't invited back to the franchise, he wouldn't have a black mark on his career.
Of course, fast forward to 2019 and he wouldn't be invited back to the franchise and would have a black mark on his career, but for different reasons...
Conor Mcgregor's next heel tactics will involve smoking a stogie in the octagon and getting the place shut down.
There's just better touches here, everyone plays it a little more low-key. The old masters don't have to shout like they do in the sequel. Halle Berry actually attempts a hint of an African accent, playing closer to Ororo's roots and getting a better performance out of it as a result. Logan's hair doesn't look stupid. The late, great, Michael Kamen does the score and as a result, it sounds like a film, not taking me out of the action.
Oh sure, the plot's contrived, Magneto wants to turn everyone into a mutant and needs to use Rogue as a conductor to ensure his plan comes into effect. This involves some frankly dodgy special effects that looked better in Superman II and some absolutely god awful ones when Senator Kelly turns into a blobfish and dies. Seriously, cult favourite 'The Secret World Of Alex Mack' had better special effects than this...(Not to be confused with The Secret World Of Smallville Actress, Alison Mack, which will surely be made into its own film eventually...)
I've always hated the design of Mystique in the entire franchise, feeling that the slicked-back hair and scaly look just doesn't cut it and that Singer stuck to his guns in keeping her look when Jennifer Lawrence took over. In a franchise that pisses all over its continuity on a film by film basis, THIS is what you remain consistent with.
Also, Tyler Mane is just the shits as Sabretooth. Liev Shreiber doesn't get enough love for his portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Oh, and everyone seems to get propelled into the next county whenever they get hit which is an odd effect but one that caused a few chuckles.
Overall I dare say that with maturity, X-Men is actually the better film of the two I watched. I certainly didn't expect to be typing that when starting this review.
Should it stay or should it go?
Despite being pleasantly surprised, it still goes on the trade pile. There's not much extra value to be had if I were to revisit the first film but it can hold it's head up high with a score of 6.5 out of 10 making it the more enjoyable flick for me in the long run. Both films are now stalwarts of CEX's and charity shops and if you're paying more than 50p for a copy, you don't know how to shop around.
Until next time, I remain,
Matt Major.
No comments:
Post a Comment