I Liked It (WARNING SPOILERS FOR A FEW MOVIES)
I have seen all the X-Men movies and followed the comics in the 90's. I saw this movie over the weekend and liked it. I liked how the tied the old franchise up with this one using time travel that is low on the cheese scale. Time travel in general as a deus ex machina is always a bad idea, but this scored low marks IMHO on bad ideas. The idea that Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde can send the consciousness of folks back I accept as a "power stunt"...not a normal use of the power but with some finagling and practice doable. Kinda like a character is a speedster and can vibrate their fingers fast enough to shatter class. Not what the power was designed for but doable.
So I went with my wife and kids (age 12 and 15) over the weekend who all three are only familiar with the X-Men through movies and cartoons. All in all yes...the plot holes were kinda big but I liked the on the face value. I figured it would have the X-Men and other characters from Marvel, but not be a carbon copy of a comic. Hate to say it but in the 90's with all the confusing story lines that you had to purchase other comics to follow, alternate covers, using "it was a dream" and other crap that got me out of comic books. The approach in movies I feel is going to work for a mass audience and get them to want to know more about the characters in question.
I liked the nods to the older franchise and how they showed off some "lesser known characters" aka ones that muggles would know like Warpath, Bishop and Blink. My daughter caught the reference to Magneto being Peter/Quicksilver's father...she turned to me and whispered "did he meet his Dad and not know it?" The camera panned to Quicksilver holding a small girl...little sister looking kid and he asked "are those the same twins that were locked up in Winter Soldier? They are seeing the tie ins to each movie which is good I feel.
Is it the comic book X-Men we know? No it isn't. But for those of us who didn't follow the comics, it's good, engaging and will open the door for those folks to explore the genre. I hope that the movies continue to have tie ins to each other, so you know they are all in the same universe...
- Wolverine having coffee and a cigar, reading the Daily Bugle...perhaps commenting about this "dare devil idiot"
- Ice Man, Rogue and Colossus talk smack that they could take on Tony Stark in a friendly match and elaborating how they would while the others explain why that doesn't work.
- Storm comments that even though she controls weather it might be a fight to wrestle it from Thor to Professor X...should he go rogue.
- Professor X being called to Congress and asked about these so called "Asgardians" and if Thor isn't just a Mutant with delusions of godhood.
- Black Widow saying something smart ass and sarcastic to Nick Fury about about Canadian secret agents named after woodland creatures.
- Spiderman reads an article about Moon Knight and makes a joke of "someone has been reading too many dark detective comics". I dunno...might piss of DC comics too much.
- Someone scolding a child to appreciate their brussell sprouts and to be lucky they have food...unlike "those starving children in Wakanda".
My wish list is that any references to comics books, comics in pop culture and all in movies or TV shows for Marvel is to DC Comics and other non-Marvel properties. You'd hear comments like "hot blondes with short skirts are Tony Starks Krytponite" and how Moon Knight is "a badly costumed Batman with a fascination with ancient Egypt...I mean who wears white at night to hide?"
Likewise in DC stuff I'd love to see the Marvel universe used the same way as in I dunno..."I wonder if the Hulk isn't actually Superman pissed off with Kyrptonite poisoning...hmmm" or Robin asking Batman if he could take on Captain America.
I know it wouldn't happen...but still one can only hope some kind of reciprocal agreement can be worked out someday.
(nerdage)
