Episode 1612 Talkback - Comic Talk
Adam_Murdough
Posts: 506
Marvel-maven Chris E.'s statement on the controversial climax of Captain America (2016) #1; our reviews of X-Men: Apocalypse; and a call for audience participation in the observance of Jamie D's Golden Jubilee: all of the above are packed into this compact edition of Comic Talk! (43:06)
Listen here.
Listen here.
Comments
I agree with most of @Adam_Murdough's thoughts on the movie. As for my feedback on XM:A...
The good: The performances of McAvoy as Professor X and Fassbender as Magneto were top shelf. Quicksilver was also the bright spot of the movie. The effects looked great, once we got out the Egyptian opening (which looked a bit campy).
The bad: Apocalypse? He was far less terrifying than the average moviegoer should perceive. Oscar Issac is a fantastic actor and does a great job with what he's given, but he isn't given much to work with here. His character simply comes off as a poor man's Ronan (from GotG) and he's completely un-menacing.
Save Magneto, none of Apocalypse’s team are all that interesting Archangel was a joke, but Psylocke and Storm particularly embodied the ways this entire series has failed most of its female characters - one-dimensional with little to do. Storm especially has no emotion or complexity like her comic counterpart does. And Jubilee is a total non-factor. Mystique / Raven and Jean are slightly better used, but Jean’s development is inconsistent and Mystique comes off far worse due to Lawrence's obvious disinterest in the role, coasting from scene to scene with no charisma. Jennifer Lawrence doesn't seem to care in this movie. I can't blame her for trying to skip a 9 hour make-up process, but I would be surprised to learn that she was even trying to put a solid performance in this film. Boring.
And where were the threads to pull from the previous films that included deep discussions about mutant segregation, hatred, and discrimination? Nary a thought any longer. This movie seemed empty. And it was of little use to those unfamiliar with all the new characters introduced. It seemed only die-hard X-Men fans will have gotten their money's worth with this movie, but I was just ready for it to end. And did we REALLY need to go back to Auschwitz for Magneto's back-story?
The meh: Quicksilver's big saving everyone scene was one of the bright spots as well, but it was just a rehash of his big XM:DoFP scene. And The Eurythmics? Weird music choice. I could easily have heard Take On Me from A-ha, or Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Clash, You Spin Me Round by Dead or Alive, Whip It by Devo, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, Safety Dance by Men Without Hats, Can't Touch This by MC Hammer, I Melt With You from Modern English, Bust a Move from Young MC, and on and on. Guardians of the Galaxy set the bar very high for using classic rock in a movie these days. There were several better choices out there in my opinion. This fell far short from the Jim Croce hit used in the last film.
Kodi Smit-McPhee was only so-so as Nightcrawler. Alan Cumming owned the role before him and I couldn't get past the haircut or the thick accent. That's my tastes, probably not shared with the majority.
The plot seemed contrived and convenient. no central storyline or heart to the film. And it uses almost the entire first half for set-up. When Jean coyly remarks: “The third film is always the worst.” I'm wondering it applies to this series of First Class mutants? I think the only thing that makes it better than XM Last Stand is that this movie doesn't massacre half the cast at the end.
FOX is far from done with the X-Men franchise, with Deadpool 2, Gambit, New Mutants, and X-Force on the way, but my hope is that Bryan Singer is done with it. Thankfully, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine are still the worse entries in the series. This one is right behind them.
Great episode overall! Thanks for being so timely and again, I appreciated the leanness of the episode. I was able to listen in one sitting (driving, walking, etc).
M
I would also like to add that I think Hugh Jackman's appearance as Weapon X falls into the "Good" category, even though the Stryker kidnapping to get them there was a bit hamfisted and clumsy. Agree with @wildpigcomics in that Jackman owns the role of Wolverine.
My own opinion about the movie is much more favorable, haha. I saw many of its flaws, but still had a lot of fun watching it (which is fast becoming my mantra for comic book movies). I guess my biggest nit to pick is that what Apocalypse was doing in this story reminded me of what Sybok does in “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” – i.e. mysteriously walking around, forcefully leading us to a supposedly better existence, using our friends’ pain to convert them into followers. I dunno. Seemed a bit passive (?) to me, until the grand finale.
Oh, and I really like Shane's spin on how he'd've used Quicksilver's secret to defuse Magneto at the end. It would've been tricky to handle it correctly in that moment, but it could've been done right, nice and subtle and full of heart. Oh well. Maybe Shane can help write the next movie ;)