X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (Vaughn, 2011) - I’ve always liked idea of the X-men more than the idea of other superheroes: the idea of there being untold numbers of mutants, some of them blending in, some not, lends itself beautifully to metaphors about all kinds of oppressed/minority groups. The first movie didn’t really do much with the idea, but the second one was really enriched by the parallels with homosexuality: Iceman’s ‘coming-out’ scene especially. I skipped the third one (no regret so far), and I prefer to remember only Hugh Jackman’s chest from WOLVERINE, but I was very curious about this one, and it lived up to my expectations. It might even be the best so far - although Michael Fassebender, hot and charismatic though he might be, and however well he wears those turtlenecks, doesn’t show quite the ease with this material that Ian McKellen did.
In this movie, the parallels seem to be mostly with antisemitism, and the central dilemma faced by every pressed group - blend in and pacify, or stand out and fight - is a lot more poignant than in the other films. More hopeless, too. Setting the movie during the Cuban Missile crisis is especially inspired: it’s a clear example what happens with constant escalation, with mutually assured destruction only narrowly avoided. It’s presented in an ambiguous enough way that BF actually thought Magneto had every right to do what he tried to do at the end, and it led to an interesting discussion while we were biking back.
Aside from these slightly academic concerns, the movie’s also just plain fun. It’s nice to see all these characters when they were still young and developing: Erik’s rage is not contained yet, Xavier still uses his genetic expertise for corny pick-up lines, and Raven/Mystique is still figuring out which side she’s on. Kevin Bacon, meanwhile, Bacons it up with glee. The other mutants don’t get as much to do, with the possible exception of Hank McCoy (who’d have thought the weird kid from ABOUT A BOY would turn out so pretty?), and I was disappointed by how little Rose Byrne’s Moira was given to do. She’s quite dull, really, but her lack of chemistry with McAvoy is compensated by the tons he has with Fassbender. Seriously, I excitedly whispered “ze bromance!” to BF at least four times, and there’s even a scene where they each shed a delicate tear together. The gay parallel might be more understated than before (a clunky “you didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell” aside), and this Magneto is, alas, not as queeny as McKellen’s, but you can’t deny the frisson between these two dudes - bring on the slash, I say.
