Film: X-Men
Date seen: 3 August, 2011
Location: In Bed
Beverages: none
Companionship: apart from briefly discussing the fact that Patrick Stewart was in it (i did not know, and i got excited) with the guy in Arizona i have a spectacularly gratuitous crush on - none. Dom was out drinking with her father.
The Review (of sorts)
It's a dour week in the Reform School For Girls (which is the code name for our apartment.) Both Dom and I have distant parents visiting, which is not ... ideal. I had to see my psychiatrist, who was customarily useless. (he asked me if i read, because i mentioned i found canberra boring. then he complimented my glasses. it felt like he was trying to flirt with me, and i felt very uncomfortable). Generally, I went into this one feeling Very Fucking Shit.
However. Patrick. motherfucking. Stewart. Seriously. His voice is so soothing. He knows things, people. I bet Patrick Stewart can read minds.
I'd seen X-Men: First Class in the cinema, mostly because Lachlan wanted to, and I'm fairly easily led. So this gave me some idea of context. I was pleased that the pleasing young Professor Xavier grew up to be Patrick Stewart. Even if these movies came before.
I liked that people flew! I liked that once again, the bully verses the world, self-preservation as the only way violence can be done, because it's Righteous Violence, but oh well, there are baddies who attack us so we can show off our exceptional skills with flying and blowing shit up, and moving metal and magical healing shit. I also like that they all have different powers.
Anything with hidden walls in it also thrills me in a really childlike way. i never get sick of seeing how the different movies all have different sorts of hidden walls/doors/corridors.
Wolverine has long sharp THINGS that fly out of him. That is also pretty rad.
Gender in X-Men is less fucked up than in Captain America. And i know - Captain America was being true to the time, and contextually, that is how women are portrayed. One thing that i think is interesting to note in terms of how the bodies are represented is that the male form is as much exploited and lifted on high - firm muscular male bodies. But it's done for very different reasons. It's not to be eye-catching, or seductive, but it's more of a fact of life that a successful young man must be physiologically fit. It's early days, here, kids, but the bare-chested Wolverine introduced an interesting question of the role of the male gaze on the male. I think that's important - as important as the question of the male gaze on the females.
Now. i feel pretty subnormal tonight, so i'm pondering Being Hardcore and watching the next one. i also got about 15 rows done on my hat.
You rate this lower than CA? Seriously, fuck you.
ReplyDeleterating is not objective. the rating is based on how much i enjoyed it. Captain America was more fun.
ReplyDeleteWolverine is an interesting example, as he is by definition bestial. But at the other end of the scale, we have X, who is entirely asexual, yet phenomenally powerful. In later movies there is Beast, who is some weird middle ground between the two. Kelsey Grammar playing a furry tooth-and-clawed mammal? curious.
ReplyDeletePicard, what can't he do? At least you know you'll never run out of superhero movies, they come out bi-weekly :D
ReplyDeletei think Xavier is sexual - i tend to think there' a really obvious sexual tension between him and Magneton - it actually sort of pisses me off that this isn't more overt, but i guess that's the nature of the beast.
ReplyDeleteNick made this really interesting comment on my facebook about the link between male sexuality and violence - that the males tend to be naked mostly in conflict. wolverine however does often just stroll around without a shirt on, but he's also, as lachlan mentioned, as much a beast as a sex object for The Ladies. which also feeds into how men can be viewed as more sexual when they are less civilised.