X-Men: The Musical (I Wish)
May 30th, 2006
I’m pretty new to the genre of comic book movies (still haven’t seen any of the Batmans except the recent Batman Begins, and I haven’t seen any of the Supermans, though Porpoise informs me that I will be going to see Superman Returns later this summer). But, hey, I’m willing to try anything that has Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen.
So I watched the first two X-Men movies a few weeks ago in preparation for X-Men: The Last Stand. They were fun. And I loved Alan Cumming’s neurotic blue vampirish-looking mutant Nightcrawler—I’m so disappointed he didn’t return for the third movie. Maybe they felt they already had enough blue characters. Or maybe Cumming was too busy in rehearsals for .
Anyway, because of my lack of experience in the genre, I feel unqualified to say a whole lot about X-Men: The Last Stand. I liked Kelsey Grammer’s (also blue) character Beast, especially his attempt (soon abandoned) to quote Churchill in the midst of battle. I was annoyed that the filmmakers chickened out on some of their plot decisions at the end (though, admittedly, it seems to be a feature of the X-Men universe that no one stays dead—ever). I appreciated the ethical issues raised by the film, but I thought that the resolution failed—if you’re going to present answers to a question, make sure they’re tenable answers.
Mostly, though, I’m annoyed at Manohla Dargis, She Who Writes Asinine Reviews for the NY Times. I love the other Times movie reviewers, especially A.O. Scott, whose had me in stitches. But, even when I agree with Dargis’s overall judgment, she makes some sort of factual error or ludicrous claim that makes me want to give the paper to the Cherub and let her shred it (I usually encourage her to shred Porpoise’s Wall Street Journal editorials).
Witness her X-Men 3 review, which bears the title Now, I ask you, where, in any of the X-Men movies, does anyone ask whether the mutants are born or made? Nowhere. The mutants are born that way, plain and simple. Perhaps Dargis imagines that she heard this question being asked because she insists on seeing the movie as an allegory about LGBT people. Now, there were definitely moments in the movie during which I thought of parallels to the struggles of gays, but there were also times when I saw parallels to identity issues for disabled people, not to mention the obvious references to the Holocaust and other genocides. To pin the movie down as an allegory for any of these single issues is to deny all the other possible references it can have.
Anyway, I’ve been wanting to rant about Manohla Dargis for a while, and I had to seize my chance. I’m hoping some of you will have more relevant commentary about X-Men 3. I know that slightlyjillian really liked it, while Possum thought it was even worse than The Da Vinci Code. So feel free to present your pro- and con- arguments here!
Oh, and I just have to say that I’m really disappointed that Hugh Jackman is going to do a spin-off Wolverine movie. I love Hugh, but the time he spends doing action movies detracts from his time on the stage. He’s not even going to host the Tonys this year—sniff! I mean, : wouldn’t you rather hear him sing “Poor Jud Is Dead” than see him flex his claws in a quite possibly sub-par action spin-off? So, please: no Wolverine movies unless there is singing and dancing. And bring Alan Cumming back, too!
Entry Filed under: Movies, Uncategorized
11 Comments Add your own
1. Jillian | May 31st, 2006 at 6:52 am
I think that the question of repressing/removing the mutant gene was so ethically tangled that at the end of the movie I didn’t know whether to be impressed with the X-Men’s final strategy. Instinctively, it seemed distasteful… like they’d broken their own code of do’s and don’ts. I was in such a whirlwind the only parallel issue that even bubbled up on the sides of my thought was an abortion debate I’d seen in some on-line review.
As far as enjoying the movie? I’m a comic sentimentalist with a deep rooted love of alternate storytelling (which worked well for all those alternate universe cross comic series that I read in the mid-90s). So I’m not in knots about the restructuring of familiar storylines or familiar characters. The story really seemed propelled forward–dotted with dramatic action scenes and surprisingly bold choices… but I like the epic comic fun.
Plus, any movie that gave four scenes and two lines to my all time favorite c-team mutant, Multiple Man aka Jamie Madrox, is going to get approximately 40 times more affection from my self. But again *points at face* I’m attached. Even if they made him a crook!
Now the question is can I stomach Superman? The first movie my dad took me to see in the theaters was Supergirl–again, I’m a sentimentalist that fell in love with Peter O’Toole when I was five. And the classic Superman music brings back such memories. But Lois married and with a kid? I dunno–not my favorite sort of twist. Brandon Routh looks the part. I’m more intrigued with actually getting to see James Marsden in something for longer than five minutes though…
2. theotter | May 31st, 2006 at 9:40 am
Thanks, darlin’! I’m so glad you cleared up a mystery. I thought that when, on your blog, you mentioned Jamie as your favorite character, you meant the bald kid. Porpoise knew you meant Multiple Man, but he didn’t explain that Multiple Man’s name is Jamie. And it turns out that bald kid’s name is Jimmy. I was mis-hearing it for the entire movie.
Anyway, since you know the X-Men world much better than I do, can you weigh in on something else? Porpoise’s complaint with all three X-Men movies is that no significant action takes place until Charles Xavier is somehow incapacitated. Now, he’s read some of the comics, but he can’t remember if that’s also the usual plot device within them. Is it?
3. Possum | May 31st, 2006 at 4:36 pm
I remember that a lot of the TV cartoon episodes had Charles Xavier incapacitated somehow or even dead. Gosh, that was a long, long time ago, and I have no memory at all. He’s in a wheelchair, so it’s part of the character. And this leads back to your point that X-Men is as much about disability (or the alternatively abled, as the movie dramatizes in high fashion) as it is about LGBT, ethnic, and subcultural issues.
4. Jillian | May 31st, 2006 at 6:04 pm
Ha! Well I guess that Leech (Jimmy) probably had four scenes and two speaking parts as well! Although, no, I cannot claim much fondness for Leech… he tends to make things a bit dull in the comics (golly no one has any fun when you’re around, kid!). But in the movie he was kind of endearing in a bald way.
As for Jamie Madrox… they at least got his personality right which made me glad. Flippant on the outside, gooey caramel on the inside… except when his duplicates decide they have minds of their own (which is when things get interesting). Right now in the comic word Jamie’s running his own detective agency and is the star of his own noir comic–as it should be.
Which leads me to your question… MOST of my devotion to comic books back in the 90s was directed toward the misc teams outside of the main school of X-Men (which were known as the blue and gold teams, I think…). I really enjoyed X-Factor, who, along with Jamie, were the government employed mutants. eXcalibur, which were the mutants across the pond, including Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat and Nightcrawler. And Gen X, which were the younger generation of students–’younger’ or later pupils than even the cast that you see in the movies. I still collected X-Men and Uncanny X-Men (the main titles that more directly impact the movies)… but mostly because of how they impacted the series that I enjoyed for their quirky misfit personalities–crossovers and such.
The big catalysts that would rock through all the series when I read it were usually Magneto, Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister and his designs on Scott/Jean, Legion caused some trouble (–uh, I think he was Xavier’s son), the Legacy Virus (think mutant AIDS.. Jamie actually died of this.), the Phalanx which were some computer alien entities that liked to absorb people. And somewhere in there Prof X died. (At the time I was morosely ‘good riddance’…) I’m a bit rusty on the main plots… just how they impacted my little c-team characters that I adored.
Now if you want to know how not to design a Mutant Killing Robot or about Rachel Summers as the Phoenix (aka Scott/Jean’s daughter from one future possibility) or about how Kitty was much better off with Pete Wisdom from the W.H.O. (Weird Happenings Organization)… I sort of liked the humdrum misadventures of the mutants on the sidelines.
The problem I had with MI:3 was that the personal stuff felt forced (except for Billy’s scenes) and I kept wishing they’d get to the action. I am sort of inclined the other way with X-Men… I like the action okay, but I don’t mind just seeing them ice skate or take their classes or playing chess. As for Xavier being the catalyst… I think that it works so far as explaining why Wolverine doesn’t just wander off or after Jean and why he now feels responsible for the school.
Now I think I need to pull down my comics again…
5. Jillian | May 31st, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Possum: I remember that a lot of the TV cartoon episodes had Charles Xavier incapacitated somehow or even dead.
Okay. That made me laugh out loud… I’m going to apologize straight off…*sorry* … but really, until Patrick Stewart, I was usually happier when Xavier took coma naps or just stayed out of the way. With all the internal strife (not to be confused with Stryfe) bouncing around with the X-Men’s agendas/politics… I usually didn’t see things eye to eye with Xavier. Maybe he did hold the rest of them back!
I trust you mean the cartoon from the 90’s right? Not X-Men Evolution which was put together by people who were living in my brain because I really think they stole my ideas.
6. theotter | May 31st, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Yeah, Xavier-in-a-wheelchair is far from incapacitated. He’s definitely powerful enough in that chair that he still has to be gotten rid of in order for the plot to proceed.
By the way, how did he come to need a wheelchair? Did it have anything to do with how he and Magneto became not-friends?
7. Jillian | May 31st, 2006 at 10:49 pm
Y’know, I don’t remember quite why he needed the wheelchair… *obviously didn’t get my comics down fast enough to review* Seriously… movie-verse Xavier is much much more interesting than comic-verse Xavier… thus my comic blind spots.
On the other hand, I CAN tell you that Jamie was born with his multiplication ability (it took several years for him to figure out subtraction, of course) instead of developing his mutant ability as an adolescent. He grew up on a Midwestern farm and his parents died in a farm accident that left a young Jamie to take care of the whole place by himself and himself and himself and himself… until he was found alone (sort of) months later. Jamie actually lived with Moira on Muir Island as a lab assistant (Moira and Muir island both were seen in X3) for several years before he joined X-Factor.
Y’know, I’d like to know why Locke needed a wheelchair… oops, that would be LOST.
8. Dormouse | June 3rd, 2006 at 12:48 pm
I mean, look at him in Oklahoma: wouldn’t you rather hear him sing “Poor Jud Is Dead” than see him flex his claws in a quite possibly sub-par action spin-off?
No, actually, I wouldn’t.
*grin* I am all for a Wolverine spin-off. What can I say? I love Wolverine. In every way imaginable.
Also, I really enjoyed the ending of the movie. B/c I felt like it drove home a really key point–mutation cannot be cured, which, in my mind, indicates there’s nothing wrong there to begin with.
Besides, Rogue’s tragedy really compels me, and I hate the idea that she could just cure herself.
9. Dormouse | June 3rd, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Jillian, I just read your comments, and I have to say–you are SO my people.
10. theotter | June 3rd, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Me: I mean, look at him in Oklahoma: wouldn’t you rather hear him sing “Poor Jud Is Dead” than see him flex his claws in a quite possibly sub-par action spin-off?
Dormouse: No, actually, I wouldn’t.
I thought that comment would provoke some reaction from you, dearie! Snark.
11. Jillian | June 4th, 2006 at 10:13 pm
Jillian, I just read your comments, and I have to say–you are SO my people.
Yes. *nods solemnly* The world needs more people like us. I’m sure.
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