The Big Blue Temper Tantrum

“You are all my children, and you’re lost, because you follow blind leaders.” ~ Apocalypse

“Whatever it is you think you saw in me, I buried it with my family.” ~ Magneto

“Just because there’s not a war it doesn’t mean there’s peace.” ~ Mystique

“I saw the end of the world. I could feel all this death.” ~ Jean Grey

“He means to destroy this world. Billions of people killed.” ~ Charles Xavier

Director Bryan Singer has returned to theatres once again with the X-Men franchise in the latest film, X-Men Apocalypse. It’s his fourth time directing the mutant tales in the franchise, which started all the way back with X-Men in 2000, and his latest since directing X-Men Days Of Future Past, which went and pretty much altered the previous continuity of much of the franchise. This latest movie, which is set in the past as was the case with X-Men First Class and Days Of Future Past, brings a new antagonist squarely into the picture, with the fate of the world clearly at stake.

The film has a prelude in the distant past, in Egypt, where a mutant called En Sabah Nur is undergoing a ritual for immortality. Things don’t go quite according to plan, and in the 1980s he is awakened when a cult worshipping him is exposed. Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), as he’s otherwise known, begins to gather allies and make plans, deeming humanity as something that needs a serious overhaul.

The young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has moved on since the events of Days Of Future Past. He continues to encounter young mutants, younger versions of his students we first met in X-Men and X2: X Men United, and he still has Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) close at hand. Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) is an occasional presence in his life. Magneto ( Michael Fassbender) has retreated to live a quiet life with a new wife and child. And of course it’s merely a matter of time before everyone involved find themselves on a collision course with that big blue cranky Egyptian mutant.

This is the ninth X-Men film in the franchise, when you include the two Wolverine films and the recent Deadpool feature. Trying to keep track of the continuity of it all is problematic, though the events of Days Of Future Past did significantly alter everything after it, what with all that time-jumping. Angel (Ben Hardy) is brought on board, for instance, the second actor to play the part. Warren Worthington appeared in the forgettable X-Men The Last Stand as a young mutant, but here he’s young again- twenty five or so years before where the character would have been in that film. The discrepancy isn’t dealt with. There’s also the issue of this being twenty years since X-Men First Class, and aging of characters who appeared in that film is inconsistent. While McAvoy, who first appeared in that film as the young Charles Xavier, ends up with a bald head this time out, he still looks younger than the character should be in this era. Jennifer Lawrence can get away with looking the way she does, given that Mystique the character doesn’t really age that much at all. Fassbender doesn’t look that much older, nor does Hoult. It might be nitpicking, but the problem’s there regardless.

The screenplay is by Simon Kinberg, who collaborated on the story with Singer, as well as with Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. The story’s described as the true birth of the X-Men; a fair enough description, perhaps, given that when we met them in the very first movie, the team were already established in their roles, and part of the story is about bringing that team together for the first time. The 1960s and 1970s groups that have appeared in First Class and Days Of Future Past had more of an ad hoc sensibility to them anyway. And yet the story crowds so many characters in that it starts to become convoluted. While some of those characters have their already established characterization set, and others work reasonably well to expectations, the writing for others feels off- particularly the villain, who seems underwritten and appears to be being the Big Bad of the tale... well, just because.

Bryan Singer has mostly had successful films as a director and writer, but some misfires- I still wonder what sort of film he might have made of Superman Returns had he approached it with a fresh start instead of an homage to Christopher Reeve. This time out, the X-Men have something of a misfire going on. It’s convoluted and frustrating at times (though not nearly as frustrating as the Fantastic Four reboot); the cast is too crowded (which, ironically, was not a problem with Captain America: Civil War), and it shows itself here. I found myself wondering if the story was supposed to play catch up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which of course is separate from the X-Men movies, and which has gotten its storytelling done right. Singer’s already established that he can handle the X-Men, particularly in terms of setting, action and effects, but the story falters for him this time.

Most of what unfolds has previous references- the look of the X-Men specific characters have, until now, been seen in one way or another, and so their look is to be expected. Two major characters are new to the franchise (aside from a credits teaser appearance in Days Of Future Past). Psylocke (Olivia Munn) has a look that fits in with the comics version- though her character is different. The character design for Apocalypse- as well as the special effects for his abilities- certainly works as a counterpart to the comics version.

The cast is big, and some of them get underwritten, a nod to the fact that they’re written into the story more simply because the writers wanted them there as opposed to sense in them being there. Rose Byrne returns as the sympathetic Moira MacTaggert, having had appeared in First Class, and the character doesn’t look like twenty years have passed since the events of that film. Still, there’s a connection carefully re-established with Xavier, and Byrne has good chemistry with McAvoy. Josh Helman returns as the military officer William Stryker, having had played the part in Days Of Future Past. The character has appeared in other time lines played by Brian Cox and Danny Huston, and continues to be a perennial devious bastard, which Helman plays to here as well, even while getting more to do than before. And there’s a cameo tied to Stryker’s presence in the film; Hugh Jackman turns up briefly as the mutant with a complicated history where the officer is concerned, giving us a Wolverine appearance in a pretty good and timely way.

There are familiar mutants introduced (or reintroduced) in the film, though in a couple of cases they’re rather different in terms of character motivations than their counterparts from the comics. Olivia Munn gets a lot to do as Psylocke, though her loyalties are shifted this time around. The same applies to Warren Worthington (the aforementioned Ben Hardy), who in the comics was one of the first X-Men and yet here ends up in a position his character later occupied.

Oscar Isaac occupies the primary role of the antagonist as Apocalypse, an ultra powerful Big Bad, a mutant supremacist who has a rather high and mighty opinion of himself, and a pretty low regard for others. It’s that whole god complex thing going on. While Isaac is an outstanding actor in and of himself, he’s hampered somewhat by being underwritten as a character. Yes, Apocalypse is a Big Bad, but it never comes across as he’s being that way aside from... that’s what the story calls for. That’s not on the actor though, that’s on the script.

The film also presents younger versions of the characters we first met back in the first two films, such as Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler, effectively turning the movie into their origin story. Tye Sheridan seems to fit in well enough as the young Scott Summers, while I liked the way Sophie Turner played the young Jean, anxious about her growing powers. Storm is played here by Alexandra Shipp, certainly looking like the character appears, and her journey as a character goes from one set of loyalties to another. Nightcrawler, who we’ve seen before played by Alan Cumming, is here played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, and the actor gives the character a hint of dashing charm and some levity; he’s one of two actors in the mix who provide humour to the proceedings.

The other in that equation being Evan Peters, who returns to the fold after Days Of Future Past as Peter, otherwise known as Quicksilver, the one character in common for the X-films and the Marvel cinematic universe, though Peters manages to see himself live through two films rather than one, and he plays the role as more snarky than Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s turn as Pietro in Avengers Age Of Ultron. Peters  gives the role that sarcastic streak that helps things move along. Another returning face is Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy, aka Beast, who’s been in the mix since First Class, and continues to play the role as brilliant but a bit socially awkward.

Jennifer Lawrence returns as the younger version of Mystique, perhaps for the last time. She’s played the role since First Class, and she’s more sympathetic and compassionate than Rebecca Romijn’s take on the role, though both actresses share the same ferocious and devious energy in their performances. The character occupies a sort of middle ground between Xavier and Magneto in this film, becoming a de facto leader of sorts along the way, and Lawrence is one of the positives in the film.

Michael Fassbender reprises his role as Magneto this time out, still a character given to anger (and given what he’s lost before and what he loses in this film, it’s more than understandable). I do like how the actor plays to that different world view from his old friend Xavier, while the friendship itself still lies there under their philosophical differences. The actor conveys the intensity and rage of the character well.

James McAvoy continues the role of the younger Xavier, starting to be more like the Charles we first met in X-Men. Charles is by nature a pacifist, believing in the dream that mutants and humanity can live together in peace, and he finds himself facing the ultimate nightmare, something the actor brings across as he goes along. McAvoy is also carrying himself as much more of a teacher than before, dedicating himself to the cause of educating young mutants. He’s more cultured and refined than the younger version of himself we met in First Class, so it’s more plausible now to have him closing in on the Xavier we knew in the first film (even if the actor’s a good deal younger than his role calls for.

X-Men Apocalypse has its flaws. The story has both highs and lows, and while it’s convoluted at times, it doesn’t bother me in the way that Fantastic Four would have. It’s rather crowded with characters at times, and unlike Captain America Civil War, which had no shortage of characters, this film doesn’t make the right use of all of them and really give them a chance to shine- instead it just feels crowded with them. As such, some of those characters benefit while others are underwritten. The movie’s entertaining enough, with a lot of high stakes being played out, though it doesn’t come near how well Civil War worked so well as a comics adaptation.

The Road Warrior In A World Of Fire And Blood

From 1979 to 1985, Australian director George Miller wrote and directed three films set in a post apocalyptic wasteland, the original Mad Max films featuring Mel Gibson as the loner anti-hero in a brutal Australian landscape where roving gangs kill others for as little as a tank of gasoline. After Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Miller had a hand in writing, producing, or directing a diverse set of projects, including Dead Calm, Babe, Babe Pig In The City, Happy Feet, Happy Feet 2, Lorenzo’s Oil, and The Witches Of Eastwick. The notion of making a fourth film in the Mad Max franchise dates back to 1998, and is now out in theatres, with a new actor in the title role.

The distant future where civilization has collapsed is the setting for the story. Max (Tom Hardy) has fallen into the hands of the War Boys, a group of bloodthirsty soldiers working for the ruthless zealot Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). One of the War Boys is Nux (Nicholas Hoult), a soldier suffering from illness and seeing Max as a way to prolong his life- Max is a universal blood donor, so Nux is using him as a permanent living blood bank, strapped to his car. The other key player is Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a driver working for Joe, ferrying fuel. However, she’s changed course, instead taking Joe’s five wives to safety in a heavily armoured rig. Joe regards the women as his personal property, feels the fact that they are gone is a personal affront, and sets his forces to hunt them down. Along the way the paths of Max and Furiosa cross, and the reluctant loner finds himself drawn into helping others.

The road to making the film was an exceedingly long one. Miller mused upon the idea of human trafficking as a central theme in the film, but 9/11, logistical problems, and then the troubled issues in Gibson’s life thwarted the film for years. Many thought the film would never get off the ground, and considering how many issues got in the way, that would be understandable. Finally filming got underway in Australia and Namibia, done in an old school style strongly based in real action and less reliance on digital effects. The storyline is rather like a Western, with the villains brutal and ruthless, and the reluctant protagonist drawn out of his own shell and back to doing the right thing. Bringing in a fellow protagonist who’s just as strong willed was a deft touch- Furiosa is fierce and determined, seeking some measure of redemption. In striving to save these women- and bringing Max out of his post traumatic shock- she’s the driving force of the story in a way that is more compelling than if we had Max on his own saving the lives of the women. That would have been the typical man saves the women in distress story so typical of a traditional Western; written this way, a strong willed woman takes the initiative, and it makes the story all the better for it. There's also social commentary amid the furious breakneck speed chases- the notion of zealots willing to sacrifice themselves in pursuit of an afterlife in paradise rings true to the state of the world today.

Miller’s filming style for the original films returns here as well. Digital effects are used, but used only when needed- Miller has said why special effect a scene when you can do it for real, and that reflects itself in the way he shoots furious action, dynamic cross country races, and the ferocious energy of the film. Camera angles are at strange angles, showing us people seemingly inches from death (one wonders how the insurance people signed off on this).  Cinematographer John Seale, whose resume includes Witness, The Mosquito Coast, The English Patient, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, and Dead Poet's Society, came out of retirement to shoot this one, and his camera work is astonishing. Such is also the case with the look of the film. The general look to the War Boys fits the zealot-cult aspect of the story, as well as the marauding biker gang theme of the films. The customized vehicles have such a rich variety in their looks- dangerous vehicles in many ways, very fitting with a post apocalyptic kill the other guy first world.

The cast are all well chosen. Hugh Keays-Byrne played a role in the first Mad Max, and his new role is a fierce one. Immortan Joe is a madman, a ruthless monster with no shades of grey. A zealot and a tyrant, he takes any measure of disobedience personally, which drives him throughout the movie as he seeks to reclaim what he believes belongs to him- those five women who he seeks to breed a male heir with. He's also charismatic enough to get people to believe in the afterlife he promises them- all so he can use them for cannon fodder or human shields. Monster though he is, he does make for a formidable villain.

Nicholas Hoult is unrecognizable largely as Nux, but the character changes through the film. The actor, who's turned up in the last two X-Men films as the young Beast, starts out as a loyal soldier, though things change, and he switches sides, an interesting turn of events. The reasons for the shift in loyalties ring true, though, and the character's compelling to watch. Hoult conveys the aspects of the character in just the right way.

Charlize Theron is in many ways the driving force of the film as Furiosa (I love that name). She seeks redemption by saving the lives of these women, even though that puts her in direct peril. The character is haunted by her own demons, yet still pushes forward, willpower driving her on. It's such a strongly written character, and Theron works wonders with her, making her a character the audience can't help but be drawn to. She's a lot like Max- anti-hero, scarred and damaged, and while the characters don't fall into the romantic or even friends angle that a different director would take, the two work well together. 

Hardy is an inspired choice to take on the role of Max. He spends the first part of the film wearing a partial mask (echoing his performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises), and doesn't say a lot. He's isolated himself from society, and we can pretty much see that this is a man who's dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Max has lost a lot, seen horrors on the open road, is reluctant to help- and yet has a conscience that makes him help. Furiosa draws him out of his shock, back into doing the right thing. He fits the role well.

There's a moment of conversation that stands out for me. Max tells Furiosa at one point that "hope is a lie." It's understandable given what he's been through, and yet not quite fitting with who he is. As dark and bleak as the world of this post-apocalypse is and always has been in these films, there's also been the sense to them that there is something better out there, over the horizon, far from marauding gangs. It's a contradictory moment... but full of meaning. It's been thirty years now since the last Mad Max film, but Fury Road was well worth the wait.

Last Charge Of The Drunken Hobbit

Some links to see to before we get started today. Yesterday was a Snippet Sunday, so we had a post on our blog. Krisztina had her pic of the week from a visit to Gettysburg. And Shelly writes about an experience with a snake.

Now then, it's a movie review for me to take on today...

"Are we destined to destroy each other, or can we change each other and unite? Is the future truly set?"  ~ Charles Xavier

"There is a new enemy out there: mutants. You need a new weapon for this war." ~ Bolivar Trask

Director Bryan Singer returns again to the cinematic world of the X-Men in the new film X-Men: Days Of Future Past. It is drawn from the storyline by Chris Claremont, arguably the definitive writer of that corner of the Marvel Universe. In both comics and film, the story is about time travel and trying to undo an apocalyptic future in which everything has gone wrong. It brings back multiple X-Men from previous films, some of whom are in different time periods being played by different actors. It picks up plot threads from previous films, while taking us in a new direction and bringing us a new and unlikely villain. 

Things open up a few years in the future, with robots called Sentinels hunting mutants and making life difficult for regular humans. Society's become one of those dark, dystopian realms that are so popular in fiction these days. Some of the surviving mutants are working with Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page, a previous castmember of one of the films). Kitty and her team meet up with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellan). The two old adversaries have had to come together.  And considering Xavier was blasted into oblivion in the events of X-Men The Last Stand, he's looking pretty good. 

They have themselves a plan to undo this turn of events, and it involves sending the essence of one of their own into the past to try to reset the timeline. Everything seems to have gone wrong with the assassination of industrialist Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), an act committed by Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence, reprising the role she started playing in X-Men First Class). Trask designed the Sentinels in the first place, and it's thought that his death was the trigger for everything that followed. The individual whose consciousness will be sent back into his younger self? Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), sometimes known as the Drunken Hobbit (what can I say, the only version of the character I can tolerate is Jackman's take on him... the comics version is really, really, really annoying). Xavier and Magneto urge him to seek out their younger selves, played again by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, to thwart the dark future that has come upon them all.

Singer directed the first couple of these films, starting back in 2000 with X-Men. He also had a hand in the production of the back in the past X-Men First Class. In this case he's returned to the director's helm and taken on one of the big stories in X-Men comic history. Claremont's story holds up well, altered somewhat by the screenwriters- Logan, for example, was never the character sent back in time. The story bounces back and forth between the dark future and the 1970s (rendered with the appalling fashion tastes on full display), and yet we never seem lost in the process. The story also gives us quite a few familiar faces from previous films, while introducing new mutants, and yet the sea of faces doesn't feel overwhelming. Singer paces the movie well, keeping things from slowing down while also respecting the themes of the core story, the dark and nightmare future, the unintended consequences of a character's actions, and how far a person can go before they're broken. Singer's crew does their work well. Once again the Mystique body paint look is remarkable- one can only imagine Jennifer Lawrence's patience each day with having that done. But beyond that, it applies to every details. The Sentinels look as ominous as you'd expect them to look from the comics. The dark future looks and feels malevolent. Special effects for the various mutant abilities come across very well, particularly in the case of Magneto- more than once do we see moments involving the character that are jaw dropping. And the 1970s are rendered in detail that feels true to the period, from technology that looks ancient in comparison to the presence of a certain "I Am Not A Crook" president mucking up the works. 

The cast is back in fine form, from more than one timeline. Aside from some of those mentioned, we meet some of the X-Men we've seen before, such as Storm (Halle Berry), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), and Colossus (Daniel Cudmore). They're back in familiar territory, playing the parts once again as if it's been a brief time since we saw them last. There are new faces as well- Blink, Sunspot, Bishop, and Warpath are all new faces here, but quite welcome. We even have a new actor playing a part we've seen before. Josh Helman plays an even younger William Stryker, the man who uses mutants and yet hates them; we've seen the character played before in different time periods by Brian Cox and Danny Huston. Helman brings across the character's military code and beneath the surface malevolence in his performance. Ellen Page, who's previously played the role in X-Men The Last Stand, gets to play Kitty as a decisive leader, a far step beyond her initial presence in the film franchise as a student. Peter Dinklage, who's busy in that series featuring dark ages fantasy, rough sex, extreme violence, and backstabbing betrayals otherwise known as Game of Thrones might seem as an unlikely choice as Bolivar Trask, but he's actually an inspired choice. He plays the part with a certain degree of arrogance, balanced out by the personality of a man who strives for respect. And what's the best part of his performance is that he plays it as a man who believes he's doing good in the world, even though that good is in fact an awful thing. As a villain, he's a compelling one.

Jennifer Lawrence returns again as Mystique, the ferocious shapeshifter mutant who has been in the first three films played by Rebecca Romijn. She plays the part as someone dedicated to her mission in life, more jaded than we saw her play the part in X-Men First Class. She believes in what she's doing, even though she can't see the consequences of that. Lawrence embodies the character well once again, giving her depth. And obviously we can't take our eyes off her- both actresses have had the chance to play this eye catching role. Nicholas Hoult returns to the role of Beast, a character he also played in X-Men First Class. This is the younger version of the character, still as bright and prone to chatter as ever. Hoult plays the character in a way that feels true to who he is in the comics as well. Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine, his seventh time (including a cameo in X-Men First Class) playing the character. He conveys the gruffness of the character as you'd expect; Jackman knows this character well by now. He's ferocious and courageous, a fighter who finds himself somewhat out of his element back in the past. 

That leaves us with two characters, played by four men. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan started playing Xavier and Magneto back in X-Men in 2000, and took on the essence of two former friends turned adversaries. Here we have them in a dark future, where they see that the choices they made might not have been for the better good. They both give their roles the dignity and gravitas you'd expect from such actors. McAvoy and Fassbender established that friendship in X-Men First Class, only to see it torn asunder by film's end. When we find them in the past, things have changed for both men. Fassbender plays Magneto as a man cornered and trapped when we first find him again in the past, but it's only made him more entrenched, more invested in his antagonism towards mainstream humanity. Fassbender conveys the inner pain of Magneto well, as he has done before. McAvoy puts a different spin on Xavier than what we saw in his first performance. His Xavier has lost the bulk of his first set of students in one way or another, and it's left him bitter and cynical, without hope. He's a wounded man. And there's a moment of contact between the two Xaviers across time that comes across as one of the best scenes in the movie.

X-Men Days Of Future Past does the original source story proud. It's a breathtaking action thriller that spans the decades and yet doesn't get us lost in all of the action, the characters, and the bouncing around in time aspect of the story. It deals with themes like arrogance, estranged friendships, and the consequences of ill considered actions. Oh, sure, we have to put up with horrible looking fashions (have I mentioned the Seventies were a blight on fashion?), but that's a small thing. It's a thrill ride that still grounds itself in good characterization.

Even with a Drunken Hobbit.