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I agree with pretty much all the negative reviews in this thread so far - the film was bad. I never read the comic book, saw the first movie when it came out but not since, and missed X2. I think the movie was primarily aimed at people like me, or at least that's the only reason I can think of for its short length and (as someone earlier said) lack of content. But even the non-fanboy audience was severely underestimated - it was quite easy to follow the plot even knowing nothing about the comics, I was able to pick up on the superpowers and basic gist of every character within seconds of meeting them ("it's so awful that I CAN'T TOUCH THE ONES I LOVE WITHOUT KILLING THEM, waaaah!" for example). So there's just no excuse for not writing a leeeetle more complexity into the movie.
She just stands next to Magneto for half the film. In II the only manner in which she’s relevant is to set up her growing power for this movie. Here she’s squandered altogether. Some people gripe about the Phoenix effect not appearing. My concern is more the total lack of characterisation in the Phoenix, what it/she wants and what its/her agenda is. There’s just nothing to her apart from a confused role (which was played pretty admirably by Jansenn, I have to admit) and some special effects.
Totally agree. It seemed to me that this character should be the crux & pinnacle of the movie, and yet when she wasn't staring forlornly into space she was just tweaking out uncontrollably... the way the character was written made her little more than a vessel or a dumb beast. I think you can show that a character is ripe for, and subject to, exploitation without having to strip the character of any coherent self or personality.
The movie flirted with the concepts of difference, power, identity, ethics... and then they introduce this character in whom, it would logically follow, they would push those concepts to some sort of meaningful conclusion or - at the very least - meaningful question, and instead they just boil it down to this non-concept of "she can't be controlled." What is that about?
Granted, all of the characters were very badly drawn, but I caught a distinct whiff of misogyny about the way the female characterizations. Phoenix, who could and should have been written with a lot of complexity as to her motivations, struggles, and power is just this big unbridled Fury - the old boring so-called feminine principle of chaos, negativity, emotion, unconsciousness, irrationality. She isn't portrayed so much as powerful (since she has no control over her power) as, dare I say, hysterical? Mystique goes from crafty, cunning, powerful superhero to... "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!" Are you kidding me? How cute. Storm seems to exist only to stand around getting a little teary eyed and to represent the nurturer stereotype - the schoolteacher, the one who keeps the school open to care for the little kiddies, the one who eulogizes her master. Kitty was pretty insipid to me - sorry. And then there's Rogue, who strips herself of her powers so she'll be able to kiss her boyfriend.
Meh. Big meh. |
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