X Men:First Class- Truly First Class?

If nowadays girls are never satisfied with their boyfriends, it is because of superhero films like X Men: First Class.How can you, I repeat, how can you positively be happy with one meager boyfriend when Hollywood productions present delicious crispy freshly baked men on your plate every morning? 


I have never been a fan of the X-Men movie series; I liked the cartoons more. In spite of these, I have ended up watching every single of the X-Men movies. I had no particular intention of watching this particular movie but I had heard much furor regarding it. So this morning, I picked up an umbrella (coz it's heavy rain here) and went to watch it on thirty minutes' notice. 


As I reclined on a comfortable sofa seat, I had no idea what I was getting into. The film begins with a snap shot of 1944 Poland, where the "mutative" powers of boy Eric Lensherr aka Magneto are first discovered. Then the film goes to another snapshot of boy Charles Xavier catching Raven stealing food in the night from their house. And you know, that a love story is about to progress soon. 


But then you are disappointed. Kevin Bacon, my favorite bad man makes an appearance as Sebastian Shaw. If you are a Bacon fan, it is bound to remind you of the same name he had in his super hit "superhero" movie, Hollow Man (http://sojournoflife.blogspot.com/2011/02/narcissism-and-hollow-man.html). Good that I finally learned the secret to Kevin's eternal youth, and no it is not the Fountain of Youth as Capn' Jack Sparrow might have thought, but his ability to control energy that has kept him young all these years! 

The movie quickly proceeds to a handsome Eric Lensherr now played by Michael Fassbender and a witty Charles played by James McAvoy. And it is from this point onward, that the whole story changes.


The story needless to say is fast paced, exactly as a superhero movie should be. Typical commercial Hollywood superhero movie for the kids. I don't understand the need for a U/A rating. Frankly a PG rating was enough. For my part, I expected to see at least some romantic scenes between Charles and Raven and was sorely disappointed. 


The movie takes a swift turn when the boys grow up, because all you can actually notice is how hot they are. Michael Fassbender is roughly handsome; his story works in his favor. The whole drama about "My Mommy was killed by the Nazis and I am here to kill the bad guys blah blah" will force you to have sympathy towards this lonely sad ruggedly handsome mutant!


Charles Xavier on the other hand played by James McAvoy is relatively the underdog, what with all the riches and the girls. Let's face it, audience sympathy towards the have not is always more as compared to the all-haves. You can't help but justify Eric's position. He respects women, quite unlike the highly revered Prof. Xavier who asks Raven to cover herself up when she shows up in her natural blue form. These are small instances in the film but they surely underline the way the viewer favors one character over another.


On top of that, Michael Fassbender is gorgeous. I mean how can someone so gorgeous and so lonely not get the sympathy, right, people? And well James Mc Avoy is tiny when compared to Eric's aura, stature or even physical appearance. 

I remember when I returned home from watching the movie, my mother asked me how it was. My reply was, "The guys are very good looking."


And frankly that's all I have to say about the movie. The action sequences are spectacular. Eric's background scenes and his and Charles's friendship would make you cry. As will Darwin's death. Rights from Hans to Alex, the young mutants are all extremely cute. The movie has got all the ingredients in the right amounts to make it a blockbuster. A particular action scene where Eric pulls a submarine off the depths of the ocean to the level of their flying plane is in particular most enthralling. 


But now let me come to what I liked in the movie the most. The one, the only: James McAvoy. He was the only one star I knew who was in the movie. The other stars are relatively unknown. It is because of James that I did not want to go for the movie. When his films are shown on TV, I change the channels. 


The character of Charles Xavier in this movie will take you by storm. He is nothing of the fatherly kind that we see in the other X men movies. Here Charles is a flirty smart-ass genius who loves to spend his free time going to parties and dating sexy women. A genius who can touch your hair and say exactly how mutated your genes are. Cheesy? Yes. But brilliant too. Not to mention Charles Exavier's sexy British accent. 


A witty guy like that, you would expect him to have at least a few love scenes, at least with his sexy childhood friend Raven played by Jennifer Lawrence. But of course, Prof. Xavier is too busy helping hot dudes like Eric Lensherr achieve their vengeance. Like you and I, he too is overcome by Michael's raw masculinity.

Enough words have been spared on the hotness of the X-Girls to deserve further mention. Jennifer Lawrence clearly steals the limelight because of her innocent yet seductive looks. I have no idea how any guy would be able to resist her unless, of course he was utterly gay. 


Moira MacTaggert, a CIA agent played by Rose Byrne shows great promise but of course Charles is too busy with his hot male friends to even notice her. He even erases her memory at the end (much like Men In Black style) so that she cannot say anything about him to the CIA officers. (Or was it to erase her memory of Charles's rendezvous with the other naive young mutants?) January Jones does her bit. I did not find her as scintillating as promised but she is okay. 


Music is great. In many portions even if the actions do not hold your fancy, you will flow on the high-flying wings of music. 


At any rate, there is no doubt to the fact that James McAvoy plays a Charles Xavier who you will love to hate. His cockiness, his intelligence is bound to sweep you off your feet. You are bound to ask yourself the question, How can anyone be so smart? How can anyone be so witty? How can anyone be so confident, so reassuring? Throughout the movie, he is the only positive force driving through. 


He is always trying to help everyone; be it the common people, Raven, Moira, the CIA or Eric. He is soft as compared to Eric; he cannot shoot him during a practice session even when Eric repeatedly asks him to. Raven is too confused and Eric is too hell bent on revenge to see the larger picture. James McAvoy takes the fatherly Charles Xavier and turns him into the neighboring popular genius kid. 

And his eyes. Those eyes that I love to hate. Mind you he is not conventionally good looking. He does not have the rough cut of his friend, Eric. He is not beautiful as Johnny Depp. But there is a softness, a warmth. There is also a tinge of something else. You know just by looking that this guy is not innocent. He is a charming boy next door, who probably kills small animals by night.


In a film, one of the characters once described chocolate as "Positively sinful". That is exactly what comes to my mind while writing about James's eyes. Positively Sinful. Like Chocolate. Something that you know you shouldn't have. Something which you know is wrong. Uncertainty. Unknown. The Path of Sin. Yes, those eyes can lead you to the path of sin. Yes, that is exactly why I hated him. I still do. I find his confidence, his impertinence utterly rude. His eyes, the same ones which made me change the channel after the first half of Atonement, invite you to danger. They are almost controlling, like that of Xavier's. Which is why James is the perfect guy to play this role. Nobody else could have done it. 

And when he looks at you with those deep blue eyes of his, there is no need for any telepathic powers. He owns you.Controls you, as if. So some like me feel it safer to steer clear of danger and avoid his intoxicating eyes. Eyes that can intoxicate you, eyes which are intoxicated, by you don't know what. 


Passion perhaps?


I was still thinking of James McAvoy and his deep blue eyes; wondering, wandering... What if? 

As I reached my house, I heard an unknown pungent smell. James. His name echoed my mind. I raced up the steps. What did I expect? 

I reached the landing slowly. There he was, standing in a filthy white worn out shirt, a guy of roughly seventeen-eighteen years, lean and shriveled, with an out-of-place thin mustache, who had come to deliver food. The pungent smell was of mutton along with sweat. 


"You have a funny sense of humor, God", I mused as I went inside.