Great Production, Good Movie
Confession time: This is the first X-Men movie I have seen since X-Men: The Last Stand, and I think I even dozed off while watching that one. High-end superhero movies were still emerging, and so much attention was paid to the graphics that often character development and plot had to be sacrificed. So, I got off the X-Men train for a while. I saw bits and pieces of X-Men: First Class, but this was the first full X-Men movie I have seen since 2006. While the movie wasn't fantastic, it was enough to get me excited about future X-Men movies.
Let me pause and give Hugh Jackman his due praise after his performance. Not that the character of Logan is something phenomenal, but shows off his versatility as an actor. I can say that this Aussie would make a great American (as Logan). I also have to give a well-deserved nod to Rila Fukushima. She brings a new, appropriate quirkiness to the X-Men series that blends well with the personality Jackman's character. Watching the two of them interacting throughout the movie was entertaining and was the source of most of the comedic interplay. Of course, as the title would imply, the production value of this film was terrific. I was thoroughly impressed with the attention to detail and use of CGI/special effects. (Look for a couple nominations come Oscar season.)
So why a 7? Well, no matter what the production value of the movie, the film served as a transition. A lot of the movie was spent on developing Jackman's character, which got quite redundant, but was more or less necessary. Who knows, maybe my attention span for stuff of that nature is just inadequate. The simplicity of the story was also masked by action scene after action scene. The one positive in regards to the story was that I felt the twist was well-structured, and honestly, I didn't see it coming. Then again, it left me thinking, "Whoa, how did I not see that coming?"
X-Men fans will rejoice, whereas the laymen fan will be pleased. If you are looking for a movie to watch in the theaters in the near future, this one certainly wouldn't be a bad choice.
Written July 27, 2013
Let me pause and give Hugh Jackman his due praise after his performance. Not that the character of Logan is something phenomenal, but shows off his versatility as an actor. I can say that this Aussie would make a great American (as Logan). I also have to give a well-deserved nod to Rila Fukushima. She brings a new, appropriate quirkiness to the X-Men series that blends well with the personality Jackman's character. Watching the two of them interacting throughout the movie was entertaining and was the source of most of the comedic interplay. Of course, as the title would imply, the production value of this film was terrific. I was thoroughly impressed with the attention to detail and use of CGI/special effects. (Look for a couple nominations come Oscar season.)
So why a 7? Well, no matter what the production value of the movie, the film served as a transition. A lot of the movie was spent on developing Jackman's character, which got quite redundant, but was more or less necessary. Who knows, maybe my attention span for stuff of that nature is just inadequate. The simplicity of the story was also masked by action scene after action scene. The one positive in regards to the story was that I felt the twist was well-structured, and honestly, I didn't see it coming. Then again, it left me thinking, "Whoa, how did I not see that coming?"
X-Men fans will rejoice, whereas the laymen fan will be pleased. If you are looking for a movie to watch in the theaters in the near future, this one certainly wouldn't be a bad choice.
Written July 27, 2013