lilacsigil (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lilacsigil) wrote2014-05-26 06:05 pm
lilacsigil) wrote2014-05-26 06:05 pm
Entry tags:
X-Men: Days of Future Past
I am so looking forward to ALL THE FIC! It's one of those terrific fannish movies that keeps its main story together while leaving lots of delicious gaps for ficcers to develop.
All the things I was worrried about were in fact awesome, the time-travel was great and Mystique is my hero.
That said, does it count for the Bechdel Test if a female shapeshifter is impersonating a male character and speaks to a female character about something other than a man?
RAAAAAVEEEEEN! I was crying so hard all through this movie (more happy tears than sad to be honest) and the first thing that set me off was Raven looking at Trask's secure snuff photos. That said, if anything would have put a permanent rift between her and Charles (siblings in XMFC, strangers in X1) being tortured for years while her brother doesn't rescue her would probably do it. Especially if Stryker does his usual psychological torture on top of that - if he can get Logan to believe he's worthless I'm sure he can convince Raven that her brother abandoned her. I loved her courage and her convictions and that while Charles was high and Erik was in jail she was out there doing the hard work and rescuing mutants, spying on threats and protecting their future. But she was so alone, and I really hope she reconnects with other mutants from here. Her tears at the photo of Angel's body were heart-wrenching.
Erik has the absolute worst ideas ever, mostly because of his total inability to trust anyone.st_aurafina and I decided he spent the 10 years in that cell doing isometric exercises, trying to shave with a plastic scraper and rehearsing grandiose speeches. Shooting Mystique is a terrible (but totally in character) move, and I don't blame her for not listening to Charles and Erik trying to explain things to her when they have distracted her to get her tasered and apologetically tried to kill her, respectively. Still, he did keep his promise to Charles not to kill people, at least in the case of security guards and casual observers.
I was completely surprised not to be annoyed at Logan's central role here! His place as an information source and old soldier really worked for me: there was no need for internal conflict for him, just an attempt to help Charles solve his. Wolverine's greatest enemies: tact and diplomacy! His banter with Hank was terrific and kept the two of them moving along while the great conflict (Charles and Raven) was being resolved. That said, I really liked the bit at the end where Raven hauled present-day Logan out of the river rather than Stryker - if she was watching Trask she must have started to know about Stryker and his particular interests (also from her Vietnam experience), so I hope she gave him a good hard kick in the balls before she knocked him out and impersonated him on his little dredging mission. It was a great nod to old Charles and young Charles' conversation about hope and helping people when they stumble.
The future scenes were great in that the storyline was very simple - set up the time-travel then hold off the Sentinels long enough - and it let the visuals tell the story. The dark buildings and mountains with the beautiful stained glass colours were an inspired setting. The conversations between the two Charleses was so respectful and delightful, and the compassion that older Charles had for not just his younger self but for everyone else was his character in a nutshell: he makes mistakes through arrogance or carelessness, but he always comes back to kindness.
P. Maximoff was a delight and I really liked the callback to him near the end when Erik is doing his (literal) grandstanding - he's not running out there being a hero or villain. He's sitting at home in the suburbs with his little sister watching their future unravel.
But mostly? I'm excited for fic!
All the things I was worrried about were in fact awesome, the time-travel was great and Mystique is my hero.
That said, does it count for the Bechdel Test if a female shapeshifter is impersonating a male character and speaks to a female character about something other than a man?
RAAAAAVEEEEEN! I was crying so hard all through this movie (more happy tears than sad to be honest) and the first thing that set me off was Raven looking at Trask's secure snuff photos. That said, if anything would have put a permanent rift between her and Charles (siblings in XMFC, strangers in X1) being tortured for years while her brother doesn't rescue her would probably do it. Especially if Stryker does his usual psychological torture on top of that - if he can get Logan to believe he's worthless I'm sure he can convince Raven that her brother abandoned her. I loved her courage and her convictions and that while Charles was high and Erik was in jail she was out there doing the hard work and rescuing mutants, spying on threats and protecting their future. But she was so alone, and I really hope she reconnects with other mutants from here. Her tears at the photo of Angel's body were heart-wrenching.
Erik has the absolute worst ideas ever, mostly because of his total inability to trust anyone.
st_aurafina and I decided he spent the 10 years in that cell doing isometric exercises, trying to shave with a plastic scraper and rehearsing grandiose speeches. Shooting Mystique is a terrible (but totally in character) move, and I don't blame her for not listening to Charles and Erik trying to explain things to her when they have distracted her to get her tasered and apologetically tried to kill her, respectively. Still, he did keep his promise to Charles not to kill people, at least in the case of security guards and casual observers. I was completely surprised not to be annoyed at Logan's central role here! His place as an information source and old soldier really worked for me: there was no need for internal conflict for him, just an attempt to help Charles solve his. Wolverine's greatest enemies: tact and diplomacy! His banter with Hank was terrific and kept the two of them moving along while the great conflict (Charles and Raven) was being resolved. That said, I really liked the bit at the end where Raven hauled present-day Logan out of the river rather than Stryker - if she was watching Trask she must have started to know about Stryker and his particular interests (also from her Vietnam experience), so I hope she gave him a good hard kick in the balls before she knocked him out and impersonated him on his little dredging mission. It was a great nod to old Charles and young Charles' conversation about hope and helping people when they stumble.
The future scenes were great in that the storyline was very simple - set up the time-travel then hold off the Sentinels long enough - and it let the visuals tell the story. The dark buildings and mountains with the beautiful stained glass colours were an inspired setting. The conversations between the two Charleses was so respectful and delightful, and the compassion that older Charles had for not just his younger self but for everyone else was his character in a nutshell: he makes mistakes through arrogance or carelessness, but he always comes back to kindness.
P. Maximoff was a delight and I really liked the callback to him near the end when Erik is doing his (literal) grandstanding - he's not running out there being a hero or villain. He's sitting at home in the suburbs with his little sister watching their future unravel.
But mostly? I'm excited for fic!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Oh wow, I didn't even realise that was Angel she was looking at.
Erik, Erik, Erik. You'd think ten years in a cell would make him regret and rethink a few things. And perhaps they did. But they were clearly the wrong things. (I pity the guards who had to listen to the grandiose speeches.)
no subject
I saw pictures of Azazel and Angel, and there were others I wasn't sure about - Erik lists Banshee and Emma later, no word on Riptide.
no subject
I think Erik may be with me in having completely forgotten Riptide ever existed in the first place.
no subject
no subject
no subject