I'm sorry, I have to disagree with your comment that said X-men was "all action and simplistic moral tales". The first two X-men movies were deep and engaging, with character development and real-life allusions. The whole mutant phenomenon, as delivered by director Bryan Singer, is a metaphor for oppression. Look at some of the speeches delivered by Senator Kelly, find the word mutant and replace it with black or gay and you hear common arguments used to discriminate against these peoples. Perhaps the funniest payoff of this whole idea is Iceman's "coming out" scene when he reveals he's a mutant to his parents. The mom immediately says, "Have you ever tried NOT being a mutant?" Again substitute mutant for gay and you have a portrayal of what coming out is like for thousands of teens.
X-men is probably the best comic book adaptation along with the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films.
Yes, I was aware (even painfully aware) of that metaphor; I just felt like it was about as subtle as one of Shane's rants. :) Simplistic is probably too strong a word, but I always felt I was being emotionally manipulated rather than invited to explore a serious and complex social issue. As you well know, being gay is not a black and white issue, and few people are really easy to peg as pro- or anti-; my guess is most people have mixed feelings. The one part of X-Men I found powerful was the bird man (can't remember his name in the movie) and his relationship with his father (as I recall, this was the Senator you mentioned, but I could be wrong). That segment did have some resonance for me. Even that, though, seemed a bit ham-fisted; I would have preferred a bit more torturous emotional wrangling for both parties. :)
If anyone were ever foolish enough to put me at the helm of a picture like X-Men, I would make it ambiguous and complex, with no easy solutions and definitely nothing that you'd walk away from feeling closure. I know they tried to expand with Magneto, but they just seem to lack the guts to make a truly multifaceted character. In the end you always have to have the good guys and the bad guys being very clear cut and unambiguous. The comic books have grown up beyond that duality, and I'd like to see the movies based on comics to take a similar leap forward. For instance, the Iron Man comics have Tony Stark as director of SHIELD, and it isn't at all clear whether he's on the right side or not. Spiderman was on Iron Man's side for awhile about superhero registration, but then got disgruntled and switched sides (to join with Captain America). The whole Civil War event is loaded with very difficult situations that simply defy easy solutions; either way, somebody is going to be screwed. I *love* that. I'm tired of shallow fare; throw me in with the lions. :)
One thing I loved about Iron Man was that you didn't get any real closure with the Pepper/Tony relationship--they left that part hanging. I liked that better than if they'd given in and had them making out and having sex at the end. They've tried to do something like that with Peter Parker and Mary Jane in the movies, but again that seems forced. I just don't feel convinced that Peter Parker would really reject MJ for the reasons posited in the film. Doesn't add up to me. The comics weren't necessarily good either; I always thought it was just stupid that Peter Parker would end up with a supermodel or actress--too blatant of an adolescent fantasy. I actually thought his relationship with Black Cat was far more interesting, particularly when she got obsessed with him.
I'm sorry, I have to disagree with your comment that said X-men was "all action and simplistic moral tales". The first two X-men movies were deep and engaging, with character development and real-life allusions. The whole mutant phenomenon, as delivered by director Bryan Singer, is a metaphor for oppression. Look at some of the speeches delivered by Senator Kelly, find the word mutant and replace it with black or gay and you hear common arguments used to discriminate against these peoples. Perhaps the funniest payoff of this whole idea is Iceman's "coming out" scene when he reveals he's a mutant to his parents. The mom immediately says, "Have you ever tried NOT being a mutant?" Again substitute mutant for gay and you have a portrayal of what coming out is like for thousands of teens.
X-men is probably the best comic book adaptation along with the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films.
Yes, I was aware (even painfully aware) of that metaphor; I just felt like it was about as subtle as one of Shane's rants. :) Simplistic is probably too strong a word, but I always felt I was being emotionally manipulated rather than invited to explore a serious and complex social issue. As you well know, being gay is not a black and white issue, and few people are really easy to peg as pro- or anti-; my guess is most people have mixed feelings. The one part of X-Men I found powerful was the bird man (can't remember his name in the movie) and his relationship with his father (as I recall, this was the Senator you mentioned, but I could be wrong). That segment did have some resonance for me. Even that, though, seemed a bit ham-fisted; I would have preferred a bit more torturous emotional wrangling for both parties. :)
If anyone were ever foolish enough to put me at the helm of a picture like X-Men, I would make it ambiguous and complex, with no easy solutions and definitely nothing that you'd walk away from feeling closure. I know they tried to expand with Magneto, but they just seem to lack the guts to make a truly multifaceted character. In the end you always have to have the good guys and the bad guys being very clear cut and unambiguous. The comic books have grown up beyond that duality, and I'd like to see the movies based on comics to take a similar leap forward. For instance, the Iron Man comics have Tony Stark as director of SHIELD, and it isn't at all clear whether he's on the right side or not. Spiderman was on Iron Man's side for awhile about superhero registration, but then got disgruntled and switched sides (to join with Captain America). The whole Civil War event is loaded with very difficult situations that simply defy easy solutions; either way, somebody is going to be screwed. I *love* that. I'm tired of shallow fare; throw me in with the lions. :)
One thing I loved about Iron Man was that you didn't get any real closure with the Pepper/Tony relationship--they left that part hanging. I liked that better than if they'd given in and had them making out and having sex at the end. They've tried to do something like that with Peter Parker and Mary Jane in the movies, but again that seems forced. I just don't feel convinced that Peter Parker would really reject MJ for the reasons posited in the film. Doesn't add up to me. The comics weren't necessarily good either; I always thought it was just stupid that Peter Parker would end up with a supermodel or actress--too blatant of an adolescent fantasy. I actually thought his relationship with Black Cat was far more interesting, particularly when she got obsessed with him.
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com