bennet_7: (Iron Man: Pepper your eyes are red too)
I just got back from seeing Captain America: The First Avenger. Hopefully LJ will keep its shit together long enough for me to get down my thoughts.

Overall, I liked it. I didn't think much of the direction as I felt the film lagged at times and I was never quite sure of the plot. Spoilers ) But where the film did succeed was in getting me - someone who has never read a Cap comic - to care about most of the characters.

Chris Evans normally plays smug douchebags, but I thought he was good as the nobler-than-thou Steve. Sincerity isn't easy to portray and he sold me on Steve's good intentions. I really loved Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter, Special Agent and extreme badass. Sadly the film did not pass the Bechdel test - I don't think Peggy even talked to another woman about men - but Peggy herself was one of the best love interests since Pepper Potts. She was brave, intelligent, a crack shot, and damn good at her job. Plus, Hayley Atwell actually had the figure of a woman in the 1940s - curves instead of prominent clavicles - so that was nice to see.

More spoilery thoughts on casting, characters, and relationships )

I adored the costuming. Originally it was supposed to be in the hands of Jeffrey Kurland, whose work I loved in Inception, but Anna B. Sheppard ended up on the job which is great because I'm a fan of hers too (how much do I covet Bridget von Hammersmark's wardrobe in Inglorious Basterds? So much). The various versions of the Captain America uniform were great and I particularly loved Red Skull's leather coat (amazing tailoring), Bucky's last navy ensemble, and Peggy's red dress and leather jacket.

Because of timing, I had to see it in 3D and it looks decent in that format. The effects are great and the CGI work on Chris Evans to make him appear a foot smaller is a bit stunning (my mother thought that they'd gotten different actors). All in all, I enjoyed my time with Captain America and co....but I'm really looking forward to The Avengers.
bennet_7: (Iron Man: Suit reaching out)
Last night I went and saw X-Men: First Class with a friend and I liked it so much that when my parents decided to go see it tonight, I went with them to see it again (also, I never turn down a parentally-funded outing). And even though I would have liked a lot more time in between viewings, I still had a really great time.

Overall, I'd say it is a better movie than Thor as it had greater emotional depth and the arcs for some of the characters were more complex and darker too. The plot, though it had a few elements I didn't like, was generally very strong. It certainly wasn't as light-hearted as Thor but it still had some hilarious moments and most of the actors displayed great comic timing with their line readings.

The actors were mostly pretty great. James McAvoy is wonderful as the young Charles Xavier, managing to pull off the character's innate wisdom and unflinching sincerity while also imbuing him with a youthful swagger that is absolutely charming. Michael Fassbender is equally great, capturing Erik's vulnerability as well as his ruthlessness. I expect that Charles/Erik will be huge, but though they have great chemistry I don't think I could ship them: the film demonstrates quite well how their different philosophies must separate them.

When it comes to the women, I really liked Raven aka Mystique and Moira MacTaggert. Both were strong, intelligent, independent, and had their own goals. Spoilers for relationships and discussion of January Jones as Emma Frost )

Nicholas Hoult is grade-A adorkable as Hank McCoy and Kevin Bacon was clearly having a blast as Sebastian Shaw. Spoilers )

I loooved the guy's costumes. Excellent suits, yes, but also really good sports wear and by that I don't mean the grey sweats some of the characters ended up in. Charles had several lovely sweaters and Erik's casual threads were excellent. I did not like how often we saw women in underwear and I found Emma Frost's entire wardrobe very eye-roll worthy. Riptide was always dapper as fuck, which I appreciated, and Sebastian Shaw owned a lovely collection of cravats.

And now, some random spoilery thoughts )

Finally, there's no scene after the credits end so there is no need to stay unless you find the Take That song that plays over them insanely catchy.

What does everybody else think? I say: bring on the sequels.

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