Sometimes, the hardest part about reviewing a movie is to stay grounded. So many factors arise from personal experiences that expectations are formed whether I want them to or not. While normally these expectations are too mild in nature to play much of a factor (mild surprise one way or the other), sometimes a preconceived notion about a particular event can multiply or divide the enjoyment factor of a particular movie considerably. It takes a second viewing with tempered expectations to get a firm grasp on the full entertainment value of a movie.
I was not excited to see "X-Men First Class". I was not overly pleased with how "X-Men The Last Stand" played out. With no knowledge of comic book lore, the movie, for the most part, is enjoyable enough. With any knowledge of comic book lore, combined with the "Phoenix Saga" teaser at the end of the second movie, the failure of that movie was epic. After how good the second movie was, along with the possibility of one of the most beloved sagas of the series coming to the big screen, expectations were huge. While I did ultimately like the third movie, rewatching it, even today, is difficult. I still get angry. And I'm still mildly entertained. The battle in my head is exhausting when watching it.
Now, because of this, they successfully lowered my expectations to zero for this one. Since I simply have to see every comic book movie they make in theaters (must support the cause!!!), I finally went to see this one with no expectations. While this movie was really good, expectations probably were part of the reason why my entertainment level was nearly worth 5.0 donuts for this one.
To further examine the psychological ramifications, some key historical plot points, and a general reflective nature of the movie, I was fortuitous enough to analyze this with esteemed thespian, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Dave: So…we meet again.
Arnold: I WAZZZ not in MOOvie! But, I LOUVE mussssils.
Dave: Very good. Let's talk psychological ramifications for a moment.
Arnold: …
Dave: Historical plot points?
Arnold: …
Dave: General reflect…I mean…so…there sure were a lot of fun special effects in this movie.
Arnold: DEY were fon and ESSITING! Pretty LIKE a BotterFLY!
Dave: Yes, and how they utilized World War II concentration camps and the Cuban Missile Crisis as backdrops was quite clever and really seemed to add to the story for me.
Arnold: …
Dave: Still nothing? Ok…ummm…anything fun going on in your personal life?
Arnold: F#$% you!
Dave: Thank you for your time.
My complaints on this movie are few and fairly trivial. Aside from not particularly being a fan of Banshee and feeling that some of the training exercises and recruiting scenes were a bit excessive, I could not have been more pleased. I may have been annoyed about the additional training and recruiting scenes if they had chinced elsewhere in the movie, but coming in at 2 hr 12 min and jam-packed with special effects actually turned what could have been listed as time filler into a "kudos for going above and beyond" type feeling.
The story revolved around the creation of the X-men and the relationship between Professor X and Magneto before they became Professor X and Magneto. Throw in a madman with a diabolical plot and Magneto's quest for revenge all happening in the aforementioned backdrop and the moviemakers succeed brilliantly. If you don't believe me, just ask Arnold.
by David 
Slatron
David Stampor
Slatron