In which the funny guy gets it again...

[lady_mercury]

Today, I went to see X-Men: First Class after being told it was a great movie, despite the fact that the movie posters left much to be desired. Much to my surprise, the movie did end up being quite entertaining for what it was worth: an obvious reboot and an obvious start to a potential movie series. My $7.50 was not wasted (unlike a certain movie

Comments

[clover_elf_kin]

My thoughts exactly. -_- "Great, black guy dies first and the only other PoC up and goes with the bad guys!" I'm not even a PoC myself, but since I started paying attention to these things... it's really been pissing me off.

I was fine with Mystique's chosen form being a blond girl--one of the biggest plus sides to her powers, if she wants to look like the current ideal beauty, then she can! But the rest? I'm practically face-blind and virtually all the characters were white with short brown hair. I spent most of the movie just trying to figure out who was who.

[lady_mercury]

The women really did get the short end of the stick in this movie. Frost just kept herself in the kitchen (almost literally at times, " go get me some ice "), and flaunted her boobs, Mystique was looking for the approval of men to justify who she was (eventually being swayed by Magneto), and Angel left to replace Frost as a new "queen". The movie definitely was a sign of the time in which it was placed in; women are second place, sexual objects who can't think for themselves.

[neo_prodigy]

I wrote a review on it here: http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/955697.html

Here was my take on the situation.

[lady_mercury]

Great review :)

I can see where you're coming from but at face value I have to disagree. While we can speculate the hidden parallels or euphemisms, summer blockbusters at the end will be summer blockbusters. No one is going to sit in a theater, look at Darwin's sacrifice as him being something like a Jackie Robbinson.

He's going to be the black guy that said some jokes, made some funny faces, and died a really horrible death.

Jackie Robbinson had a significant impact on the world -- his sacrifices shaped the world of sports. Darwin's sacrifice was a passing thought, a "lesson" that proved Magneto's ideal for revenge and Xavier's pacifist ideals of simply complying to survive.

This is a too much of a reoccurring character trait and problem in movies, especially like this, that I can't simply try to look at what could have been, what may have been. Even if it wasn't malicious in intent, the mark is still there.

At the end of the day, white people saved the world against the evil POCs and their white leader.

[neo_prodigy]

"No one is going to sit in a theater, look at Darwin's sacrifice as him being something like a Jackie Robbinson."

Um, I did. And for me it's not speculation because this is prevalent throughout my culture. Too often blacks have put ourselves in situations where we are feared, hated, and denigrated to pave the way for a better good.

"At the end of the day, white people saved the world against the evil POCs and their white leader."

But that's just it. Magneto and the POCs weren't the villains though. As you said, they were proof of Magneto and for that matter, Shaw's ideas of trying to survive. They just got fucked over by the humans they were hoping to protect. The POCs should be taking a militant stand against the government.

[lady_mercury]

But, with no disrespect, that's you. I am part African American as well and how many African Americans, today, can sit through this movie and think of "Jackie Robbinson" or see the parallels? I, like many others, did not even see the relevance. All I saw was a black man act like the stereotypical funny guy die in a horrific way for no other reason to be a red shirt

[d_c_m]

I must say it bugged me too when the black guy had to die. I'm tired of that. Plus I thought he had a cool power. Thanks for posting.

[lady_mercury]

There was a lot of potential with him that we were not given the opportunity to see, and I personally would have loved to see, because he happened to be the sacrificial lamb. So annoying.