Tonight, it is more than likely I will be seeing X-Men: Days of Future Past for the third time. However, I'm not going to talk much about the movie (I might later, but it will clearly be marked with a spoiler warning), instead, I want to talk about the dwindling culture of the midnight showing.
The theater I live next to shows new movies not at midnight the day before release, but sometimes as early as seven. Already, this takes points away to the culture of the midnight showing. But what is the midnight showing?
For as long as I can remember, when the really nerdy movies came out--you know, the movies that everyone was looking forward to--you (sometimes) dressed up and went to the theater. I know I have seen almost all of the Harry Potter movies dressed up in my cloak and Slytherin tie (except for Order of the Phoenix, I was too busy with other things) at midnight with my friends. I had watched the very first X-Men in the mall theater in the town I grew up and it was awesome. The entrance way to that theater was a long walk and many times there were tents set up the night before. I remember the release of the last Star Wars this way. I actually drove for six hours to see it with my best friend after a school final. Judge the second trilogy as you may, but I have very fond memories of that night. Actually, all of my memories of midnight showings are great. The last one I went to before I felt the excitement of it all die away was Avengers. The crowd was so pumped and we were delirious because it was so late. We laughed together, we cried together when Coulson died, and we stayed for schwarma.
Those feelings are gone when I go to these early showings and even when I see the midnight-goers, it doesn't look the same. Is the excitement still in other places? Do you go to midnight shows that the whole crowd gets really pumped to be there?
I have a theory as to why many places no longer feel this kind of excitement and I guess we could all agree that James Holmes ruined that one. But did he? (My home theater is a Century 16, so as someone who is paranoid about similar circumstances, this worries me every time I see a new movie late at night.) I think we all ruined the midnight showing by not being excited by much anymore. Instead, a whole mess of internet culture has ruined the excitement seeing a movie ridiculously late at night with our friends. Or maybe we're all too poor to see it. Or we are adults with adult things to do. (I don't believe that last one. I believe in making time for yourself to do things you want to do.) Granted, many people have young kids and that's something that keeps you from going to these things, pumped up on coffee or energy drinks knowing that tomorrow at work and/or school you're going to feel like absolute shit, but if the movie was good, it might be worth it.
I guess what I am asking for is even at these "early" midnight showings, or any midnight showing, be a little more excited that you're there. I know it's hard because it's late, but you marked out that time for a reason. You are sacrificing precious sleep for something you maybe care one iota for. Celebrate that, dammit.
NOW FOR SPOILERSSSSSSSS!!!1!!!!!
ERHMERGERD. I still have a hard time talking about this movie without going into a puddle of incomprehensible drool. Not only was I really excited about Bryan Singer being back to direct the series (as it should be), and also utterly bat-shit-crazy-hard-on for Michael Fassbender returning as Magneto, but this was a good fucking X-Men movie that we have all been waiting for.
I'm not going to go in to detail about how this was totally like the comic, because I don't know. I have not read the graphic novel the script is based on, but I plan to purchase it on Comixology soon. If you're going to give me shit for it, then you've obviously never been a grad student studying English. (See: previous post about no life.)
What I CAN go into detail about is how Bryan Singer basically did this to the previous movies:
Not only did awesome time-travel save the day, but it saved the franchise for a sustainable future until a satisfactory number of movies have been made to make up for the abomination of the third movie. (See: Wolverine's indestructible pants.) Of course, the end has the lead-in to the next movies based on the Age of Apocalypse and I know this story from growing up watching the animated series. I loved that shit growing up and now I get to see it in movies. I love living in the future.
Although a friend of mine was quite upset with the surprise of a skinny Apocalypse, I have a feeling we saw a young version of Apocalypse. I think we can count on some sort of accuracy from Singer, but that is yet to be seen.
I feel very strong about this movie, and while my same friend said it felt like the movie was missing something at the end, I think I know what:
Kissin' Fassbender.
There are two parts where two characters should just smooch that German/Irish god. Firstly, Eric and Charles get all up close and personal in their argument and all I can think about is Mike Tyson saying, "now kithh" while pushing their heads together. This leaves the viewer who wants to see this sort of thing ultimately disappointed when the bromance is not fulfilled.
The other part is when Eric and Mystique are in that bizarre French phone booth drowning themselves in sexual tension. From what I know of her character, Mystique is a hardcore killer, precise and a little bit disconnected from the rest of her fellow mutants because she is so different. Since the first movie, I have been a great fan of the Mystique/Magneto pairing (whether this is something the comics orchestrated first I have no idea, someone please fill me in!) and it is only until Fassbender and Lawrence have fulfilled the roles that we have had a chance to build that tension properly.
I wanted them to smooch so bad. I wanted it with every fiber of my being because those love stories where both people have to work for what they want are my favorite stories. Love unrequited and later fulfilled is what really drives my hamster on the wheel. But she was pissed at him (and rightly so) and it would have been too unbelievable and a discredit to Mystique's focus on killing the man who orchestrated the death of her mutant-kin. There was a tension unrelieved between them and it continued through to the end when she leaves Eric to the whims of Charles. She leaves them both, but we all know she will return sometime later.
The big question is whether this some time will reprise Fassbender once again as Magneto. Granted, Sir Ian McKellen is AMAZING and probably the best choice for the later Magneto there is, but Fassbender is so utterly charming as this young, struggling mutant that I need him to fulfill that role again. (JUST ONCE MORE, FOR THE LOVE OF ODIN.) Will he? (Imdb says YES.) GOOD. Perhaps they will finish off that tension and I can breathe easy once more, but until then, this is one of those movies that I can watch again and again, expecting something different to happen each time.
No comments:
Post a Comment