X-Men : Le commencement

Michael Fassbender mène la danse et James McAvoy ainsi que January Jones sont à la traîne. Le volet le plus fun et le plus dynamique de toute la série. (24/07/2011)

Ne vous laissez pas tromper par les évaluations élevées. Vaughn ne reprend pas là où Bryan Singer s'était arrêté, il est plus proche de la trilogie de Ratner. Cependant, ce qui distingue Vaughn de Ratner, c'est l'équilibre entre le côté enfantin et la maturité de la narration (les deux sont ici présents, Ratner était seulement enfantin), beaucoup plus de personnages et un rythme beaucoup plus rapide (en "mode" normal, le film durerait trois heures) et beaucoup BEAUCOUP plus d'action épique extrême, qui ne semble jamais avoir perdu le contrôle ni être surpayée. Une poussée vers les paramètres du spectacle coloré et attrayant pour les yeux, qui conquiert même les adolescents (pour qui les œuvres de Singer étaient inutilement psychologiques), confirme et allège le fait que la meilleure scène de ce film bourré d'action est l'apparition de Hugh Jackman, affalé dans un bar gris et enfumé, pendant quelques secondes de « go-fuck-yourself! ».. Les créateurs prouvent par cela qu'ils ne mènent pas la narration dans cette nouvelle direction simplement parce qu'ils ne sauraient pas la gérer dans le style de Singer, mais parce qu'ils savent qu'ils peuvent mener cette direction pop à la « perfection » et ainsi satisfaire un large public mieux que quiconque avant eux. Parmi les acteurs, Michael Fassbender est clairement en tête et pourrait être le nouveau Ethan Hunt ou James Bond (la deuxième meilleure scène du film, également dans un bar, est celle de Fassbender en Argentine), et Kevin Bacon joue très bien le méchant. James McAvoy est moyen en tant que Charles Xavier, ce qui est un peu décevant. Le reste du casting est juste moyen, bien que la pléthore de mini-rôles iconiques de second rôle d'acteurs cultes procure plus de plaisir (Platt, Ironside...). (01/06/2011)

I had hoped that Vaughn’s contribution to the franchise would be for non-fans of X-Men what J.J. Abrams last film was for non-fans of Star Trek. It’s not. The desire to establish a mutant fan club didn’t arise. They wouldn’t necessarily have had to emulate the enjoyable Bondian feeling (starting with Fassbender, who resembles a young Sean Connery, continuing with the overly self-regarding sixties design and ending with the closing credits), the more or less successful combining of the grown-up (restoration of a myth) with the childish (action nonsense), the fictional with the real…. It would have been enough to write a balanced screenplay, cast actors who are capable of delivering “grand” speeches, not rely solely on editing but also on the mise-en-scene here and there, and exaggerate, but within the limits of genre stylisation. (Yes, with appropriate exaggeration, a bit in the spirit of Command & Conquer: Red Alert, you can even get away with a flying submarine.) This is the first X-Men film that is not a groundbreaking work taking the genre into new dimensions, instead merely stepping across the genre boundaries where Singer has already tread (the sociological dimension and the openness of the queer interpretation, but it is superbly entertaining from start to finish, though never with its silliness. 80% (30/05/2011)

Phenomenal! Vaughn brings the series back to where it originally started. As a comic book movie that uses its brain where others flex their muscles, it doesn't for a moment compromise on the audience-appealing spectacle, which doesn't lack wit, exaggeration, and... action. It is mature in its acting, plot, and direction, with no dead spots or lapses in pace. I’ll have more to say (hopefully) after the second viewing. Now I am just reveling in the memories of a film that was satisfying in every way. PS: There is nothing for me to add the second time either. Except that Fassbender rules like nobody’s business. Perfect in every detail. (02/06/2011)

A fun blockbuster, but Singer’s X-Men are still better. Those two hours went very fast and I certainly wasn’t bored, but after the excellent reviews and trailers, I can’t help but feel mildly disappointed. It’s just too shallow and straightforward, played only for effect (so many dramatic looks!) and without any depth. There are some very silly moments (for instance, when Eric moves the big satellite), though fortunately, they are outnumbered by the cool ones. But even in the strongest moments I had the feeling that it could be more polished (Eric agitated in the concentration camp, Shaw’s attack on the CIA, the flying submarine), and the number of scenes of the type “the characters stand stiff waiting for something to happen, and when something does happen, they start moving on command” was above the tolerable limit. I didn’t leave the cinema with negative feelings, though – the last half hour is quite bombastic – but I still feel that it could have been better. PS: The most surprising thing today was the rosy hell of the trailer for The Magical Duvet. Someone must have thought it has the same target audience. :-) (02/06/2011)