4. X-Men: First Class
Now we’ve hit the top dogs; the cream of the crop of what the year had to offer. If anybody’s been following my posting before, than number 4 should be of no surprise to anyone. How one makes the fifth entry in a pretty hit and miss franchise the best of the series is beyond me but somehow, “X-Men: First Class” has defied the impossible and somehow broken the X-Men franchise’s recent downward spiral.
Telling the story of Mutant existence first becoming public knowledge, “X-Men: First Class” follows the story of a younger Professor X and Magneto, working with the CIA to train Mutants to combat rising mutant terrorist Sebastian Shaw and his Hellfire Club while slowing building the foundations of what will eventually become an institution.
Where can I even begin to describe this one? I could gush over it for hours simply for making the X-Men relevant again but sheerly on a level of filmmaking the film is astonishing. By setting the film as a 60s period piece, director Matthew Vaughn was able to adopt the aesthetics of spy and espionage thrillers of the time, allowing the film to look more exaggerated than its predecessors without looking cheesy. This results in the first X-Men film that actually looks like an X-Men film. And yet despite the successful transition of comic book aesthetics, the film manages to retain all of the substance of a real film.
The political intrigue in regards to the mutant situation and how it relates to our own history is fascinating. It kind of reminds me of the things that I would have liked to see in a good “Watchmen” movie. It also addresses the issue of recruiting teenagers to fight battles to protect countries and how significant their status in society is in regards to their abilities, and the effect that this has on them as young adults that still have significantly more maturing to do. Despite being the origin period of these questions within the universe, it brings them in and studies them even better than the good X-Men movies ever did.
The primary focus of the entire film however boils down to the relationship between its three main characters; Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, Raven, aka Mystique, and of course Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto. The chemistry between James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Xavier and Lehnsherr respectively is astonishing, selling their bond of friendship faster than Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan did across three movies. This Chemistry only serves to heighten the character drama in regards to their ideologies pulling the two in completely opposite directions. Jennifer Lawrence’s performance as a young and insecure Mystique compliments their presence perfectly, as she desperately seeks the approval of the both of them until she realizes that eventually, she will have to choose.
In a year full of surprises, never once did I believe that a rushed X-Men movie would end up in my top 5, yet here I am, praising Matthew Vaughn, director of my last year’s number 9 film “Kick-Ass”, yet again for providing me with my fourth favorite film of the year.
3. Hanna
Raised from birth by her father to become a skilled assassin to take on a specific mission that will allow them to live normally, 16 year old Hanna has lived her entire life in the harsh environment of the Finland wilderness. When she finally accepts the mission that her father has had planned out for her since she was young, her journey will force her to cope with her first exposure to civilization and question the things that she truly desires out of life as she makes her way to her kill and across Europe to live with her father again, this time, with no mission looming over her future.
As the above synopsis would lead you to believe, “Hanna” is more of a coming of age film than an action thriller. The majority of the film is a study of Hanna’s character as she interacts with the world around her, being exposed to civilization and human contact for the first time and as such, allowing her human nature get the best of her. Along the way to her final destination in Germany, she befriends a family that she begins to travel with. She acknowledges that logically, she should have kept moving on her own and avoided human contact as much as possible but her natural curiosity and desire to be loved and acknowledged leads her to make decisions that her training has taught her better than to accept. These elements explored within an unusual set of circumstances are amongst the highlights of the film.
That’s not to say that the film is devoid of action; it has a fair share of it and it’s all pretty damn well coordinated but the star of the show is Hanna herself and she is the glue that holds together your interest in everything that occurs within the film.
The drama is carried almost primarily by Saoirse Ronan as the titular character. She manages to be socially awkward while still retaining the feel of a trained and dangerous assassin. Of course this also helps in sympathizing with her very being. Although she has been denied all of the comforts and staples of childhood, she has been raised not know any better so every disturbing murder and escape from authority that she carries out is only done because she genuinely believes that what she is doing is right. Her compelling performance is bolstered by Eric Bana’s portrayal as her father, a man with an obvious agenda that realizes he needs to use his daughter to achieve his goals but is saddened to do so as well.
The best way to really describe “Hanna” is fascinating. It’s not the type of film that you jump up and down for in excitement but rather one you appreciate quietly while analyzing the different parts of what makes it function. I knew I liked it when I was done but it grew on me the more I thought about it, ultimately earning its number 3 slot on the list despite an odd twist regarding Hanna’s origins and a slightly abrupt ending.
2. Midnight in Paris
Quite frankly my number 2 film has left me speechless. Probably even more so than my number 1 film of the year. Everything about this film is just beautiful. The acting, the score, the camera work, the pacing, the writing, all of the above are top notch and go into what makes “Midnight in Paris” such a great film.
Career writer Gil Pender visits Paris while working on his first major novel. While taking in the beauty of the city he is invited off of the streets by a passing by cab to a club that is seamlessly takes him to 1920s Paris. While there, he meets and finds inspiration amongst his idols of the time period, such as Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Salvador Dalí, all while learning just how much the story he is writing pertains to himself.
The best word I can use to describe this movie is charming. The musical score is one of the most endearing that I’ve heard this year while still serving a purpose within the actual storytelling of the film. Paris’ scenery is gorgeous and yet always distinct between time periods if you pay attention to the little details.
Gil’s obsession with Nostalgia comes off as a poignant contrast to our own nostalgia obsessed culture, making the point across that no matter how far back we go, things will never be as great as we remember them. Furthermore the film perfectly nails the mental trials that writers go through while trying to work on a project, from writing about real life influences right down to subconscious influences. It almost feels like Woody Allen was writing a film about his entire career.
Any film that makes Owen Wilson relevant to me again has to be damn good. Besides him however, the numerous historical cameos steal the show. I went into this one expecting pure Oscar-bait but wow I couldn’t have been more wrong. The only thing keeping it from number 1 is…
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