Friday, June 3, 2011

I Heart Prequels!

Normally superhero movies are not my favorite genre. I will admit that I love the latest Batman franchise--it's definitely my favorite. Love the backstory and I'm not ashamed to admit I've been a Christian Bale fan since Newsies. I also really enjoyed Iron Man. I thought it was an interesting story and I was also happy to see my 90's fave, Robert Downey Jr., make such a great comeback. Oh okay, maybe I like superheroes more than I thought because I love me some XMen! I never paid that much attention until my friend Ricki had a bunch of girls over for an XMen marathon a few years ago. You won't find me reading the comic books or anything, but I have to say I am a fan of the movies, so much so that yes, I own them. =)
XMen First Class premieres today, which is a prequel to the first XMen movie, and I'm pretty psyched for several reasons. I love back stories! I think the casting of James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier is perfect. I'm very excited to see January Jones in another role, as always, because I adore Mad Men (the critically aclaimed, but low ratings series on AMC). Jennifer Lawrence is huge right now, mostly because of her breakout role in the under-the-radar Oscar nominee, Winter's Bone, but also now that she's signed on for The Hunger Games she won't be able to hide anywhere. I also think it's fun that this prequel takes place in the 60's. I love any kind of midcentury anything--the music, the fashion, the interiors, the changing mindset, as it was such a dynamic time in American history.
I read an article yesterday that says the XMen franchise is number 3 in superhero box office earnings. Batman is number 1, of course (anyone remember the box office phenomenon that was The Dark Knight a few years ago?), and Spiderman is number 2. So when those Monday morning opening weekend totals come in, it's fun for me to know I contributed, because yup, I'm going tonight!