Race and Comic book movies - spoilers?
I recently saw both Thor and X-Men: First Class. Maybe I'm being picky, but the message of "women and dark people are evil" was *resounding* to me in First Class. It was a fine movie and I enjoyed it, but the overwhelming white dude vibe did diminish some of my fun.
Admittedly, I was on edge before the movie started because about half of the pre commercials were some variant of "Back Men are violent and scary", which I'm really done with. Its being used as short hand now, you don't have to show violence, just add a shirtless cut black guy with a nice tattoo and everyone gets the picture. While I would like to encourage more use of shirtless, well muscled men on my viewing screen, this is not a cool way of doing so.
So I was primed, and then the movie starts. Now, I understand that it is primarily about the relationship between two white guys. I get that. Where I get uncomfortable is the choice of supporting cast. I have never read the comics, but I am under the impression that there are about 4,892 X-Men to pick from to get the half dozen that will be the backdrop for the dudebro relationship. Most of them are male and either white or blue. What I don't understand is why the characters that were picked for the First Class were all white dudes.
The handful ended with Magneto (evil - white dude), Prof X (good - white dude), Havoc (good - white dude), Hank (good - white/blue dude), Darwin (dead - black dude!), Angel (evil - black chick!), Raven (evil - white/blue chick), red teleporter guy (evil - red dude), spinny weather man (evil - Latino dude), and Emma Frost (evil - white chick).
The end of the movie was a couple white students and one normal (white) girl pushing Prof X around in a wheel chair. How hard could it have been to select supporting characters that were minorities and not evil? One token woman/brown person who ended up alive and on the side of right at the end? I'm not asking for heaven and earth here.
The instant counter argument is "but the canon..." and it is bullshit. 1) The canon is frequently ignored or changed for the big screen, for story, for flow, for lulz. I know we're basing these movies on racist, sexist inspiration, but that doesn't mean you can't fix it up now. 2) Thor. Thor's canon is even more limited (blonde haired dudes) and they did a great, careful job of including a range of skin tones and sexes. The decision to give the warrior chick the respect of her fellows and some serious skill was also appreciated. No negative impact on the movie. 3) One! All I ask is one surviving character on the side of good that isn't a white dude! At least give the first class some love interests! Something! But no, women are backstabbing betrayal units on the side of darkness and brown people are evil or dead.
>,<
try people. At least try. Please?
Admittedly, I was on edge before the movie started because about half of the pre commercials were some variant of "Back Men are violent and scary", which I'm really done with. Its being used as short hand now, you don't have to show violence, just add a shirtless cut black guy with a nice tattoo and everyone gets the picture. While I would like to encourage more use of shirtless, well muscled men on my viewing screen, this is not a cool way of doing so.
So I was primed, and then the movie starts. Now, I understand that it is primarily about the relationship between two white guys. I get that. Where I get uncomfortable is the choice of supporting cast. I have never read the comics, but I am under the impression that there are about 4,892 X-Men to pick from to get the half dozen that will be the backdrop for the dudebro relationship. Most of them are male and either white or blue. What I don't understand is why the characters that were picked for the First Class were all white dudes.
The handful ended with Magneto (evil - white dude), Prof X (good - white dude), Havoc (good - white dude), Hank (good - white/blue dude), Darwin (dead - black dude!), Angel (evil - black chick!), Raven (evil - white/blue chick), red teleporter guy (evil - red dude), spinny weather man (evil - Latino dude), and Emma Frost (evil - white chick).
The end of the movie was a couple white students and one normal (white) girl pushing Prof X around in a wheel chair. How hard could it have been to select supporting characters that were minorities and not evil? One token woman/brown person who ended up alive and on the side of right at the end? I'm not asking for heaven and earth here.
The instant counter argument is "but the canon..." and it is bullshit. 1) The canon is frequently ignored or changed for the big screen, for story, for flow, for lulz. I know we're basing these movies on racist, sexist inspiration, but that doesn't mean you can't fix it up now. 2) Thor. Thor's canon is even more limited (blonde haired dudes) and they did a great, careful job of including a range of skin tones and sexes. The decision to give the warrior chick the respect of her fellows and some serious skill was also appreciated. No negative impact on the movie. 3) One! All I ask is one surviving character on the side of good that isn't a white dude! At least give the first class some love interests! Something! But no, women are backstabbing betrayal units on the side of darkness and brown people are evil or dead.
>,<
try people. At least try. Please?