Days of Future Past The Official James McAvoy/Professor Xavier Thread - Part 1

[DarthSkywalker]

I concur. For the first time ever, Charles Xavier was the number 1 character in an X-Men film. As much as I loved First Class, Fassbender stole that movie and it at times felt more geared toward Magneto stealing it. Here, this is an Xavier story through and through, and McAvoy is tremendous. He is the soul of this movie.

While First Class was more geared toward Erik, Charles stole the show for me. McAvoy's energy and fatherly demeanor gave new life to the character of Professor X for me.

Here he was the show and pulled it off fantastically, as I knew he would. If Fox is smart, they tie him up for as long as possible. He could be Professor X for decades.

 

[Mrs Vimes]

I really wish we got to see him do more with the character (the film felt rush imo and could have done more with the character development).

That was my general feeling. Because of the busy nature of the film and the way it was structured, Charles' arc didn't quite have the punch it should have had, for me, and certainly not anywhere as much oomph as Erik's arc in FC. It's just probably the natural consequence of moving from what was essentially a two-hander film to a bigger ensemble and a much bigger, extremely plot-driven story which is, essentially, from Wolverine's point of view.

For instance, I really really wish we had a chance to spend more time with him and the darkness of his situation before the plot kicks in. Like, when we first meet Charles in FC, he has that scene flirting with a girl in the bar which has nothing to do with moving the main plot forward but is purely a character scene. [BLACKOUT]Whereas in DoFP, because Wolverine is our point of entrance into the 70s, we don't get to Charles until Wolverine does and we see him mostly through his eyes as opposed to first-hand, if that makes sense. And a lot of that first scene is treated in an almost comedic manner. Then it's like "nope **** off" and a mere minutes later it's "yeah ok I'll help you" and then it all gets busy with the plot and general running around.[/BLACKOUT]

I also felt a tad disappointed that the movie never really deals with Charles' loss of legs and the huge physical cost of that loss. [BLACKOUT]The serum pretty much makes that irrelevant and when Charles goes back into the chair the fact that he needs to sacrifice his walking is not treated as an issue either. Also I don't know if I like the fact that, because of the serum, Charles now has a loophole where he can temporarily go back to walking at any given moment, if he's really pressed for it.[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]The idea that Charles actually took serum to suppress his abilities was intriguing but again I wish more was done with it. It only really gets explored very late in the film, seemingly at the plot's convenience because at that point Charles' powers are needed to find Mystique. Charles' trip into the future made for a cool scene and it was fantastic to see him and Sir Patrick together, but I don't know, I just found it a tad simplistic that all of Charles' issues were fixed by that one two-minute pep talk.[/BLACKOUT]

As in FC, my favourite Charles scenes were the ones he has with Erik. [BLACKOUT]I think the film loses a lot when their characters are separated and don't get together until that very brief and rather unsatisfying exchange at the very end. Their first plane scene where they really rip into each other is really tense and wonderful. I do wish though that the film didn't bring in the whole JFK thing. It felt like a contrived way to make their relationship better when Charles finds out that Erik never murdered JFK but was actually trying to save him.[/BLACKOUT]

I look forward to seeing James in the next film, but I'll freely confess, I think that the cocky, charming, arrogant but empathetic Charles of FC will always have my heart first and most.

 

[Quasimod0]

Both Prof X's were the best parts of the movie. Loved Mcavoy.

 

[The Chris]

I think Xavier's character arc is one of the best arcs I've ever seen in the superhero genre. It's so emotional and so heartbreaking at times, and James plays it so beautifully. I just love that the turning point for him is

Spoiler

talking to Stewart's Xavier. Seeing who he is, seeing who he becomes, hearing what their true power really is

It was beautiful.

 

[Iceman]

We know he's the man to lead our X-Men teams for the next 60 years or so.

 

[The Riddler]

i liked him in this film but i'm irritated at how much of a ***** he is. i mean all he had to do was stop taking beast's injections. it was illogical and annoying it took him so long (for him to realize he shouldn't and for wolverine to actually ask him not to) but it was a minor quibble because of the strong character moments he was able to have by virtue of that.

 

[batman1]

While First Class was more geared toward Erik, Charles stole the show for me. McAvoy's energy and fatherly demeanor gave new life to the character of Professor X for me.

Here he was the show and pulled it off fantastically, as I knew he would. If Fox is smart, they tie him up for as long as possible. He could be Professor X for decades.

He took it there!! Unlike the past where they just throw cheesy actors in comic book movies they now have credible actors with outstanding range.

 

[Cherik]

 

[antonydelfini]

I hope we continue he thread of Xavier being always on the field and being more active and bad ass like fIrst Class and DOfP especially during the 3rd act instead of Stewart's Xavier in the trilogy always in the backseat (X1: in a coma, X2: needed to be rescued, X3: dies early).

 

[Loganbabe]

For those who live in the US and appreciate James' acting, Filth is finally being released there on May 30th, in selected theaters. It's one of his greatest performances on film, if not the better, and the mad and scary Bruce Robertson makes for an interesting comparison with Charles Xavier in DOFP, acting wise. James talks a bit about playing characters with different degrees of mental issues in this interview:

James McAvoy: X-Men‘s Professor X is “Mental”
The actor discusses his recent shift toward less likeable roles

Many moviegoers first got to know James McAvoy as the romantic lead in 2007′s Atonement, but his more recent roles haven’t exactly been the type to inspire swooning. Case in point: this month, McAvoy appears as two very different but not-quite-friendly characters: the younger Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men: Days of Future Past, out May 23 — a major good guy in the superhero world, but in a dark place when the movie finds him — and a corrupt junkie cop at the center of Filth, out May 30.
McAvoy recently spoke to TIME about what guys like Professor X and Filth‘s antihero have in common. The answer: in his own way, each is suffering from some major mental-health issues.

TIME: Do you prefer to play bad guys?

James McAvoy: It’s not something I’ve had a lot of experience of until the last year or two, really. I think it’s interesting and fun because if you’ve got a nice guy and the purpose of the character is to kind of get the audience on his side and make the audience like them, that’s kind of simple. Whereas if you’re playing somebody who’s kind of despicable or unlikeable, and yet you still need to make the audience kind of like spending two hours with you, that’s fun. That’s complex and conflicted. It’s already got drama. It’s like Brecht always said, if you want the audience to be laughing you should be crying.

Do you feel any pressure to pick a “type,” to be a romantic guy or an action hero or a dramatic actor?

No I don’t really feel any pressure. There’s only the the pressure you put on yourself, that whatever job you take, you make it as good as you bloody can. I don’t really go out chasing roles, I don’t really do that as an actor; these are the ones that have come my way and they all happen to be, in the last year or two, slightly less pleasant people who are kind of mental in the head — like Charles Xavier, Macbeth onstage that I did last year, even Trance with Danny Boyle, these are all mentally damaged, traumatized, screwed-up people. And I just did Frankenstein, and you’re playing the original mad scientist. He’s off his f-cking nut as well. It’s just something that seems to have come my way in the last couple years, but I’m really, really enjoying it.
​

That said, McAvoy adds that he’d be happy to only play one type of role for the rest of his life, as long as he gets to work…with one exception. On Filth, he got his first producer credit, and he says that while he loved working on the project — and has even more respect for producers than he did before — having the extra title ended up being a huge amount of work.
“I got my first taste of what it’s like to be a producer, and it’s a pain in the ass,” he says. “I don’t think I’d do it again. Producers do everything. They make sure the lights are on in the building when you go in at 6:00 a.m. They make sure that the teamsters are getting paid. From the mundane trivialities to the biggest decisions, they are there, and they lose sleep over everything. I wouldn’t want to be a producer. No way.”
But that’s not to say that he only wants to stay in front of the camera from now on. “I’d direct,” he says, “but I’d make sure I had a rock-solid producer beside me.”

http://time.com/110321/james-mcavoy-professor-x/

 

[Nerial]

That was my general feeling. Because of the busy nature of the film and the way it was structured, Charles' arc didn't quite have the punch it should have had, for me, and certainly not anywhere as much oomph as Erik's arc in FC. It's just probably the natural consequence of moving from what was essentially a two-hander film to a bigger ensemble and a much bigger, extremely plot-driven story which is, essentially, from Wolverine's point of view.


For instance, I really really wish we had a chance to spend more time with him and the darkness of his situation before the plot kicks in. Like, when we first meet Charles in FC, he has that scene flirting with a girl in the bar which has nothing to do with moving the main plot forward but is purely a character scene. [BLACKOUT]Whereas in DoFP, because Wolverine is our point of entrance into the 70s, we don't get to Charles until Wolverine does and we see him mostly through his eyes as opposed to first-hand, if that makes sense. And a lot of that first scene is treated in an almost comedic manner. Then it's like "nope **** off" and a mere minutes later it's "yeah ok I'll help you" and then it all gets busy with the plot and general running around.[/BLACKOUT]

I have limited internet on the weekends, but I did want to reply to you about Charles in DOFP. I'll put my responses in spoiler tags to make things easy.

Spoiler

I definitely get what you're saying. I felt this movie had a lot of moving parts, a lot of characters to juggle, and unfortunately, with something this "epic" those important character moments can get lost.

Charles definitely didn't get the focus in this movie as Magneto got in FC. And you're right--all his scenes were from Wolverine's point-of-view (I noticed that as well). But I will say this--of all the characters who I'd want to see the young Xavier through, it would be Wolverine. The two of them have such history together, with Xavier always being Logan's anchor...to have that reversed was probably what I enjoyed most about this movie. Just watching Wolverine as he tries so hard to help his friend who is suffereing...it really enriches their relationship. And it also shows Wolverine that Professor X understands pain, because he's experienced it himself.

As for the first time we see young Xavier--it is a little comedic but the elements are all there for it to be. Xavier is bitter and angry and highly intelligent, and it makes sense that, when he's not being Mr. Nice Guy, he's a smartass. And having him recognize Wolverine and telling him to F-off really made sense for his character. He's hiding behind his anger and later in the film, we see how sad and scared he is. But his flip-flop decision, from walking away to coming back and saying he'll help, did feel a little quick to me, too.

I also felt a tad disappointed that the movie never really deals with Charles' loss of legs and the huge physical cost of that loss. [BLACKOUT]The serum pretty much makes that irrelevant and when Charles goes back into the chair the fact that he needs to sacrifice his walking is not treated as an issue either. Also I don't know if I like the fact that, because of the serum, Charles now has a loophole where he can temporarily go back to walking at any given moment, if he's really pressed for it.[/BLACKOUT]

Again, spoiler tags:

Spoiler

I knew this was coming, so I went into the film well-prepared. You know how I feel about it--I, too, hoped they would tackle this with a bit more realism, as that's what X-men does so well (WW2, the Cuban Missile Crisis, social issues), and then Xavier has this miracle cure that makes no real sense. I could see Hank having a serum that takes away Xavier's telepathy, but why would it affect his legs? The explanation is passed over in one sentence.

Other than one moment when he stumbles in pain and on the plane where he grabs his leg, there's no real reference to how devastating this would be for him. And, of course, it's all about walking--God forbid they mention anything else he'd be losing with that type of injury (how about not being able to feel ANYTHING from the waist down?).

But he wouldn't be able to just go back to the serum any time he wished. His legs are going to atrophy--the muscle and bone loss would eventually make them unable to support his weight and would cause serious pain if he tried to use after going for long periods without the serum. But that's realism, so who knows what they'll do with it now.

Sigh...it's a summer sci-fi blockbuster, and they just aren't going to go there. I think it would have brought something new to the table if they had--just a little--but I didn't expect them to.

[BLACKOUT]The idea that Charles actually took serum to suppress his abilities was intriguing but again I wish more was done with it. It only really gets explored very late in the film, seemingly at the plot's convenience because at that point Charles' powers are needed to find Mystique. Charles' trip into the future made for a cool scene and it was fantastic to see him and Sir Patrick together, but I don't know, I just found it a tad simplistic that all of Charles' issues were fixed by that one two-minute pep talk.[/BLACKOUT]

Spoiler

Again, I think they could have given just a few more minutes on this and it wouldn't have hurt anything. I think I'm in the minority here, but Charles' trip to the future felt a little underwhelming. The conversation with his older self didn't have quite the punch I was hoping for (still good, but not like "Wow...")

As in FC, my favourite Charles scenes were the ones he has with Erik. [BLACKOUT]I think the film loses a lot when their characters are separated and don't get together until that very brief and rather unsatisfying exchange at the very end. Their first plane scene where they really rip into each other is really tense and wonderful. I do wish though that the film didn't bring in the whole JFK thing. It felt like a contrived way to make their relationship better when Charles finds out that Erik never murdered JFK but was actually trying to save him.[/BLACKOUT]

Spoiler

That is actually one thing I HATED. Using JFK was tacky--sorry, but it's not like a history event like WW2 or the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK was an actual person with loved ones who are still alive today, and to claim he was a mutant in a sci-fi movie...it took me right out of the story.

I understood why Charles and Erik couldn't be together in this one; the plot demanded this. But I wasn't happy with how quickly Charles waved off what Erik did to him, as Erik apologized and Charles almost seemed to shrug it off like it was old news. But Xavier is quick to forgive, so it's not so much out-of-character...just underwhelming. I would have liked more there.

I look forward to seeing James in the next film, but I'll freely confess, I think that the cocky, charming, arrogant but empathetic Charles of FC will always have my heart first and most.

Gotta say, that cocky, charming, playful Xavier from FC is what made Charles my favorite character. I'm a little sad to see him go, but I understand why he has to develop this way.

Spoiler

Despite all my critiques, the truth is, they boil down to nitpicky things for me, and didn't overshadow what I loved and how Charles developed in DOFP. While I felt it was a little rushed, with some many players on the field, Xavier's arc really got the most focus and really carried the most punch. My heart broke for him as it's clear--legs or no--he was lost and suffering, and the idea that he'd be afraid of his own powers really did show how humanity could take a mutant who felt his abilities were a gift and turn them into a curse. I liked that a lot, enough to almost forgive sidelining his leg issues...almost.

 

[The Caped Knight]

James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender Doing Impressions of Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsPjwpuVzZQ

 

[Mrs Vimes]

Just getting rid of your spoiler tags since everyone seems to be posting without them now:

But I will say this--of all the characters who I'd want to see the young Xavier through, it would be Wolverine. The two of them have such history together, with Xavier always being Logan's anchor...to have that reversed was probably what I enjoyed most about this movie. Just watching Wolverine as he tries so hard to help his friend who is suffereing...it really enriches their relationship.

I really enjoyed the scenes between Charles and Logan, and the chemistry between Hugh and James. But I would really have preferred to see Charles interact more with the characters with whom he has history and complicated, emotional relationships. Because while Logan has history with Professor X, to this young Charles Logan is just a guy who told them to eff off once.

Plus I just never really bought the notion that somehow Logan has this deep bond or whatever with Professor X. In X2 and X1, I didn't really see it - the most that's there IMO is two characters who get on fairly well, but aren't really of great importance to each other. Logan's truly meaningful relationships in those movies are with Rogue, Jean, heck even with Scott in X1. When he cries over Charles' death in X3 that just felt sooooo forced and unearned, to me. You could maybe assume that they got to spend a lot of time being great friends during the war with the Sentinels, but, well, we didn't get to see those years.

Put it this way: in the first Star Trek reboot, I thought that the scenes between old!Spock and Kirk were fantastic. But there's no way I'd have preferred for that relationship to be a focus over the relationship between young!Spock and Kirk.

Sigh...it's a summer sci-fi blockbuster, and they just aren't going to go there. I think it would have brought something new to the table if they had--just a little--but I didn't expect them to.

I didn't expect this movie to go into detail about what it's like to be a paraplegic either. But IMO it could still have dealt with it by simply explaining that Charles takes the serum in order to be able to walk, just as Erik first assumed. So that later Charles would have a choice to either keep walking or regain his powers.

Instead they made it all about him being afraid of his powers - which could have been interesting if only they spent more time on it. I mean, they don't even bother to make this clear in the early scenes when Logan first meets Charles, and then has Hank give him the whole background info. When I first watched the movie the impression I got from Hank's words was that Charles takes the serum because he's actually addicted to it. Then when Charles tells Erik that he's taking the serum so that he can sleep, it's so brief I only really picked up on it on my second viewing. So when that scene came along mid-movie where the serum is wearing off and Charles suddenly hears voices and talks about the pain I just went, huh? Where did that come from? Then all of that is fixed in about 5 minutes, almost as soon as it's brought up. If you compare that with the way FC handled Erik getting grip on his powers, this was one super-compressed arc. It's still the film's chief character arc, but that's only because the other characters have no arcs.

I think I'm in the minority here, but Charles' trip to the future felt a little underwhelming. The conversation with his older self didn't have quite the punch I was hoping for (still good, but not like "Wow...")

I thought it was cool but no it didn't really wow me either.

I understood why Charles and Erik couldn't be together in this one; the plot demanded this.

I'd actually be ok with Charles and Erik separating, but what I really disliked was that, after the Paris scenes, their bond disappears into thin air. They just got their relationship move to a better ground (however hurried that was), and then Erik betrays them all again and Charles has zero reaction to that? And if you look at X1, Erik and Charles barely have any scenes together, but there's always a sense that they're linked, that they're thinking about each other and anticipating each others' actions. Here, the only indication of that is Erik stealing his helmet so that he can block Charles if need be, whereas Charles doesn't seem to be bothered about Erik's plans in the slightest.

BTW, I think I'm going to officially join the "why Erik must always have the last word" club. I mean here in the end Erik is completely helmetless and helpless and yet he still manages to have the upper hand. It felt less like Charles showing mercy and more like, Erik: "bwahaha we both know you're so not handing me over" and Charles" "yeah you got me there".

Gotta say, that cocky, charming, playful Xavier from FC is what made Charles my favorite character. I'm a little sad to see him go, but I understand why he has to develop this way.

Yeah I understand that too, I'm just underwhelmed with what we got in return. I can't fault James' emotional, committed performance, but if the writing isn't there it's like having finest whipped cream on top of stale cake.

I think what I missed the most in this movie is FC!Charles' flaws, like his "I'm-always-right" attitude and occasional arrogance and lack of sensitivity where other people's feelings are concerned. In DoFP, he's angry and cranky but that feels more like a general emotional state, if that makes sense, rather than individual flaws as such. It made the character feel a lot less nuanced, to me.

But at least one thing I really look forward to in Apocalypse is Charles having students again. One of my favourite things in FC was his mentoring of the younger recruits

 

[JP]

For those who live in the US and appreciate James' acting, Filth is finally being released there on May 30th, in selected theaters. It's one of his greatest performances on film, if not the better, and the mad and scary Bruce Robertson makes for an interesting comparison with Charles Xavier in DOFP, acting wise. James talks a bit about playing characters with different degrees of mental issues in this interview:

http://time.com/110321/james-mcavoy-professor-x/

I'll try and check it out. IMO, DoFP is McAvoy's best on screen performance. Just extraordinary.

 

[Loganbabe]

I'll try and check it out. IMO, DoFP is McAvoy's best on screen performance. Just extraordinary.

You'll find a very different side to him and it's amazing to see. I think there's nothing James can't do at this point - he goes through the innocent and romantic and heroic characters to the depraved and dark ones so easily. It's really incredible.
I loved him in DOFP and it's a wonderful opportunity to see his acting on the big screen for as many times I want to - seeing it today for the third time. t: Some of James' films are never released here, like Filth.

BTW, I think I'm going to officially join the "why Erik must always have the last word" club. I mean here in the end Erik is completely helmetless and helpless and yet he still manages to have the upper hand. It felt less like Charles showing mercy and more like, Erik: "bwahaha we both know you're so not handing me over" and Charles" "yeah you got me there".

Yeah, that bothered me too. I understand that they wanted to show that Charles is magnanimous and above those things and all, but he was at a point in his life in which he wasn't really there yet. Seeing Erik again after so many years opened old wounds, and I wish there had been more conflict. I mean, Erik screamed at him like a psycho and almost crashed the plane, blamed Charles unfairly for things that were outside his control, but it was all fine when Erik brought the chess board and said sorry? Later, Erik almost kills his adopted sister, betrays them, drowns Logan, crashes a stadium over the White House and almost kills Charles again, and it's all 'I'm leaving Charles' 'Oh, okay then, old friend'. What? Again, I guess that the point was to show that Charles had always known better and by forgiving he would eventually make Erik see the light. As someone said here, in the end Charles will really have the last word. But I still wish he hadn't reached the nirvana status so quickly in DOFP - and that after Erik was at his mercy he wouldn't let him go so easily as if he had just thrown a kid's tantrum and all the destruction and (almost) deaths were nothing.

 

[P Supreme]

I think Xavier's character arc is one of the best arcs I've ever seen in the superhero genre. It's so emotional and so heartbreaking at times, and James plays it so beautifully. I just love that the turning point for him is

Spoiler

talking to Stewart's Xavier. Seeing who he is, seeing who he becomes, hearing what their true power really is

It was beautiful.

Couldn't agree more

 

[darkangel]

James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender Doing Impressions of Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsPjwpuVzZQ

 

[Loki882]

You'll find a very different side to him and it's amazing to see. I think there's nothing James can't do at this point - he goes through the innocent and romantic and heroic characters to the depraved and dark ones so easily. It's really incredible.
I loved him in DOFP and it's a wonderful opportunity to see his acting on the big screen for as many times I want to - seeing it today for the third time. t: Some of James' films are never released here, like Filth.


Yeah, that bothered me too. I understand that they wanted to show that Charles is magnanimous and above those things and all, but he was at a point in his life in which he wasn't really there yet. Seeing Erik again after so many years opened old wounds, and I wish there had been more conflict. I mean, Erik screamed at him like a psycho and almost crashed the plane, blamed Charles unfairly for things that were outside his control, but it was all fine when Erik brought the chess board and said sorry? Later, Erik almost kills his adopted sister, betrays them, drowns Logan, crashes a stadium over the White House and almost kills Charles again, and it's all 'I'm leaving Charles' 'Oh, okay then, old friend'. What? Again, I guess that the point was to show that Charles had always known better and by forgiving he would eventually make Erik see the light. As someone said here, in the end Charles will really have the last word. But I still wish he hadn't reached the nirvana status so quickly in DOFP - and that after Erik was at his mercy he wouldn't let him go so easily as if he had just thrown a kid's tantrum and all the destruction and (almost) deaths were nothing.

There's also the fact that Logan already told him that he and Erik eventually reconcile and start working together in the future. "You and Erik sent me back together," was the line I believe. And even Xavier's comment about "they're will come a day when we're all reunited" is very telling. He believes that he, Erik, and Mystique will eventually reunite in the future.

 

[Nerial]

There's also the fact that Logan already told him that he and Erik eventually reconcile and start working together in the future. "You and Erik sent me back together," was the line I believe. And even Xavier's comment about "they're will come a day when we're all reunited" is very telling. He believes that he, Erik, and Mystique will eventually reunite in the future.

I did have a problem with how easily Charles choose to just let Erik go in the end. I understand why he did it, but it seemed too easy a plot point. I mean, I can hope that a killer will be redeemed in real life, but that belief doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished or at least pulled from society to keep others safe. Erik would have killed all those men if Raven hadn't intervened, plain and simple.

I hope Charles' faith in Erik will come full circle in the next movie; I imagine Apocalypse will pose a threat big enough that even Magneto will want to defeat him.

 

[Loki882]

And like Magneto says, if Charles didn't let him escape, then HE was as good as dead. Either the government would have killed him or Trask/Stryker would have killed and dissected him just like they did to Angel, Azazel, and Banshee. So basically Charles was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

[georgec]

I think letting Erik go was Charles' way of accepting that while they could avoid being hunted by the Sentinels, he can't change who Erik is. Charles understands that while they are alive, their philosophies will conflict directly with each other. Pebbles in a river.

 

[Mrs Vimes]

Yeah, that bothered me too. I understand that they wanted to show that Charles is magnanimous and above those things and all, but he was at a point in his life in which he wasn't really there yet. Seeing Erik again after so many years opened old wounds, and I wish there had been more conflict. I mean, Erik screamed at him like a psycho and almost crashed the plane, blamed Charles unfairly for things that were outside his control, but it was all fine when Erik brought the chess board and said sorry? Later, Erik almost kills his adopted sister, betrays them, drowns Logan, crashes a stadium over the White House and almost kills Charles again, and it's all 'I'm leaving Charles' 'Oh, okay then, old friend'. What? Again, I guess that the point was to show that Charles had always known better and by forgiving he would eventually make Erik see the light. As someone said here, in the end Charles will really have the last word. But I still wish he hadn't reached the nirvana status so quickly in DOFP - and that after Erik was at his mercy he wouldn't let him go so easily as if he had just thrown a kid's tantrum and all the destruction and (almost) deaths were nothing.

Agree with all of the above. I felt like there was a major chunk of development missing in between Charles' feelings about Erik at the beginning and his hopefulness in the end.

I basically think that the film handled Charles' transitions from one emotional state to another way too abruptly.

"**** off with your future problems! I'm all bitter and cynical and stuff!"
2 minutes and one cheesy FC flashback later, "ok I'll help you"

"You abandoned me! I wanna smash your face in!"
2 minutes later, "Oh so you didn't kill the president which wasn't even the main reason I'm angry with you? Ok let's play chess."

"I can't handle the pain of all those minds in Cerebro!"
2 minutes later, "Ok no problem let's find Raven toot sweet."

As for Charles letting Erik go, I understand why he did it, but I wish the movie recognised that there was a moral dilemma involved as well. Yeah it's nice for Charles to hope that Erik will come around one day - what about all the people who might get killed or hurt in the meantime?

 

[BlackFox]

I think Xavier's character arc is one of the best arcs I've ever seen in the superhero genre. It's so emotional and so heartbreaking at times, and James plays it so beautifully. I just love that the turning point for him is

Spoiler

talking to Stewart's Xavier. Seeing who he is, seeing who he becomes, hearing what their true power really is

It was beautiful.

Agreed, brilliantly thought out and written, certainly the best one I've seen in a while in a CBM and MaCavoy obviously put in an outstanding display, one of the best in the genre.

The Xavier/Magneto dynamic is something that other comic book movies dont really have where the "good" guy and the "bad" guy both want the same thing but are coming at it from two different directions. Plus these characters are a bit more fleshed out with Magneto being a holocaust survivor and having been experimented on you sort of understand why he's so damaged and does what he does.

 

[Nerial]

Agree with all of the above. I felt like there was a major chunk of development missing in between Charles' feelings about Erik at the beginning and his hopefulness in the end.

I basically think that the film handled Charles' transitions from one emotional state to another way too abruptly.

"**** off with your future problems! I'm all bitter and cynical and stuff!"
2 minutes and one cheesy FC flashback later, "ok I'll help you"

"You abandoned me! I wanna smash your face in!"
2 minutes later, "Oh so you didn't kill the president which wasn't even the main reason I'm angry with you? Ok let's play chess."

"I can't handle the pain of all those minds in Cerebro!"
2 minutes later, "Ok no problem let's find Raven toot sweet."

As for Charles letting Erik go, I understand why he did it, but I wish the movie recognised that there was a moral dilemma involved as well. Yeah it's nice for Charles to hope that Erik will come around one day - what about all the people who might get killed or hurt in the meantime?

I definitely see your point--I wish there was more "umph" as Charles comes to his epiphanies. Unfortunately, this is one major dilemma of the big sci-fi action blockbuster--the characters are sidelined for the plot. I, too, think that a little more time would have added that extra bit of development for young Xavier's story, (just where the flip-flopping wasn't so apparent), but that's for me. For the general audience, however, they aren't there to see just Xavier--they're there for all the X-men and action, and that's just the way it is.

In truth, with a cast of over a dozen, it's about as much development as I expected with Charles, and, with McAvoy's performance boosting things up a notch, it really was the heart of the movie, even when things were rushed.

 

[Loganbabe]

"You abandoned me! I wanna smash your face in!"
2 minutes later, "Oh so you didn't kill the president which wasn't even the main reason I'm angry with you? Ok let's play chess."

I wish they could have given more time for Charles to decide he would help Logan and all. I agree that it was rushed. But from all the transitions, that one was the worst.

I mean, Charles made it very clear that his problems with Erik were set on a personal level, and not really the whole "you killed the president I hate you". It was a "you shot me, paralyzed me, abandoned me and took my sister away" hate. In return for opening up his heart and soul, Charles got a dramatic tantrum from Erik, who was essentially blaming him for the deaths of other mutants. I mean, that would be enough to cement the hurt even deeper. But as soon Erik approaches Charles with the chessboard, the first thing he says is "I didn't kill the president". So he kept on ignoring whatever Charles told him. Which would be perfectly fine for Magneto, who's essentially a very self-absorbed person with his own agenda, so it's not like he would care that much about Charles' feelings. But why Charles accepted his so-called friend back so quickly, when in fact he didn't give a damn about the president when he punched Erik or when he told him he had been abandoned? And to top it all he went all "oh you must think I'm foolish!" I was like "Nooooooooooo Charles! You're not foolish! Give him hell!"
Erik then said a weak "sorry", but it's not like he needed to, because Charles had already warmed to him again as soon as he knew Erik hadn't killed the president. It was all incredibly abrupt.

I think this is why I value James' acting even more. Because even though Charles' arc wasn't really developed as Erik's arc was in First Class, he gave such earnest, intense life to young Charles that it felt like he had lived through each and every nuanced aspect of his story - it's like his acting gives the arc its full circle. Outstanding.

As for Charles letting Erik go, I understand why he did it, but I wish the movie recognised that there was a moral dilemma involved as well. Yeah it's nice for Charles to hope that Erik will come around one day - what about all the people who might get killed or hurt in the meantime?

Yes. It's one of the most complicated moral dilemmas Charles has to face - does he always have to let Erik go because he trusts that he'll eventually do the right thing, but who knows how many people will die in the process? I mean, is Charles' love for Erik really so deep that he'll give him a free pass for everything - betraying them, almost killing him (twice, at this point, not counting the OT films), almost killing Raven, "killing" Logan, almost killing the president and who knows how many people more? I have to confess that I find the dynamics of their friendship really difficult to understand. So far, in ANY of the X-films, OT, First Class and DOFP, Erik didn't do ONE thing for Charles that would justify that, although they have different ideologies, there's this profound bond between them. It's all just too one-sided, which can only make me think in a sado-masochist, dysfunctional relationship. I was expecting DOFP to change this a bit and that I would finally understand why Charles calls Erik "old friend", but alas. Let's see what will happen in Apocalypse.