X-Men: Apocalypse (Bryan Singer, May 27, 2016) Movie • Page 5

Well, for starters, I never said this:

And you seem to continue operating under the assumption that people in here think the scene shouldn't be in the movie at all, which has clearly been refuted.

 

Women are consistently (and way too often) over sexualized in comic books and are often depicted as being tortured or in pain through the male gaze. This obviously isn't X-Men, but in Son Of Batman, a recent DC animated movie, Talia al Ghul is being held prisoner and is chained to the wall and the shot pans up from her feet, past her oddly exposed cleavage, and up to her face. It's unnervingly sexual.
Given the comic's world track record with women, it's completely understandable to see that image and see more than just a villain vs. a "good guy"

 

I agree that as a fan I would have liked to see him choking a character like Cyclops. Marketing is meant for the general audience though, not fans. Mystique, being the third biggest character and one that has been seen in previous films, is the most logical in a marketing sense.

But, this argument is ridiculously silly. It's a comic book movie, Apocalypse doesn't attack people based on gender and this isn't an attempt for him to just over power a woman. I think there are bigger things to be made out of other forms of entertainment than two comic book characters going at it so i'm just going to have this be my last comment on this topic.

 

Okay, I will agree that some comics (certain acts of the Joker for example) have been over the edge when it comes to what they do to female characters and I think those are distasteful in attempts for shock value. Thankfully, X-Men hasn't had moments like that and I am very appreciative of it.

 

That promoted image isn't for X-Men fans. X-Men fans are seeing the movie no matter what, for the most part. The image is being used to advertise the film to the average moviegoer, and a woman being choked is how they chose to try and entice people into seeing the movie. It's lazy and bullshit and of course they did it because seeing a woman, particularly Jennifer Lawrence, being physically throttled is attention grabbing. But we should demand better.

 

Out of getting hyped for the new film, I think i'm going to re-watch a lot of the animated series. I don't know if I want to start from Night of the Sentinels or to just jump to the episodes featuring Apocalypse.

 

Really? I don't get it.

 

Can't shake the feeling that this is gonna suck.

 

Absolutely. I don't need to repeat the people above who have argued why this is a non issue. Nothing like coming to talk movies and seeing someone reach to be offended over nothing. Kids these days....

 

"Kids"?

Nothing like going on Twitter and seeing a loop of a woman being choked without context. Nothing like venting about this movie-related bad decision and seeing someone make fun of emotional triggers.

 

Out of context? It's two comic book characters that you obviously already know, one good and one bad. Even if you didn't know the characters, you would assume it's from a Superhero Movie fight scene by their get up. This doesn't need to be something that is even talked about, please stop reaching and either enjoy the movie or don't.

 

jesus

 

A forum for discussion casts a wide net of things to talk about more than just "enjoy the movie or don't". This is something that multiple people took issue with. Rather than shut them down, I'd encourage listening and accepting a validity in their perspective, even if you don't personally have a problem with the issue at hand. If it's not something you're interested in talking about, don't partake in the discussion. Just ignore it. If you want to participate in the discussion, it's going to have to start with being respectful and not assuming that people are "reaching".

 

Seeing this on Monday. I'll let you know how it is. For reference: I love DOFP and X2 and like X1 and First Class and The Wolverine was okay.

 

I know the embargo does lift this Monday which I take as a good sign of Fox being confident about the film. I just don't know if I should read reviews or not because I might give myself high expectations if they are good. I went into DOFP without reading a single review and I loved it....but I'm more hyped for this movie so it's a pain.


I'll probably read them anyway because I'm a sucker.

 

This is the reply that sums it up.
While I personally disagree that this should be an issue, doesn't mean that it can't be interpreted differently by someone else.

The personal series of thoughts i went through.

They are pushing mystique to the forefront of a comic universe she never has been the leader of.
Apocalypse completely controls the heroes of this storyline. Physically and mentally.
So Mystique is the focus of the ad.

I personally wonder if any dominating action of a male character over a female character would be acceptable to those offended. Clearly it doesnt trigger me but I also have trouble defining the line. Especially when one is a shapeshifter and the other is a god

 

Even if it's not an issue to you personally why do you have a problem with it being an issue for other people and them discussing their thoughts about it?

If it's not something you want to be involved in then ignore the discussion and make your own but don't make fun of people or dismiss them. it's gross.

 

So those 'Mystique getting choked' billboards are all over Philly.

 

The heck...

 

It's not that I have a problem with what other people are offended by, I suppose it's more the fact that it's being blown up to be a big deal when it's not. I get offended daily, everyone does. It's all about how you handle it. I'm under the assumption that as an adult you just go about your business and not try to rally others to your point of view because you can't handle fictional characters fighting. I'd reference the episode of Southpark where reality is killed so people can stay in their safe space. Since my last comment was flagged, I can tell this is an unpopular opinion on here. Sorry.

 

@Davjs If everyone just "went about their business" every time they saw something upsetting to them for whatever reason, nothing would get better and there would be no progress made. Ever. We're at a tipping point of how women are treated in Hollywood. Change won't happen unless it's demanded. It's not about "rallying others to your point of view" because of things "you can't handle". It's about educating people. I get that as a woman, these images look different to me than to men. And that's a problem. I speak up so that I can show people other perspectives they don't necessarily see or even know to look for. Am I surprised something like that is going to happen in this movie? Absolutely not. Doesn't mean I'm okay with it being a focal point for marketing. It's incredibly bothersome to me to see that every time I drive past a billboard.
If you don't have a problem with it, that's fine. But there's absolutely no need for you to be completely disrespectful and condescending to people, including women, who are upset about the image for very real and rational reasons.

 

^ Better than anything I could say, mostly due to the source. (You rock, @Meerkat.)

But I will reiterate that what happens within the context of the film is different from what is isolated and plastered on a billboard or in a promoted tweet. Images can carry a lot of baggage, and regardless of intent, people should be sensitive to what their images mean to others. Caring about others isn't some annoying new trend that compromises reality; it's being a respectable adult.

 

I understand what both of you are saying, well put. I still think the line from Xmen movie to violence against women is a stretch, but like it's been stated everyone feels differently about these topics. I think the leader of the xmen going up against the villian and being defeated is a perfect focus point for their marketing, especially since they are going with the whole "end is coming" thing. It being a woman doesn't cross my mind, and if we get into it isn't it a good thing that a strong female character is leading the xmen and going into battle with Apocalypse?

 

I don't think anyone is saying that Mystique v Apocalypse isn't a good marketing strategy. Doing a Civil War or Batman v Superman styled ad campaign with the two staring each other down would've been completely effective

 

What I'm saying is though is that although it may not be a big deal to you, it's clearly a big enough deal to some people to want to talk about it on here and I don't think there's any point in being dismissive of that.