Finishing up my analysis of the importance of female characters in this past summer’s slate of releases, we’ll look at the opposite end of the spectrum, where they were crucial, if not the crux, of the story.
X-Men: First Class – Not all films suffered from female characters put there because there has to be a female character. January Jones as Emma Frost was chilling and made you want more. Jennifer Lawrence, meanwhile, serves as an important thematic development as Raven. First Class is not just about superhero action but also these characters coming to terms with their mutations and learning to accept them, and in turn themselves. This idea manifests itself most strongly in Raven. Her character is a crucial pendulum in the relationship of Charles and Erik, as here she sides with Charles but by the end has joined Erik. Both Jones and Lawrence perform strongly in their respective roles.
