Source: Twentieth Century Fox: Blu-ray, 2017.
Year: 2017
Director: James Mangold
Action Stars:
Genre: Superhero film
Country: United States
Story Duration: 02:11:06
Act Duration:
1st Act: 00:30:41
2nd Act: 00:28:43
3rd Act: 00:31:53
4th Act: 00:39:01
Plot Turns:
1st: Discovery that Laura is a mutant
2nd: Discovery of Eden coordinates
3rd: X-24 revealed
ASD Ratio: 40%
AAD Ratios:
1st Act: 16%
2nd Act: 54%
3rd Act: 50%
4th Act: 41%
Action Structure: 1243
Action Scenarios:
Capture
Escape
Fall
Fight
Heist
Pursuit
Rescue
Speed
Total Action Moments: 27
Notable Action Sequence: Charles Xavier’s Seizure
Duration: 00:04:20
Act: 3rd
Action Scenarios:
Escape
Fight
Rescue
Speed
Description: One of the most memorable moments in the film occurs when Charles Xavier suffers a seizure at a casino in Oklahoma City. Over the course of the film, the viewer is made aware that Charles suffers from a degenerative brain disease as he has grown older. The disease triggers seizures that unleash powerful psychic ways of energy that induce paralysis in people, as well as mutants. After returning to the casino, Logan spots Reavers, cybernetically-enhanced soldiers who work for Transigen, a sinister research company, stationed outside the building. Suddenly, a psionic wave of energy emanates through the building, depicted in the scene through a shaking camera and a piercing high pitch ring. Logan winces with pain while the patrons of the casino are rendered immobile in paralysis [Figure 1]. Realizing that the disturbance is connected to Charles’ seizures, Logan commences to make his way upstairs via an elevator to the hotel room in which Charles and Laura, a mutant child in their care, are staying in. In doing so, the scene enters into rescue mode as Logan attempts to save Charles and Laura, as well as the people in the casino endangered by the released energy. Arriving at the floor where the room is located, Logan sees an armed Reaver also in a state of paralysis at its entrance. Deploying his adamantium claws, Logan works his way toward the room and peers into it, finding Charles surrounded by a gang of Reavers, two of which pointing weapons at his head, the probable cause of his seizure [Figure 2]. Laura is also shown sprawled on the floor. Enraged, Logan proceeds to slaughter the immobile Reavers, impaling them with his claws. Like Logan, Laura is not fully incapacitated by the energy waves and manages to locate the syringe containing a seizure suppressant and hands it over to Logan, who plunges it into Charles’ shoulder [Figure 3]. An aftermath shot follows, presenting Logan and the Reavers collapsing to the ground once released from the grip of Charles’ seizure [Figure 4].
What makes this moment so fascinating is the ambiguous status of the seizure as an action form. On the hand, the seizure and its energy waves can be understood as a dangerous environment, although human made, unlike the threatening natural environments found in disaster and survival films. On the other hand, the seizure can be perceived as a weapon that endangers other characters, but differs from how weapons are prototypically used in the fight scenario. A weapon, be it a fist or gun, is normally deployed intentionally, but Charles’ seizures seem beyond his control.