I think we agree that actually destroying the fleets would have been boneheaded. Tactical error, absolutely. I think we let many heroes have equally boneheaded moments without losing their heroism (though usually it's the reverse bonehead move of letting the irredeemably bad guy live so he can do more damage later).
I didn't feel Erik was manipulative--again, this is probably because I didn't feel influenced by the later/earlier movies in this one. He told her what I think he honestly believed, that she was most beautiful as herself, and I thought the kiss was something she wanted and was old enough to want for herself. He had more experience of the world than she did, certainly, but I think she was old enough to choose who she wanted to experiment with--and I don't think he slept with her, which would've been over the line. But even Xavier acknowledges her as a fully developed moral agent right after, when he tells her to go with Erik. I guess I didn't find him any more self-serving than any leader who says "follow me and I'll do good things."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-06-11 05:24 am (UTC)I didn't feel Erik was manipulative--again, this is probably because I didn't feel influenced by the later/earlier movies in this one. He told her what I think he honestly believed, that she was most beautiful as herself, and I thought the kiss was something she wanted and was old enough to want for herself. He had more experience of the world than she did, certainly, but I think she was old enough to choose who she wanted to experiment with--and I don't think he slept with her, which would've been over the line. But even Xavier acknowledges her as a fully developed moral agent right after, when he tells her to go with Erik. I guess I didn't find him any more self-serving than any leader who says "follow me and I'll do good things."