User Reviews

There came a point, about half way through this film, when I emerged from the world of wonder on screen, took stock of my emotions in that instant, and realized that yes, by God, I am LOVING this movie.

I didn't really expect to, of course -- although certainly, I hoped for it. With such an incredible cast, an able director at the helm, a story of Bryan Singer provenance and the inclusion of some of my favorite, if lesser known, X-types (Darwin! Tempest! Havok!), I was eager to see this beloved band of merry Marvel mutants redeem themselves after the massive failures of X3 and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.

Which they do. And how!

One thing that the avid comic fan must do when approaching this movie, however, is to divorce themselves utterly from almost all established four-color X-Men continuity. Oh, some bears up, but by and large this is a whole new origin story, a reboot of epic proportions, and yet it is a retcon so cleverly done, and one that offers up a such a delicious mélange of complex relationships and sensible motivation, that all of the many discrepancies inherent in having Mystique on the side of good or having Moira McTaggert a CIA agent simply do not matter.

Speaking of McTaggert, Rose Byrne is both comely and convincing in the role, and almost every other actor is perfectly, one might almost say forcefully, cast. McAvoy brings a kind of laddish charm to Charles Xavier that he mixes nicely with both decency and naïveté, and Michael Fassbender's nascent Magneto is relentlessly, even heart-breakingly, compelling. Their chemistry is electric -- theirs' is one of the most multi-faceted and sincere bromances the screen has seen in a good long while.

The younger cast all impress, though particular praise must go to Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence as the petulant but pitiable Raven/Mystique (The Academy Awards have been good to young, hot X-chicks; let us not forget that Rogue herself, Anna Paquin, won for THE PIANO). Former child star Nicholas Hoult is also outstanding as the troubled Hank McCoy, and perhaps the most surprising kudos must go to teenage dream Lucas Till, who conveys the particular anti-social asshole-hood of the turbulent Alex Summers very convincingly indeed.

The biggest letdown in the movie, acting-wise, is January Jones as Emma Frost. True, she is appropriately ravishing, there can be no denying that, but she lacks the… the zing of the written character. There is very little intelligence, snark, or even personality behind her interpretation of this most intriguing of mutants; she's just kind of Stand There and Look Pretty -- which, for one playing Emma Frost, is something a travesty.

The only other weight under which this movie really labors is the fact that it is a prequel, and it therefore suffers from the feeling of inevitability that besets all such endeavors. Anakin Skywalker HAS to go Dark Side. Bilbo Baggins HAS to find the One Ring. And Magneto HAS to turn against humans; Mystique HAS to join him; Xavier HAS to end up in a wheelchair. With these definite plot developments looming, their eventuation is bound to be a bit of an anti-climax.

And yet the fun part about X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is the journey it takes us on to get us there. Offering up plenty of surprises, some kickass action sequences, mighty fine special effects, sly humor and a killer cameo, it is without doubt the best comic book movie of the year – nay, decade – thus far. And considering how overcrowded that list is, this is really saying Something.

Huh. A prequel that does not, in any way, suck.

Amazing, isn't it?

-- Rachel Hyland, geekspeakmagazine.com

Beginning with a crime-thriller and a fantasy film on his directorial résumé, it is safe to say that Matthew Vaughn may have already found his niche genre in the super-hero field despite only directing four films in seven years. His first super-hero project, 'Kick Ass,' opened in 2010 to solid critical acclaim and a finalized gross of three times the film's ordinary $30 million dollar budget. And after only two years, Vaughn returns with 'X-Men: First Class,' an origins story to accompany the Bryan Singer/Brett Ratner X-Men trilogy released between 2000 and 2006. It's intelligent, enthralling, well-acted, stylishly directed, and most importantly by focusing heavily upon the relationship between the two central protagonists, it does not feel like a conventional super-hero film.

Set within the political context of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960's, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is an up-and-coming Professor whose life is drastically altered when he is introduced to the other members of society who also share the same mutant gene as himself that supplies them with super-human abilities and traits. After stumbling upon the shape-shifting Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) within his mansion, the telepathic Xavier then encounters Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), the son of Jewish parents who were murdered during the holocaust by the narcissistic former Nazi scientist, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). Erik, who can manipulate all metal objects around himself, wants retribution and nothing more from Sebastian who is now a successful and evil underground figurehead who commands a team of mutants (Azazel, Emma Frost and Riptide) to do his bidding for him. But, once his plan for world domination is revealed, they find that it far exceeds the constraints of humanity, and Xavier, Erik and a rag-tag band of young, hide-away mutants (Havok, Beast, Darwin, Angel and Banshee) who were discovered by Charles, must combine their powers in one last attempt to stop Shaw from destroying the planet and humanity as a whole.

Instantly where 'X-Men: First Class' works is in regards to its two central characters; Charles Xavier played by an incredibly affluently sounding James McAvoy and a rage-fuelled Erik Lehnsherr played by a stern-faced Michael Fassbender. Their instant on-screen chemistry provides the drive and ammunition for the plot to carry itself forward. Both characters have differing ideologies and their constant clashes due to this aspect allow the script to be brought to life. Instead of simply infusing their relationship with formulaic violent clashes, Vaughn has instead opted for more articulated verbal battles between the two characters regarding their stance within the society they are now becoming a part of. Xavier is an intellectual being who believes that humans will eventually be accepted within society as equals alongside humans, while Lenhsherr believes that mutants will always be hunted and unable to live peacefully side-by-side with the human race, his evidence for this resides in the anti-Semitism and hatred he received at the hands of the Nazi party during the holocaust. This heavy-set contradiction in ideologies allows their relationship to be imbued with pessimism, while they may be shown as friends and fighting together initially, fans of the comic books and films in general know this does eventually turn into a bitter rivalry and it's this development which drives the plot forward.

Aside from the script, it would also be rude to not praise the action-sequences which take place within the confines of the 1960's X-Men universe. With a modest running time at two hours and ten minutes, there are more than a few well-choreographed action sequences that would adequately satisfy any of comic-book-to-film aficionado's wishing to see this film. Each character's power or ability is at some point represented in a destructive or defensive capacity, taking full advantage of the fact that while many super-hero movies tend to concentrate on the aesthetic nature of the artillery characters can be seen to withstand from governmental agencies or blindsided human opponents, here it is shown and constantly emphasized that human reaction would be futile due to the overwhelming power the mutants possess. These scenes also allow the less important characters to show their physical presence on-screen. For example, during the climactic fight sequence at the conclusion of the film, every mutant character that is identified to the audience is finally shown using their abilities to full capacity, most notably the henchmen of Shaw and the rag-tag team of Xavier and Lehnsherr. This therefore accounts slightly for the lack of depth that has been attempted in these secondary characters due to the time and story constraints.

While it is a very good and accessible comic-book/super-hero movie, 'X-Men' does also contain two central flaws. The first is superseded in a way by the strength of both McAvoy and Fassbenders performances, as Kevin Bacon is constantly overshadowed as the one-dimensional antagonist of the piece. His plot to ultimately destroy humanity becomes second fiddle to the ever intricate complex relationship between Xavier and Lehnsherr, and his appearance seems too modelled upon that of a James Bond villain. He has the slick hair, the beautiful women and the villainous underground Club to boot, but Bacon unfortunately doesn't have the charisma to be accepted as a worthy opponent to the protagonists. The other flaw has to do with a minor aspect of the production itself, as the non-diegetic music, most notably during the action sequences, begins to diminish in its impact as the film carries on, leading to it eventually becoming the generic, genre-related fanfare associated with the conventional comic-book films.

'X-Men: First Class,' is not your typical comic-book movie, it may contain certain elements associated with the comic-book genre, but by placing a heavy emphasis upon the strength of the plot and the script at the film's core instead of the action-set-pieces taking place, Vaughn has intended, and succeeded, in transcending the stereotypical conventions of the genre and has created a film which will appeal to a wide range of audience members.

What stands out in this movie (besides the look of some of the mutants), is the clever way in which all the pieces fall into place as a prequel which cements the backdrop and tone for the previous X-men offers. This one however, stands above them though for the consideration and tact that has gone into developing these understandably complex characters. Resulting in a more complete movie experience.

The leading cast do a brilliant job in giving you a sense of their conflict with ingredients such as prejudice, ignorance, a sense of belonging and bitter revenge giving the film a more humane feel than a lot of dramas allowing you to connect with the characters more easily.

The special effects- lets not forget, are top notch as expected, but surprisingly very in-keeping with the film and doesn't take away from the other elements of it. The violence is clean but present, pitched right between a young and adult audience. There's also a decent amount of ironic humour thrown in, which, considering the party tricks on offer (by that I mean the powers and peculiarities of the mutants), just comes and goes naturally without feeling forced as like a lot of comedy moments in films of late.

Bottom-line, this is a well-constructed, well acted Marvel film. I wasn't totally convinced beforehand, casting James McAvoy as the young Xavier, a full head of hair and northern accent doesn't seem the best fit after all. I can say that he fully realised that role and showed his range in playing a more commanding lead. Michael Fassbender has great screen presence and does a good shift as the Magneto to-be and Mr Bacon adds another interesting element to the story. All the supporting cast give a solid performance with everyone focused on the exciting job at hand and no weak links.

Easily worth the cinema admission and thank god they didn't make it in hit-and-miss 3d, there's just no need! The best of the X-men franchise.

With Matthew Vaughn at the helm, X-Men: First Class is a classy, fun time that brings the best out of it's strong cast. The action scenes and dialogue pop with a ferocity, and breaths life into a incredibly engaging storyline.

What you need to know about this movie before you go and see it. 1. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy are superb. Each one, alone, would have made the movie terrific, but together? Forgetaboutit! Every step of the way, every scene, every emotion, these two men own the movie and watching their bromance is a treat from start to finish. Make no mistake about it, even when the world is on the brink of utter destruction what really matters is how these two men relate to one another. And when you watch the movie, you will care. 2. Everyone in the cast is good. Kevin Bacon has never been better, and Jennifer Lawrence is wonderful. Rose Byrne and January Jones aren't given much to do, Ray Wise and Michael Ironside only have a few short lines, but - across the board - the entire cast are a delight. 3. The story is tight. You've got a bad guy with a plan, which he sets about executing in A/B/C fashion. Against him, the good guys work together. Their motivations are different, of course, but they pretty much want him stopped so they unite. That's it. 4. Charles and Erik are fascinating characters. They debate. And viewers can debate endless about them, and about who is right, etc. As you watch you desperately wish they could stay friends, but you understand why they ultimately can't. Even if they themselves, in these early days, don't understand it yet. To have that so perfectly captured in a Summer Blockbuster movie is part of what makes this a treat and a future classic. But, aside from their relationship to each other, the movie takes time to make each of them interesting in his own right. We get to see Charles as a teacher, for instance, and come to understand how he impacts upon the lives of those he tutors. Some of Erik's best moments (away from Charles) are in his comments to Mystique about her appearance, making it clear that this man has more to him than the shadow of his past. 4. Most supporting characters have very little screen time. But that's okay, since this isn't THEIR story, really. Of the bunch, it is Mystique and Beast who are best served. Both have terrific character arcs that - in a lesser X-Men movie - might have been the highlight of the film. Here, their stories serve as quality background material to the main event (Charles and Erik). Beyond that, we just learn enough about everyone to know what they can do and like them a little bit, mostly through their banter and most obvious character traits. Once scene where most of the supporting characters are clearly terrified will certainly go a long way towards making you care about them for the rest of the movie. On the downside: Shaw's two henchmen don't get ANYTHING to do except use their powers, and at the end of the story we know as much about Emma Frost as we did at the beginning. But these are the exception, not the rule. 5. Visually, this movie is a treat. The FX are good, no surprise, but - much better - the actual sets/costumes are beautiful. Whether it's a remote CIA lab or a lap-dance club, whether it's the Magneto helmet or Mystique's everyday clothes, you are always admiring 'the look' of what's on screen. 6. There are action scenes all during the movie, but - having said that - the movie builds as it goes. The first half is more story-heavy/character-heavy so that when the action REALLY starts we care about everyone. And, again, it works. Even with the scant details given their characters, when Banshee and Havok (for example) go into battle you are invested in them to a certain degree. 7. There are surprises. Deaths, betrayals, cameos and name-dropping. But, as well as being cool, all of this makes perfect sense for the story/universe of the movies. Superb! Rock-solid script, two amazing lead performances (the film is basically a bromance). Haven't been this excited about the X-Men franchise since X2: X-Men United.

Exhilarating action, formidable foes, well written, and highly entertaining throughout! I love Matthew Vaughn films or least most of them he's very good at his craft. Kevin Bacon is always great at villain roles along with the rest of the cast is so good. Part of me remembers seeing this in the theater that was fun especially then I had people to go with, in the last several years I mostly go by myself I hope that changes eventually either way X: First Class is exactly what you want it to be!

In 1944, in Poland, the boy Erik Lehnsherr unleashes his magnetic power when his mother is sent to a concentration camp. The evil Dr. Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) brings Erik to his office and kills his mother, increasing his abilities through anger. In New York, the wealthy Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) meets the mutant Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and invites her to live in his manor.

In 1962, the CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) discovers the existence of mutants working with Shaw and the invites Professor Xavier to recruit mutants to work for the USA government. Xavier teams up with Raven, Erik and a group of young mutants. Sooner they learn that the evil Shaw has the intention of beginning a nuclear war to destroy the world and increase his power.

"X-Men: First Class" is an entertaining film for fans of action films with superheroes that discloses the beginning of the saga of the mutants. The plot has many flaws, like for example: why Erik destroys Dr. Shaw's office, kills the guards but does not destroy the killer Shaw? How Xavier and Raven become best friends after a five- minute dialog? Why the lack of gratitude of Raven after the accident with Xavier in the end? The power of Azazel is so exaggerated that becomes impossible to be defeated.

Kevin Bacon is a great villain and the insertion in the context of the Cold War and using the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 as background is a funny joke. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "X-Men: Primeira Classe" ("X-Men: First Class")

Xmen: First Class is simply fantastic. Strong emotion and explosive action. The acting is top notch. Delivery from every actor is at it's best, more so from Mystique, Beast, Xavier and Magneto.

The story is more character based than action, however the action sequences are still superb. Personally i'd have liked to of seen it being a 15 and have a more adult but it wasn't a big issue. Also some more background story from the bad super's would have been good but again this wasn't too much of an issue and would leave some nice room for upcoming xmen movies.

I don't want to say too much but to break it down... Go see this film no matter what you are into. There is something for everyone. 9/10 easy

After X3 and Wolverine Origin our expectations for the X-Men franchise were pretty low if not gone completely. This seemed like a last ditch effort by Fox to make something out of X-Men. When pictures were being released I laughed at them with my friend. Beast looked weird and everything looked cheap. I went to the theater thinking, "I don't know why I'm seeing this it's gonna be stupid."

What they made was so much more than a prequel. A lot of the times when these movies are made there only function is to explain why everything you already know came to be. This actually had a story to tell. And was the beginning of a great franchise. Casting was good. Even their self referential jokes were good.

I don't know if Bret Ratner hated X-Men and was deliberately trying to ruin it but he did. Goddamn he did... So much that not only was the past the only place to go by the fact that they used time travel to correct this later on.

They made the characters real, who we know but different. They aren't set in their ways yet. Magneto has his evil foundation but he's not there yet. Xavier isn't the teacher but it does come naturally to him. It's fun to see them young doing what kids do.

The story is exciting and worth telling. A lot of really cool things happen. The 60s feel it's nice too.

Little did we know then they this was the start of saving X-Men.

There are plenty of big action scenes throughout but it's the first half of the film that really impresses. Establishing these characters and the entire universe is done remarkably well and in a remarkably moving manner. This new spin on familiar "bad guys" Magneto and Mystique does give the actions and emotions for the characters a new level of appreciation and helps give them so much more depth and pathos. Both sides of the fence (Xavier's vision and Magneto's contempt) are advanced and the brilliance of the plot is that both sides are understandable and relatable. The viewer can simply sit and watch it unfold but also be emotionally invested in the journey. During the second half, plot threads move towards resolution and action picks up. Xavier is a shining example and his journey throughout the film matches that of Erik.

First Class never undermines the audience nor talks down to them and does all that is expected of it. It delivers great action, humor, effects and a strong connection between heroes, villains and those developing in between. The retro design is suave and making this a period piece gives it a cool and unique flavor. The collaboration between Singer and Vaughn apparently was a perfect blend. Vaughn did a brilliant job and Singer's vision from the first two films stayed in tact and was enhanced. I have to add that the score had a perfect heroic theme but was also moving and very well done. The overall impact of this film leaves you with a great sensation of a job well done. Fast paced yet filled with depth, spellbinding visual effects and a gripping finale. In the end, they succeeded in re-establishing these characters in a superb and interesting manner. There is more to offer and more depth to appreciate. I certainly can't wait for a sequel and inclusion of Scott and Jean from the original trilogy.

I love the Xmen, I won't beat around the bush. There are so many mutants, heroes and anti-heroes that you relate can to at least one of them. The franchise has had its ups and downs. The first two films made the superhero genre what it is today. Stunning set pieces, breath taking special effects and a group dynamic that was brilliantly cemented in the second film. The third struck a middle ground where the spectacle overshadowed the narrative but was still a fun ride, and the last title Xmen Origins: Wolverine, was the only miss-step in the series. Xmen first Class is really very good. It manages to keep up with the first two whilst retaining an originality in its own right.

The Direction is great, Vaughn's clearly got a knack for angles and keeping the audience engaged whilst the story chops and changes. The look of the film is modern, yet still has a 60's and almost retro look about it. The special effects are very good, though some how not quite up there with Xmen: The Last Stand. The energy is fast and relentless and the action sequences blend in with the dialogue sequences seamlessly.

The acting is very good, though Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen are definitely missed, McAvoy and Fassbender do excellent jobs and really are in keeping with the characters you already know and love. Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw are deliciously malevolent and Moira Mctaggart is perfectly pitched. My only reservation about the acting in the film is of Mystique, who I believe wasn't quite right, her motives in the film don't seem in complete continuity with the rest of the films.

A sequel has already been planned and I shall be eagerly awaiting it. Having Storm back in the series would be a personal highlight for myself, but not necessary. I would highly recommend this film to anyone that has watched the original films and even for newcomers.

One thing I will add that I have noticed since watching the original trilogy is that in 1980 Charles is walking, but according to First Class he loses this ability in the 60's...

Of the original trilogy, the first X-Men movie still rates the best.....until now.

This prequel is an absolute stunner - from storyboard, script, mutant characters, pace, cinematography, Foley FX, VFX....you get the picture. In fact, the subtitle for this movie could also be X-Men: Origins. The poignant beginnings of Magneto and Mystique are recounted, as well as the extraordinary powers of Professor X. Yes, indeed! The good professor had plenty of goodies (and hair) in his formative years at Oxford University.....^^

I cannot wait to see X-Men prequel II and III, 3D or not.

The biggest problem of these prequels is it's kind of messy to the original X-Men movies. Well, the filmmakers said this is a reboot but there are some references to the original X-Men series. Anyways, "X-Men: First Class" is fun and had a lot of great action. It's the biggest X-Men movie ever made and it's better than the last two X-Men movies.

The filmmakers stated that this movie is a reboot but things from the old X-Men movies had an appearance to this movie. The problem of giving reference from the old X-Men movies to this reboot is it doesn't make this movie stand alone. Maybe the references only made for the laughs but if this is a prequel then it'll be a total mess.

The best parts goes to the action(obviously). Matthew Vaughn knows how to make big and awesome action scenes. The best parts also goes to the scenes of Michael Fassbender. He really steals the show. He made Erik/Magneto more dangerous than ever. It's fun and intense to see him do something menacing. The rest of the cast is also pretty good. James McAvoy gave a lot of heart to his role. Him and Fassbender had good chemistry.

Overall, "X-Men First Class" is good especially if you are looking for large scale action. I guess large scale is one thing that's missing to the first four X-Men films. X3 had a large scale action that left us hanging in the end. This one has the action finale that is intense and really big. Maybe the reference of the old X-Men movies is only made for the laughs. By the way this is Matthew Vaughn's thing. There's action plus comedy.

Superhero movies have been thriving in both Hollywood and public consciousness for almost 10 years now, and one of the biggest reasons has been the origin story. "Spider-Man" in 2002 revealed how the emotional power of a superhero's motivation can humanize even those characters with the most extraordinary powers. "X-Men: First Class" provides this oh so necessary background to a franchise whose last two film entries sacrificed depth of character for mutant and superpower pageantry. Wolverine might be the most popular character from the "X-Men" world, but the story of how Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr developed two different ideologies and became Professor X and Magneto encapsulates the comics' core. "First Class" recognizes this all the way.

When the action-packed but unmoving "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was announced, it came coupled with the hiring of a writer for "X-Men Origins: Magneto." "First Class" essentially gives us that story. This is a film about Erik's decision to become Magneto and Michael Fassbender revels in the spotlight as the powerful metal-bender who eventually leads what becomes the Brotherhood of Mutants. Fassbender will continue to be an acting force to reckon with in the future as he brings incredible depth to a character already written so well.

"X-Men: First Class" has to be the best-written superhero film since "The Dark Knight" and maybe ever behind the first two "Spider-Man" films. The script is loaded with thematic insights into the notion of being an outsider — the very notion that's made this comic so universally loved. The fascinating complexity of Magneto and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) gets abundant attention and even the minor characters exude that feeling of learning to embrace and understand their powers and differences for the first time.

The film opens with a scene directly from the original "X-Men": a young Erik at a concentration camp gets separated from his mother and bends a metal gate. A Nazi doctor takes note of this ability and meets with Erik, eventually killing his mother in front of him as to provoke the anger that triggers Erik's powers. That villain happens to be a mutant himself, one who in the '60s becomes known as Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). Erik's one goal is to avenge that death. This background alone, that of a Holocaust survivor, makes Erik such a challenging character for an audience. In his pursuit of Shaw, Erik meets Charles (James McAvoy), whose own quest to find other mutants with the help of a young CIA agent named Moira McTaggert (Rose Byrne) also has him tracking Shaw. As it happens, Shaw's plan is to incite the Cuban Missile Crisis and start a nuclear war, setting the stage for mutant supremacy.

Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart are tough shoes to fill, but Fassbender and McAvoy make those characters their own while commanding the screen much like those venerated talents. Despite the film leaning heavily toward Magneto's story, McAvoy impresses here as a rallying leader figure. He has a youthful charisma that a bald wheelchair-bound Professor X never gets the luxury of wielding in the original films, but he demonstrates a maturity we've never gotten to see from McAvoy, who's always playing teenage or 20-something characters thanks to his boyish looks. The chemistry between him and Fassbender echoes that between McKellan and Stewart but in a much different way. With this film now in the "X-Men" canon, I think revisiting the original trilogy would actually make the original films' Magneto-Professor X subplots more powerful. That's how well the writing team captures their relationship and story despite the many other things going on.

Director Matthew Vaughn strikes a nice balance between the grittiness of a "Layer Cake" and the superhero fun of "Kick-Ass." Vaughn milks the most he can out of a PG-13 rating as some gruesome deaths are left to the imagination or shown simply without the blood. Graphic enough or not, "First Class" keeps a dark tone with the exception of all the teenage mutants learning to control and showing off their powers. Even then, they remain firmly rooted in the script's core ideas and messages.

"First Class" forces you to keep track of several mutants, but only a couple feel hollow or ineffective. Despite being a comic book icon, Emma Frost appears to be nothing but a fembot as played by January Jones. A telepath like Professor X but with the ability to turn her skin into diamonds, she serves Shaw with seemingly no regard for her own interests, whatever they may be. Jones provides no edginess to the character, who essentially serves the same purpose as Mystique in the original films as the faithful but alluring evil "assistant."

Lawrence as Raven aka Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Hank aka Beast represent an effective use of subplot. Both play young mutants who possess powers that exhibit physical characteristics. As young people, they wrestle with questions of fitting in or embracing who they are, which echoes the larger Erik/Charles storyline on a smaller scale.

Regardless your thoughts on "X-Men: First Class" as a stand-alone film, it unquestionably does great justice to the power of the "X-Men" story as a whole and reminds us why this message has universal qualities that all can identify with. Not only are there the questions of conformity, but also of human nature. The climax reminds us of one of the major differences between Charles and Erik: one has faith that humanity will come to accept mutants and the other doesn't. Although we've been trained to agree with Charles since Bryan Singer's first film in 2000, "First Class" helps us come to realize the power of Magneto's argument, proving he's not so much a villain, but a character with a darker and perhaps more realistic world view.

The talent runs very deep in this retro-fitted backstory to the "X-Men" universe that refocuses the franchise for the better.

~Steven C

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Things were looking good for the X-Men back in 2003. The first film was a box-office success and was a pretty solid blockbuster. Then X2 came and the bar was raised not only for X-Men films, but for superhero movies in general. Bryan Singer had made an exciting action film that had interesting, fully-developed and endearing characters. Then Singer dropped out in order to make Superman Returns, and for some reason left the job to Hollywood s**t-stain Brett Ratner. X-Men: The Last Stand was an over-populated, lazily directed mess, and Ratner had thought it would be a good idea to cast Vinnie Jones. It seemed to be the closure of the X- Men series, until X-Men Origins: Wolverine came along and gave a backstory to fan-favourite Wolverine. Even though it was directed by the Oscar-winning Gavin Hood (who directed the excellent Tsotsi), it was the worst of the lot. Studio interference has made it a bumbling, boring mess of a movie. But still the X-train carries on, and still had the ability to attract rising director Matthew Vaughn.

Set in 1962, it follows a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) who is graduating from University and living with his best friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence). Xavier is seemingly fascinated with genetic mutation that has given him the gift of reading minds, and given Raven the ability to morph into anyone. Meanwhile, vengeful concentration camp survivor Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) is on a mission to find the fled Nazis that led to the death of his parents, and, ultimately, to find Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who first discovered his gift for magnetism. Shaw is now on a quest to strike a deal with the U.S.S.R. that will lead to the destruction of America. Lensherr realises he must join forces with Xavier and recruit new mutants in order to fight this threat, and eventually being accepted into a discriminative world.

One of the underlying themes of the X-Men films is the idea of discrimination against the mutants. It is the key thing that eventually lead to Xavier and Lensherr (later to become Professor X and Magneto) ultimately becoming enemies. Xavier feels that the best way to show the human population that the mutants do not pose a threat is to rise above the 'racial' hatred. Magneto takes it as a way to feel superior, and therefore hell-bent on teaching the humans a lesson. Magneto feels deeply about this due to his childhood in Auschwitz, and the death of his parents. This deep-rooted hatred is explored early on in First Class as Lensherr scours Europe killing people on his Nazi list.

This is one of the problems with First Class, as the film is bound to the fate that we as the audience already know. Xavier must lose the use of his legs. Magneto and Raven (later to become Mystique) must become evil. Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) must turn into Beast. The Cerebro must be built. Often the film becomes so insistent in developing these ideas that it loses focus on its own storyline and characters. As a result, the plot can often feel muddled, and the new mutant additions are thinly-conveyed and uninteresting.

The one true masterstoke in the film is the casting of Michael Fassbender. I've long been an admirer after seeing him as Bobby Sands in Hunger, and then go on to make Fish Tank and Inglourious Basterds. He portrays Magneto torn both by anger and helplessness devised from his childhood, and plays it with utter conviction. His early scenes travelling across Europe are the best moments in the film, and makes me wish they had gone ahead with their earlier plans in giving Magneto his own origin movie. McAvoy, however, although possessing a lot of charm, suffers from having Patrick Stewart's shoes to fill. His friendship with Raven is just not convincing.

There's a definite feeling that the film has been rushed. Vaughn's earlier efforts in the fantasy field - Kick-Ass and Stardust - flowed, and never lacked in the special effects department. Here, the film seems to frantically pacing for the climax, with no real moments of character development, and some of the special effects don't come near to the standards of other films these days. It is, though, undoubtedly enjoyable. The action scenes don't exactly blow anything out of the water, and don't even surpass the original two, but they are at least fun. I hope if they do make another film, they concentrate on the story rather than looking at the future, and set the foundations for what could become a solid franchise in it's own right.

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X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is a film that aims to breathe new life into a somewhat tired franchise (so far consisting of the original trilogy and two stand-alone Wolverine stories) by telling the back story of the Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen characters from the original movies. Thus we're handed a bright young cast of up-and-comers who engage in their own superhero adventures.

The setting is the early '60s, at the height of the Cold War. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, playing the early versions of Stewart and McKellen respectively, recruit some familiar and not-so familiar mutants to help them wage a war against generic bad guy Kevin Bacon. What follows is watchable but overlong and fairly underwhelming, offering exactly the kind of CGI-heavy spectacle as the other films in the series while failing to engage the brain properly at any time.

It goes without saying that McAvoy and Fassbender - particularly the latter - are by far the best things in this movie. The rest of the cast, including Jennifer Lawrence, are lacklustre and some of them, such as Nicholas Hoult playing a goofy boffin, are downright embarrassing. Bacon's on autopilot, while Rose Byrne gives one of the most excruciatingly wooden turns I've seen in recent months, a surprise given she was pretty good in previous movies like SUNSHINE and 28 WEEKS LATER.

Like the STAR WARS prequels, this film was conceived of a way of starting afresh while at the same time bringing back some old and much-loved characters who are a guaranteed box-office draw. But the film rings fairly hollow, and while it works as a bit of spectacle, it's one of those movies you forget about straight after. It says something that the most excitement I had was seeing one of my favourite character actors, Michael Ironside, in a role amounting to little more than a cameo as a ship's captain. I find Matthew Vaughn a hit and miss director and this is more miss than hit, unfortunately.

Fox can breath easy again because I think it's safe to say the even the extreme fanboys will be putting down their pitchforks and torches and smile after seeing this amazing film. I know for a fact that general audiences are going to love this movie. I know some fans can be irrational and hold on to their hate because they expect certain things they read in their books but I can't seeing anyone being that irrational when faced with a result that delivers what First Class manages to deliver. It honestly is a genre-defining movie on a level with any comic based film that has come before it. Everything in this movie is exceedingly better than what Fox delivered in their last two efforts with this franchise. Going back to the beginning and re-hiring the guy that brought us those films was a splendid idea. The acting here is superb and the dialogue is rich. Every character feels absolutely believable no matter what abilities they have on display. No cartoonish villains or cheese in sight, every side of the issue is presented by people who believe they are the ones who are in the right and the underlying message of tolerance and bigotry only add to the depth of this film. If not a genre-defining movie than maybe it redefines the comic book genre. It restores the sense of epic adventure and grand-scale storytelling that we saw in X2. In fact, it perfectly complements that great film and probably surpasses it.

This film is to X2 what Godfather 2 was to the Godfather. Seriously, First Class is an exceptional "flashback" look that links the best of the X-Men trilogy to the past. Instead of DeNiro playing young Vito Corleone we get James McAvoy as young Charles Xavier. Marlon Brando and Patrick Stewart made their respective characters popular but both were more fleshed out by incredible younger talent. I'm not placing the X-Men film itself on a par with the Godfather but both have become legendary in their particular genre. I am, however, saying McAvoy has a bright future as a complex and talented actor. Just like the young cast of Godfather 2 was legendary, the young cast of First Class has many great days and projects ahead of them.

Love this entire cast but Michael Fassbender delivers the best performance with an amazing presence and command of the screen. Everyone was extraordinary. What many expected indeed happens. By that I mean every scene that Fassbender and McAvoy are in together absolutely sing. It won't surprise anyone to know that Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt and Jennifer Lawrence are superb in supporting roles but Nicholas Hoult did stunning work as the Beast and deserves some love as well. January Jones and Rose Byrne are hot as can be but aren't just simple eye candy. Sure, the story is compelling and the action is amazing but the performances elevate this movie far above a common summer flick.

Movie of the year so far...