X Men: First Class

Welcome to another episode Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is X Men: First Class.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Written by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn.

Screen Story by Sheldon Turner & Bryan Singer

Review #123

MPAA Rating: PG- 13 For intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language.

Runtime: 132 min

Cast

James McAvoy - Charles Xavier
   
Michael Fassbender - Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto

Kevin Bacon - Sebastian Shaw

Rose Byrne - Moira MacTaggert

Jennifer Lawrence - Raven Darkholmme / Mystique

Álex González - Janos Quested / Riptide

Jason Flemyng - Azazel

Zoë Kravitz - Angel Salvadore

January Jones - Emma Frost

Nicholas Hoult - Hank McCoy / Beast
   
Caleb Landry Jones - Sean Cassidy / Banshee

Edi Gathegi - Armando Muñoz / Darwin

Lucas Till - Alex Summers / Havok

The X-Men franchise like many of today's comic book films went through several phases. The first phase began with anticipation and excitement. X-Men (2000) started the comic book movie revolution that we know today. The film for the most part delivered on expectations. The next development was the inevitable sequel phase. X2: X-Men United was not only a hit. It was better than the first. The final phase was an inferior third film to round out the proposed trilogy of mutant movies. While X-Men I and II did an honorable job of staying faithful to the source material. X-Men: The Last Stand was an abomination to the Dark Phoenix saga that geeks like myself fell in love with as a kid.

Hey Brett Ratner....You will NEVER be forgiven for killing Professor X!!!!

Adding insult to injury. In 2009 we were introduced to a very lackluster and off base take on one of Marvel's most popular characters. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was Marvel's attempt to give the fans a chance to get the bad taste of X3 out of our mouths. It failed to accomplish that. Which leads us to this movie. The announcement of X-Men: First Class immediately sent chills down my spine, and I'm not talking about the good chills. My first thought was reboot. The suits have no fresh X-Men ideas to present us so they have decided to go back to the beginning. Then the trailer hit and I was not impressed at all. I began to ask why are they giving us another X-Men origin story?

Now I ask....Will I ever be able to look at the other films again after seeing this MASTERPIECE!!!!

Plot


Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto and the Professor.

X-Men: First Class in a word is BRILLIANT!!!! 

I'll start at the root of this film. The story is a magnificent blend of comic mythology and actual historic events. As expected they took us back to the 60's where Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr were young men developing themselves as well as their friendship. The backdrop of the cold war served as an excellent playground for the newly created X-Men to have their fun. There was a sense of realism felt in this movie that I haven't seen or experienced since Christopher Nolan's Batman revival.

Vaughn and his writing team clearly went back to the drawing board created by X-Men (2000) and grounded this film in as much reality as they could. Considering that the main characters possess other worldly powers and abilities of course. There was a freshness to scenes that we have seen before a million times. An example would be the scene where Xavier and Lehnsherr recruit the kids. It was done with a style and look that doesn't break any ground but was entertaining as hell. This scene was put over the top by an unexpected appearance by a popular person in the Marvel universe.

I dare you not to giggle like a geek when you see it.

Moving on to the cast. My impression of some of the cast was akin to my feelings about the trailer. Very lukewarm. I felt this primarily with the 2 main protagonists. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy just didn't look the part to me. This was an unfair criticism but I couldn't get past it because of the perfect casting of these characters in the previous X-Men films. Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan as the Professor and Magneto respectfully were slam dunks. Fassbender and McAvoy don't resemble what The Professor or Magneto would look like in their later years. It's a good thing I didn't dwell on this. If I had then I would have missed 2 very good performances.

Fassbender and McAvoy presented me with something that lacked in the previous films. Both Xavier and Lehnsherr displayed in full force the humanity that bonded them and the conflict that drove them apart. There was both compassion and hatred exposed among the 2 friends turned foes. It was this dynamic that infected the rest of the cast and allowed them to breathe or not in their own mutant skins. You feel the conflict among all the kids who get recruited to become X-Men. This was an aspect that stayed throughout the film, prevalent by Jennifer Lawrence's performance as Mystique. This gorgeous young woman has a real bright future ahead of her.

Of course what review would this be if I didn't talk about the action.

A friend of mine was lucky enough to see this film at an advance screening and his appraisal of the film was that it was action packed. That it was non stop. As much as I respect his opinion I have to disagree. This film does have more action than the other films in the franchise but it's not the kind of action that you would expect or are used to seeing in films of this sort. I think what separates this film from the other X-Men films is the display of the mutant's powers. You get to see them shake what their momma gave them with a great deal of frequency. This was a very nice touch and a much needed facet to the franchise. X Men: First Class is above anything else an origin story. Let's see the mutant's do their thing. Now having said that, when the real action takes place it's top notch on every level. Presentation, choreography, special effects and editing.

My friend and I may not have seen eye to eye on the abundance of action in this film. We do however, agree on this. X Men: First Class is by far the best film of the franchise and quite possibly the best Marvel film made, supplanting Thor. I can just hear you all starting the debate. Don't get me wrong. I'm conflicted myself. I had a hard time deciding between this and Iron Man. Regardless, as long as debates like this continue to live on, it just means that more great Marvel movies are being made.

That's ALWAYS a good thing....NUFF SAID!!!!

On the 5 star scale. X Men: First Class gets the full house 5 stars. With a well deserved "Worth Every Penny" recommendation.

With the success of Thor and now X Men: First Class. Captain America: First Avenger and Green Lantern have a lot of work to do if they want to challenge for the title of best comic book film of 2011. This is a good time to be a fan of comic book movies. The powers that be are learning. Slowly but surely they have figured out that all the fans want to see are their favorite superheroes doing the things they remember when they read the books. As fans, let's just ride this wave and enjoy it because we all know that sooner or later someone will F@#K  us and destroy this great momentum we got going right now.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is Super 8.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"