Part 2 (by request) X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class - This film is set against the backdrop of the Cold War circa 1962. Mutants Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensher (Michael Fassbender) meet for the first time whilst in pursuit of another mutant named Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) who is intent on starting the Cuban Missile Crisis. Along the way new friends are scooped up, alliances are broken and made, and a surprisingly thoughtful story is constructed regarding differences, both physical and ideological.

This film was a surprise in every way. X-Men, in my opinion was the finest of the original series. X-Men 2 was good but ultimately the middle act was too damn laborious. X-Men 3 was fun but shallow and, by killing most of the interesting characters, ultimately left the series nowhere to go and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was bad in every way possible. Needless to say I was expecting a terrible unnecessary film from First Class. Looks like the fifth time is the charm. X-Men First Class in my opinion actually improves on the original series. Is it a reboot, a prequel, or a reboot/prequel? Really not sure. But it's a damn fine yarn in any case.

Let me start, as usual, with the performances. James McAvoy is great as Charles Xavier. Xavier is perhaps most people's leat favorite of the X-Men. Wheelchair bound, sage-like and afraid to use his power to do anything useful for the team. Matthew Vaughn and McAvoy have crafted a character that abuses his powers at the start of the film. and through his training of other mutants gradually learns responsibility. His comfortable sheltered adolescence plays an interesting contrast against Erik's life. Erik spent several years experimented on and abused in a Nazi death camp by the villain Shaw. Michael Fassbender plays his character with a cold, James Bond like pointedness. The relationship between Charles and Eric (or Prof X and Magneto) is the star of the film, and it's a pity they don't get more time together. Kevin Bacon is a very good villain, and he's never more chilling than in the first 10 minutes of the film. Maybe it's the German.

This film doesn't make the mistake virtually all of the past movies have of giving us too many characters to focus on. Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence are strong as Beast and Mystique. January Jones is okay. She basically plays a superpowered version of her character Betty from Mad Men (Shaw would be Don Draper in that metaphor). But she isn't required to do much other than wear sexy clothing and look cold. Hee. A woman named January Jones plays a character named Emma Frost though. How perfect is that? Alliteration and all, if Stan Lee could go back in time and change the characters name to this actress's, he would.

There are some strong connections between America vs. Russia, Capitalism vs. Communism and Homo-sapiens vs. Mutants. Perhaps the sequel will involve race riots. Viewers will likely be divided as to whether Magneto (isolation/violent resistance) or Xavier's (coexistance/integration) ideologies are correct. Given that America and Russia are allies now and most of the modern world (except us) has integrated communism and capitalism, Xavier's is the method history tends to prove correct. Given though, that this is not just an ideology war but an evolutionary one, the mutants might just win in the end.

The film has a dark start (and why not? given that it starts in Nazi Germany) but also has lots of humor. The story and the performances are the stars of the film, but the effects don't dissapoint either. There are some fairly awe inspiring moments and cool uses of powers. Honestly, the movie could have been even longer and I wouldn't mind. It's just that enjoyable. Not everyone might feel so. I was told afterward how anachronistic some of the female costumes were. Come to think of it, the skirts were a little too mini. This may distract some people. Regardless, this is the strongest X-Men movie yet, a well made film in general, and the best film I've yet seen this year. It's so well done that if there are plot holes you feel like making excuses for them.

X-Men: First Class gets an A-