The X-Men series has always been a mixed bag for me. The first one was good and I loved the second one. It was my favorite comic book movie until Spider-Man 2 was released. The third had plenty of action, but was short on heart and character development. That is because the director of the previous films, Bryan Singer, left and went on to do Superman Returns. However, that turned out to be a super bore. Do not even get me started on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I had low expectations going in to X-Men: First Class because it was a prequel, and most of the time prequels turn out to be bad. However, I ended up enjoying it.
The film is set in 1963 and tells the story of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender). Before they took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their mutant powers for the first time. Charles is able to read and control people’s minds, and Erik is able to control and manipulate metal. Before they were archenemies, they were close friends who were trying to stop Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a mutant who can absorb kinetic energy, and he now wants to take over the world. So Charles and Erik must find other mutants and destroy Shaw before his plan succeeds.
Unlike the last X-Men movie, we feel compassion for the characters as they actually have character development this time. The film is centered on the genuine friendship between Charles and Erik and it works well. McAvoy does a pretty good job as Charles Xavier, but Fassbender is the main star of this film. We feel Magneto’s pain throughout the whole film and how he represents a tragic hero. The rest of the cast is also well rounded, and it is refreshing to see mutants that have not been seen in the previous films before. Some new mutants are: Havok, Banshee, Angel, Darwin, Azazel, and Emma Frost.
The action scenes, special effects, and editing are all first class. In addition, the script is well crafted and smarter than the majority of summer blockbusters. The film is also able to incorporate real life events to deal with interesting issues like civil rights, discrimination, and the threats of nuclear war. It even uses archive footage from John F. Kennedy’s speeches.
The only bad thing I can say about this film is that it is a prequel so we already know what is going to happen in the future. Also, there are some talky moments that slow the movie down sometimes. Plus, some of more popular mutants in the previous movies like Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (James Marsden), and Rogue (Anna Paquin) are missing. Those hoping to see Wolverine will just have to settle for a cameo.
This is a good blockbuster and definitely worth a purchase, especially on Blu-ray. Recently 20th Century Fox ordered a sequel so I will be excited for that! And remember, Mutant and Proud!
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