X-Men: First Class

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, January Jones, Alex Gonzalez, Jason Flemyng, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Jackman (cameo)
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary:In the 1960s, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) meets Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) who is trying to track down an ex-NAZI (Kevin Bacon) who is intent on destroying the world.

Review:
Tim: I did not have high expectations for X-Men: First Class. It felt like a redundant movie- why did we need to see the origins of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, when we already got bits and pieces in the other X-Men movies. Plus, the film was rushed into production to meet a release date. These factors added up to another disappointment in this once-proud franchise. Except, none of that mattered. X-Men: First Class is a very mature, exciting, entertaining superhero movie. It's easily the best X-Men movie since X2: X-Men United and it stands on its own as a great movie.

I love the script and its focus on real-life historical events from the 1960s. By putting our heroes against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, it raises the stakes for the entire film. The movie is more serious and believable because of its connection to these events. I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the film.

It also helps that the movie assembles an amazing cast. James McAvoy does a terrific job stepping into the shoes of Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier. McAvoy wisely doesn't try to emulate Stewart, but instead, makes the role his own. He is such a talented actor, and I was immediately impressed with his version of an iconic character. He was fun to watch and believable in the part. I was convinced he would be good. I was less sure about Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr. I wasn't very familiar with Fassbender before this film. I can say that he more than impressed me. He is a talented, intelligent actor and he is terrific as the future Magneto. I really enjoyed McAvoy and Fassbender together- I believed their friendship, which was vital to the overall movie.

Kevin Bacon was a fantastic choice as Sebastian Shaw, the film's villain. He is menacing, arrogant and memorable. I really enjoyed his performance. What I loved about the film and script is that we get to see Shaw's influence on the future world of the X-Men. I can't explain more without spoiling the movie, so I'll just say this is one of the best parts of the film and one of my favorites- it al makes sense at the end, and I loved that.

In addition, we have Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert, who was very, very good. We have Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, who is decent (but not great). I wanted more out of her. Oliver Platt was a huge addition to the cast and I really enjoyed him here- I just wish he had more screen time. January Jones gave some pretty awful, wooden acting. Besides looking the part, she did nothing to earn my respect. I think she's a bad actor. The rest of the cast is fine.

X-Men: First Class exceeded all of my expectations. It is an entertaining, thought-provoking, intelligent superhero movie. It gave me a newfound hope in a franchise that needed to turn things around. It's not just a great comic book movie- it's a great movie, period. I thoroughly enjoyed this smart film, and I am anxiously awaiting a sequel.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Fantastic Four, Iron Man