"X-Men: First Class" Review - Written by Anthony T

X-Men: First Class
Year: 2011
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Stars:James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
Studio: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 132 Mins

Going into this summer movie season, I wasn’t really excited about this year’s films. Almost all of them looked like your average summer movie with car chases, great special effects and big explosions. Usually, there is four or five movies that I’m always dying to see in any summer. I don’t know what it was, but this was the only film that was on my must see list. I’m talking about “X-Men: First Class”.

The film take place in 1962, in the height of the Cuban Missile Crises. Before Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) became enemies, they were the closest of friends. The two meet to stop “The Hellfire Club, who have plans on starting World War III between the US and the Russians. They are led by Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who has the power to absorb kinetic energy and use it as superhuman strength. As Xavier and Lensherr pursue him, a rift between them is opened. This rift would lead to an eternal war that is about to happen between the two. X-Men: First Class also co-stars Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), January Jones ("Mad Men") and Rose Byrne ("Bridesmaids", "Insidious").

Considering that Brett Ratner made an awful film with “X-Men: The Last Stand” and Gavin Hood made a sub-par film with ’X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, I was hoping that Matthew Vaughn wouldn’t join that list of directors.

The first twenty minutes to this film squashed all fears and thoughts about this being another abysmal entry in the franchise.“X-Men: First Class” is one of those films that works perfectly. Director Matthew Vaughn, the man responsible for such great films like “Layer Cake” and “Kick-Ass” does a very good job bringing the characters to the big screen. One of things that I liked about his direction, he took the material seriously. It was something that Ratner and Hood didn’t do with their X-Men entries. What Vaughn did differently here, he focuses on the characters and the performances. It was very freshening that this wasn’t a film that was filled with special effects and characters that become secondary to the action. That’s what I‘ve always like about Vaughn. He’s able to make films that focuses on the characters, instead of special effects and action sequences. There are few moments in the film, especially in the beginning and end of the film that does a great job generating emotion. That’s what makes movies based on comic books, so great. Thankfully, he was allowed make his kind of film and not the typical summer studio film.

The performances were also very good, as there was just great casting all around. Both Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy did a great job carrying this film and making the characters work. I liked how, they both brought something to the roles. One of my biggest fears was that they were going to try channel Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. Thankfully, they don’t. Fassbender does a great job making Magneto more dark and devious. That’s what McKellen didn’t do with the character in the second and third films. That’s what you need with this character. Also, McAvoy makes Professor X so lively and not all Shakespearean like. It allows to add more emotion to the character, which was lacking when Stewart played the character in the first three X-Men films. His performances were mostly one-note, but it was enough for the character to work in those films. It wouldn’t have worked as well here, because a one-note main character doesn’t work well. McAvoy does a great job adding depth to the character and making the character relevant again.

Usually when there are four different writers, the film’s story and development suffers. Thankfully, that’s not the case, as the screenplay is much better than the last two films. Vaughn, along with writers Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Jane Goldman did a very good creating a screenplay that has character development and a story that keep you interested. I liked, how the story focused on Xavier and Magneto and not solely on the new mutants that are introduced here. It made for a better movie, as this is what this film is suppose to be about. Also, the screenplay focuses more on the story than the action sequences. It makes better and your not being hit in the head with an explosions or action scenes every five seconds. When movies based on comic books do that, it usually turns out very good.

In a mediocre year for films so far, this probably the best film that I have seen all year. It has all the elements that made “Batman Begins“ and “The Dark Knight, so great to watch. “X-Men: First Class” is filled with a very good direction from Matthew Vaughn and two very good performances from Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy.

Review Rating: Five Stars