There are many X-Men fans out there who were extremely nervous when they heard that the X-Men series of films was being rebooted. To be honest they had every right to be feeling that way as the last film in the series, the ill-fated Final Stand left a lot to be desired… others would argue that X-Men Origins: Wolverine was just a bad. Even worse was the news that Patrick Stewart wouldn’t be on board as this film takes a trup back in time and sets out to explain the characters of Charles Xavier and Magneto. Well, the good news is the film works far beyond expectation.
As promised the film goes back to the start and shows Charles Xavier (James McAvoy – Gnomeo & Juliet, The Conspirator) first meeting another mutant in the form of Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence – The Beaver, Like Crazy), as well as showing Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto’s (Michael Fassbender – Jane Eyre, Jonah Hex) cruel treatment at the hands of the Nazis. When Xavier is recruited by CIA agent, Moira McTaggert (Rose Byrne – Bridesmaids, Insidious) they decide to help put together a ‘mutant section’ when they learn that Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon – Elephant White, Bored To Death) is trying to force war between Russia and America. This sees Xavier recruit mutants from right across the country and try desperately to get Erik to work with them.
X-Men: First Class not only manages to re-boot this series but also brings so class to it. Once again director, Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Stardust) manages to do a fine job making a comic-book film remain interesting while making the film open to even those that haven’t read the comic. He almost makes this film seem like two films. The characterization around Charles and Erik is normally reserved for serious historical movies while the action sequences seem natural and never forced. He didn’t even go over the top with Hugh Jackman’s (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Australia) cameo… it was short and sweet.
The real stars of this film though are James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence. McAvoy puts in a brilliant performance and he certainly doesn’t have to worry about fans comparing him to Patrick Stewart. His portrayal of Xavier is spot on and once again the producers were correct in hiring a dramatic actor despite the ‘action-film’ tag associated with the film. He is also well supported by Jennifer Lawrence who hasn’t put a foot wrong since Winter’s Bone. X-Men: First Class also announces the arrival of Nicholas Hault (Clash Of The Titans, A Single Man) who doesn’t put a foot wrong in any of his scenes.
Michael Vaughn keeps his perfect record intact; he is yet to make a bad film, with X-Men: First Class a terrific film that mixes drama and action perfectly. This is a standout in the X-Men series and hopefully they continue to make more with this team at the helm.
