X-Men: First Class review

20th Century Fox

It's been a while since we had a good X-Men movie.  Third of the main series was eh, and the only good thing about X-Men Origins: Wolverine was Hugh Jackman.  Thankfully, First Class brings the series back to it's former glory and makes our favorite mutants one of Marvel's best movies.  If you are reading this before seeing the movie, just a heads up.  Mild spoilers, and there isn't an after credits scene.

The world doesn't know that mutants exist.  They hide their powers.  Then Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) decides to start World War III by means of the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) decide to help the government, after being reading the mind of Moira McTaggert (Rose Bryne).  This leads Charles to meet Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), and host of other mutants.  The informal X-Men find out more about Shaw's plan from the kidnapped Emma Frost (January Jones).

The script is top notch, feeling more like an spy movie that just happens to have the X-Men in it.  The threat around the Cuban Missile Crisis is established early on, and the plot doesn't waste any time by bringing us back to the time period.  The sets and dialogue keep us in the era without every seeming hokey or gimmicky.  Boiled down, the movie is about a pair of friends and their friendship that is tragically ended.  Eric's and Charles's arc is well known by now, but the script keeps the audience hoping that Eric will take a different turn, which makes the finale all that more tragic.  The plethora of mutants is handled much better than the last couple of X-Men movies.  If a mutant is shown, he/she has a purpose in the plot.  There are many mutants hinted or they have cameos, and it's a blast to see them.  The continuity of the original films is all but thrown out the window, and this is probably for the best.  Hopefully sequels will continue to write their own continuity.  And those complaining about the failed X-Men Origins: Magneto film, don't worry, this film will make up for it.

The acting equals the level of the script.  McAvoy and Fassbender hold the film on their own, having amazing chemistry.  While I loved Ian McKellen in the original movies as Magneto, Fassbender looks to be the new level for how to play the villain.  He keeps Magneto relatable and never seeming as a psycho, which sometimes happened in the originals.  Jennifer Lawrence makes Mystique a great character, something Rebecca Romijn wasn't really allowed to do in the originals.  The rest of the mutants do great with the time that they are given, even though they are mostly there for comic relief.

There are a couple of things that could have been fixed though.  January Jones isn't given much to do as Emma Frost, except stand there and not wear a lot of clothes.  She is a talented actress and hopefully she gets more time in the sequel.  The same could be said about the other mutants that make up the team, but we will probably see more of them in sequels.  There is also a death early on, which seems weird.  His absence is quickly swept away, so why bring him into the film at all?

X-Men: First Class is easily the best X movie, and hopefully Fox will look to it as a template for future X movies.  And Fox?  MAKE THE DEADPOOL MOVIE ALREADY

X-Men: First Class gets 4.5/5