I’m writing this just an hour or so after I walked out of the theater. Since then I’ve gotten food at Taco Bell and watched 15 minutes of an episode of How I Met Your Mother. My point is that the whole movie is still pretty fresh on my mind, something you, the reader, wants in a review. Also, I am going to do my very best not to spoil anything. So, without further ado, let’s get right onto the review.
The Movie Itself
The highest point of this movie was the acting. It was superb in every ounce of the word. I must give a particular shout out to the leads, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. James McAvoy brought a youthful steak to the usually serious Professor, while Fassbender perfectly captured the rage and angst that would eventually create one of the Comic book world’s best villains.
The two of them played tremendously off of each other and nailed the close yet uneasy friendship that the two have had for all these years in the comics. I was honestly amazed that the two of them captured the relationship the way Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen did.
Haven't I seen this scene before?Regardless, it is still awesome.
The last movie I can remember Kevin Bacon being in was the vaguely watchable Punisher rip-off, Death Sentence. I was worried about his career but he managed to come back in X-Men: First Class with a vengeance, absolutely nailed the head of the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw. January Jones actually managed to not fuck up the sexy bitchiness of Emma Frost. The rest of the cast was excellent. The only notable exception was Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert; her acting was just seemed force and kind of fake.
The action and effects on the different mutants’ powers was top notch. Magneto’s powers were taken to new heights and they actually managed to make Banshee’s “Supersonic Flight” look pretty awesome. Darwin’s adaptability was very cool to see on screen and Mystique was the same as she’s been in the rest of the film series.
Finally, I have to applaud the writers for their choice to set the film in the 1960s. That was absolutely genius. This movie could have simply been set in Modern day times and ignore that there were any other X-men films (although in my mind, there were only three before First Class). But instead, they created a slick comic movie that had a little bit of a James Bond feel complete with Men in Black, the threat of Nuclear War, and a lot of subtitles to read.
In Relation to the Comics
Take a guess where the X in my name comes from. When it comes to comic books, the X-men are the comics I live and die by. An issue of Uncanny X-men was my very first comic. Since then, I’ve followed and studied X-men more extensively than any other series. So am I critical when it comes to the movies? Yes. I was not a fan of X3 and I am still trying to make the Wolverine movie not exist. So what did I think of First Class?
If you’re expecting to me to start off with how “Cyclops, Jean, Angel, Beast, and Iceman were the first class and only Beast was in it!” you’d be wrong. I understand the movie verse has already used those characters and made it impossible for them to be around in the Sixties aside from a much younger, non-Kelsey Grammar version of Beast. But X-men: First Class chose their characters tastefully instead of doing the mutant mash up two ton cluster fuck that was X-men Origins: Wolverine
I think my message of hate for this moving is getting across.
They went for big characters and small characters to fill the cast. Along with Professor X and Magneto, the biggest characters to get from the comics to this movie were Mystique, Banshee, Beast, and Havok. Filling out the cast was a much smaller group of characters.
I thought the addition of Darwin, a newer character with X-Factor, was a brilliant idea. While I was a bit apprehensive at the addition of Azazel to the cast, he actually ended up winning me over. The only minor character inclusion that confused me was Angel Salvadore (not to be confused with Warren Worthing III from the First Class of X-men). The Angel in this movie is based on a minor character in Grant Morrison’s run on X-men that is only famous for mating with Beak and then later being depowered. Could we have had more notable X-character like Husk, Surge, or Mercury?
On the left: Angel's mate. Who was also in the Wolverine movie. Without a beak or any bird features. Played by Charlie Pace. With Electricity powers. I am done bitching about that movie, I swear.
Also, I need to throw this in somewhere because it bugged the hell out of me. Charles Xavier is the most powerful telepath in the X-men universe. Therefore, he does NOT FUCKING NEED to put two fingers to his temple every fucking time he uses his power. Just had to get that bit of nerdrage out.
But honestly, if this is my biggest problem with the movie, then it deserves a damn Oscar.
In conclusion:
I give this movie a solid 8.5 out of 10. And yes, this is the normal scale where 10 is super awesome and 1 is Mel Gibson’s The Beaver.
Definitely go see it and enjoy. It’s a good length of time so you are getting your money’s worth. They’re talking about sequels already and I pray they’re not run terribly into the ground this time around. Also, be on the watch out for two very awesome cameos. One final note, you know how every Marvel movie has something after the credits that you always clench your bladder to see? This one doesn’t, go ahead and go to the bathroom.
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