X-Men First Class (2011) Review


After two X-Men movies were not very well received by fans, a savior named Matthew Vaughn came in to direct another prequel called X-Men First Class. However, this one proved to be a thousand times better than X-Men Origins Wolverine. We follow a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and a young Erik Lensherr a.k.a. Magento (Michael Fassbender) during the beginning of their relationship and the formation of the X-Men. They're both on a quest to find a man named Sebastian Shaw who was a Nazi when Erik first knew him and has the power to absorb energy into strength. Charles, along with other mutants, is trying to find Shaw because an agent named Moira McTaggart (Rose Byrne) needs mutant assistance while Erik is trying to get revenge on Shaw for the murder of his mother. The two eventually run into each other and Erik joins Charles' team of mutants, all the while learning to control his powers through more serene emotion. Everyone bands together to stop Shaw from making World War III happen.

The best part of this movie is the casting. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were excellent choices for the younger versions of Xavier and Magneto. They play the contrast of the two's different perspectives just as well as Stewart and McKellen. Jennifer Lawrence plays Raven a.k.a. Mystique decently and gives her an interesting arc in the next movies. Nicholas Hoult also does well as Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast which is a good thing since a friend of his who is an X-Men fan threatened him if he messes this up. He's still in one piece so I must be right. The absence of a Stan Lee cameo is made up by a hilarious cameo of a popular character that I won't give away.

Even though I feel this movie wasn't perfect and drags occasionally, this revival of the X-Men franchise makes the grade with a strong cast and sufficient action scenes. It would be the beginning of a new trilogy that would be just as successful as the first X-Men trilogy, if not the first two films. But someone familiar would return and cleanse the mess that the last two films left.

RATING: MODEST FAVOR

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