Review of X-Men: First Class (2011) by Paul J — 21 May 2014
One of the better films in the X-Men series. Highly cerebral with a ton of great character moments. It also doesn't shy away from being dark. At times, it's nasty with a ton of subtext. The finest characters are Magneto and Xavier who are written and performed to sheer perfection.
The only down-side is the other supporting characters are not all that memorable. Many of the other young X-Men characters come across unappealing (with the exception of Beast) and there are times where it's all a bit too goofy.
Even Jennifer Lawrence is a little lackluster. Interestingly, the film lacks any real memorable action set pieces too. But the conclusion does come together brilliantly. The action is constantly in service of the characters.
The killing of the villain is also handled with intelligence and symbolism. Easily one of the most layered comic books movies ever made. The writers put a lot of thought into the meaning of each and every scene.
Personal highlights: Magneto turning the radar and the cameo by everyone's favorite mutant. Great score to boot.
This review of X-Men: First Class (2011) was written by Paul J on 21 May 2014.
X-Men: First Class has generally received very positive reviews.
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