Review of X-Men: First Class (2011) by Jacob M — 16 Nov 2013

"Let's just say I'm Frankenstein's monster... and I'm looking for my creator.".

After the not-so-stellar Last Stand and the disappointing by many that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, many believed the X-Men franchise was going downhill. For me, while Last Stand and Origins were by no means masterpieces in any way, they were both entertaining films that are very underrated. When First Class was first announced, people didn't know what to expect. Many were believing that the film was going to be worse than Last Stand and were really skeptical of how it would turn out. But in the end, the film was still successful, and the film was highly acclaimed, with many believing to be the best in the entire franchise. As for me, I was blown away by this prequel/reboot. Really, blown away.

X-Men: First Class is about two extraordinary mutants, mind-reader/genius Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), who's angry about the loss of his family during the Holocaust. The two mutants meet during a mutant crisis, where the sinister Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) plots to start a nuclear war between the Americans and Russians. With Shaw trying to convert more mutants, X and Eric (also known as Magneto) brings in young mutants and leads the fight to stop this nuclear disaster, unaware that this war will lead to X and Magneto's eventual hatred of one another in the first X-trilogy.

Joining this first class includes Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, who's revealed here to be X's adopted sister, Caleb Jones as Banshee, who can use sonic blasts, Lucas Till as Havok, who can absorb and control energy, Edi Gathegi as Darwin, who "adapts to survive", Zoe Kravitz as Angel, who has wings, and Nicholas Houst as a young Hank McCoy/Beast.

The film also features Rose Byrne as CIA agent Moria McTaggert, January Jones as the sexy (and evil) mutant Emma Frost, and Hugh Jackman makes a two-second cameo as Wolverine.

Why is X-Men: First Class a cinematic masterpiece? Well, Marvel took what made Singer's first two X-Men strong (with all the emotional intensity and incredible detail), made a flawless prequel and set it during possibly the most scary time in American history (The Cuban Missile Crisis). Even though we all know how the crisis turns out, watching this makes you feel the possible scary impact of a nuclear disaster. I also loved the period looks of 1963 and it was really cool that they used actual news footage of the crisis itself, including speeches from JFK himself. This detail makes X-Men: First Class that more amazing.

The action sequences are stellar here. From Magneto's opening revenge on the one who killed his mother, to an attack in Miami on a fancy boat, to the phenomenal finale involving the crisis itself, First Class is superhero film at its finest. What helps is that Bryan Singer returned to produce and write the story for this. Singer knows these characters well, and his return is a great welcome. The director, Matthew Vaughn, excelled in his take on the stellar story Singer wrote.

When hearing of this prequel, I didn't know how the acting was going to turn out, particularly X and Magneto, especially when Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen were brilliant in the roles in the X-trilogy. Well I'm glad to say that the acting did not disappoint. I didn't know how James McAvoy was going to turn out as X, cause he kind of disappointed me as a faun in the first Narnia, but as X, McAvoy was incredible. I loved the playboyish wild style he put in the character and was really enjoyable here. Like McKellen, it's Michael Fassbender who steals the show here as Magneto. Originally, the original idea for this was to be a Magneto origin story, but the idea was dropped, and this film was made, and in the end, it's Fassbender's performance that's the heart and soul of the picture. You never know what to expect in a character as complex as Magneto, and Fassbender nails it. McAvoy and Fassbender were just as excellent in the roles as Stewart and McKellen perfected in the trilogy. Kevin Shaw was sinister as the villain Shaw and was purely evil, along with January Jones as Emma Frost. Jennifer Lawrence was excellent as the younger Mystique and is as awesome as Rebecca Romijn, maybe a little better. I also enjoyed Nicholas Hoult as Beast. He did the role much better than what Kelsey Grammer did in The Last Stand. I actually cared about this character now. Lucas Till, Edi Gathegi, and Zoe Kravitz were awesome as their mutant characters, Havok, Darwin, and Angel, and Rose Byrne was good as the CIA agent who helps the X-Men. And Hugh Jackman's small Wolverine cameo was memorable as well. It would have been extremely disappointing if Jackman did not make an appearance, cause of how awesome Jackman does this part, but even in a cameo, Jackman is still pretty awesome.

The score, this time around, is provided by Henry Jackman. I'm not the biggest fan of this composer, with most of his scores being utterly forgettable, but in First Class, Jackman's score is phenomenal. with the most unique being Magneto's theme. It sounds like something that came out of a whacko James Bond movie. It's awesome. Jackman also creates intense atmospheres and emotional levels too that come out really strong. I'm surprised to say it, but Jackman's score is the best in the franchise, beating Harry Gregson-Williams' excellent score for Origins: Wolverine.

X-Men First: Class is a superhero masterpiece, a step-up from the issues of Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine and is the best X-Men film since X2. While I like X2 a little more (mostly because Stewart and McKellen are still the essential X and Magneto and there's more Wolverine), but First Class comes close, with equally strong performances of James McAvoy and especially Michael Fassbender, a brilliant and suspenseful Cold War-styled story, phenomenal visuals and action sequences, and a really stellar Henry Jackman score. I'm glad I saved this one for last and am excited for the future of this franchise, particularly Days of Future Past, with Singer returning to direct and combining the younger X-Men with the older. 2014 looks to be another incredible year for the superhero genre.

"Listen to me very carefully. Killing Shaw will not bring you peace.".

"Peace was never an option.".