Movie Review: ‘X-MEN: FIRST CLASS’

The universe in which the X-Men live has always been something that interested me.  I don’t know if it is the idea of unique individuals getting together to fight for the greater good or if it is the political “us vs. them” subtext of their world that fuels my love of the gifted mutants and their universe.  The comics, the animated tv shows, and the movies have all expanded on this amazing world where normal kids have not so normal powers and are forced to deal with the judgement of the rest of the world.  They become the outsiders; which can be seen as a metaphor for the many people out in our real world that are persecuted for their race, skin color, or religious beliefs.  This black and white, us vs. them mindset, good vs. evil conflict, is at the center of most stories.  Yet, where X-Men: First Class excels is at capturing the grey areas that lie between.

Like the original X-Men by Bryan Singer, X-Men: First Class opens with a young Eric Lehnsherr being forced into a concentration camp by the Nazi regime.  After his powers of manipulating metal are witnessed by a German scientist by the name of Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), Eric is brought in for closer examination.  Flash forward 20 years and we now see a very vengeful Eric (Michael Fassbender) going on a search to track down the men responsible for his imprisonment and his mother’s death.  We also see a very youthful (and walking with hair) Charles Xavier (James McAvoy).  Say goodbye to the bald head and wheelchair, and say hello to a young kid who likes to drink, flirt with women, and write papers discussing the evolution of the genome.  When a CIA agent gets wind of a possible dangerous mutant that may be helping the Russian government start WWIII, she decides to contact this young Xavier to find clues about who she might be dealing with.  In the process of Xavier searching for Shaw and Eric sneaking around on his revenge spree, the two cross paths and discover a way they can work together to achieve their goals.  Yet, in order to stop this man who unites these two, they must first form a strong  team to help them stop Shaw’s evil plan.

X-Men: First Class, unlike the other X-Men films, is less of a comic-book film and more of an engaging 60’s spy thriller.  The way that the story bounces around between Eric’s, Xavier’s, and Shaw’s plots creates an interesting and tense narrative that has every right to be viewed as an espionage film as a superhero flick.  This is mainly due to the wonderful writing and casting.  In one of the most inspired casting choices this side of Heath Ledger as The Joker, we get two amazing performances from McAvoy and Fassbender.  In my mind, they are the young Profssor X and Magneto . . . there is absolutely no question.  They both are an absolute joy to watch and perfect every line of dialogue they are given.  Who might steal the show by a hair is Fassbender.  His Eric in the first half of the film is like watching an early James Bond film, if James Bond was as brutal as Charles Bronson or Lee Marvin.  This man is on a mission and is out for blood.  Though his anger does subside when he meets Xavier, we still see this bubbling hatred in Eric’s eyes throughout the film.  Michael Fassbender plays this restraint to perfection.  It is near heartbreaking to watch Eric knowing that he will ultimately become Xavier’s sworn enemy.

Aside from the acting, director Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass) directs the film with style and confidence.  The film has London 60’s flourishes throughout that give the film just enough humor without being too cheeky.  The humor level is cranked to an 11 with a laugh-out-loud moment with a certain cameo that will excite fans of the series.  Regardless of the great direction and outstanding acting, it is the script that elevates this film as more than just a summer blockbuster.  The script wastes less time with large-scale action and exploiting special effects and more with character development.  Where the other films have failed to convey the complex relationship between the two sides that Eric and Xavier stand for, this one paints it so clearly: Murky.  In the film, Eric is not the villain and Xavier is not our hero.  It’s not that simple and First Class understands that.  These two men represent ideas that are never clearly understood by each of them and that are in constant shift based on emotions and actions.  Just as Mystique has doubts about whether or not to reveal her “true-self” (her scaly blue skin), we the audience have doubts whether or not to join Eric or Xavier’s dream of the future.  This is something that was never fully felt in the previous films.

The only minor downside in an otherwise extremely enjoyable film, is the handling of Eric’s final reveal.  It has been set up in the X-Men canon that Xavier and Magneto had a long friendship before their ultimate fate.  Even with the strong possibility of a sequel to First Class in the air, the writers decided to rush this “ultimate fate” to be included at the end of this film to tie everything up with a nice metallic bow.  Did we really need to rush the relationship between these two great characters?  Could the complexities of their lives and friendship not have made a great second film in what will sure to be a new film trilogy?!?  In what seemed like a botched attempt at making a great one-off film that can stand on its own two legs, the team behind First Class might have just shot themselves in the foot for interesting avenues to explore in future films.

All of this minor griping inside, I highly recommend this exceptional comic-book film entry.  It is easily the best X-Men film to date and will go down as one of the best comic-book to film adaptations of all time.  If you want to see a 2 hour film with non-stop explosions and paper thin characterizations this summer, there are plenty of those out there.  X-Men:First Class is different.  This film is a deliberate attempt to refocus a struggling franchise and not make it about these big epic special effects battles and more about the scenes between the action.  The film is filled with these little scenes of intriguing dialogue and tense set-up.  It is thrilling to watch the great actors in First Class deliver smart dialogue that truly elevates this movie past the other summer blockbusters and the countless comic book adaptations that have come before it.