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Movie Review: X-Men:First Class…Entertaining, Engaging, And Outshines Its Predecessors!

Rating ★★★★★

If you are looking for a surprising, action-packed thrill ride with a few laughs mixed in, then get your popcorn, soda, candy, and go see this movie! X-Men: First Class is amazing! I can’t even put into words how awestruck I was when the movie ended. It is a fast-paced, yet engaging, installation of the X-Men film franchise that outshines its predecessors. While I enjoyed the other films, mainly because I’m in lust with Hugh Jackman, X-Men: First Class surpassed my expectations exponentially!

James McAvoy as Charles Xavier (his ability - a powerful telepath who can also control the minds of others)

James McAvoy, who plays Charles Xavier, has played an eclectic range of characters in his career. Not only do I find him incredibly sexy—I’ve been a fan of his since the 2006 film Starter For Ten—I think he’s a really good actor. His portrayal of Charles Xavier is brilliantly performed. We are introduced to a naïve and ambitious man, rather than the stoic and wise professor we’ve grown to love, with Patrick Stewart helming the chair (pun intended). In this installment, we get a better sense of why Charles became Professor X and how he ended up in a wheelchair. It was interesting to see how Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Charles met as children and grew up together. Equally interesting is how they bonded and then ultimately parted ways. We also see how the friendship he establishes with Erik Lehnsherr grew and detrimentally withered because of their difference of opinion regarding mankind’s acceptance of Mutants. As an aside, there is an interesting scene where Charles chats up a lovely girl in a pub – a girl who has one green eye and one blue eye (think about Striker’s son, Jason 143, in X-Men 2.)

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr (abilities - able to generate and control magentic fields)

Michael Fassbender, who plays Erik Lehnsherr, gives a truly powerful and stirring performance. He seamlessly channels a James Bond-like persona while giving a superb interpretation of a younger Erik marred by a tragic past. As we saw in the original X-Men film in 2000, Erik is separated from his parents in a Nazi prison camp in Poland. Through the anguish of the separation, his powers are unleashed. As much as Fassbender gives a tremendously poignant performance as the adult Erik, the young Erik, played by Bill Milner, is just as engrossing.

X-Men: First Class opens in the year 1944 with a continuation of that scene in which a Nazi scientist named Sebastian Schmidt/Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon, encourages young Erik to display his powers through intense and diabolical coercion. Fast forward to 1962; a vengeful adult Erik, who carries his torment in the form of a Nazi coin, seeks out Shaw. The display of emotions conveyed through Fassbender’s eyes disturbingly reveals more than words could express. I found myself empathizing with Erik while simultaneously wanting to scold him for his unwillingness to see past his rage.

L-R: Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw (his ability - to absorb energy and transform it) and January Jones as Emma Frost (her abilities - telepath with psionic capability; transforms her skin into diamond like crystal)

Kevin Bacon’s turn as the malevolent and tyrannical Shaw is astonishing. He is able to invoke terror and malice without appearing artificially exaggerated. I really saw Bacon in a new light. I’ve enjoyed many of his films but his mannerisms and arrogance as Shaw blew me away. Thankfully his acting was engaging enough to overshadow the very unemotional and lackluster portrayal of Emma Frost by January Jones. I feel Jones could have done so much more with the character besides being beautiful, but perhaps in her vapid interpretation of this intriguing character, she wanted to convey the exasperation and frustration of being kept on a short leash by Shaw. Shaw is hell bent on his Hitler-like quest to have Mutants rule while exterminating the lesser evolved human race. In his pursuit of this conquest, he causes a major uprising, inciting a potential nuclear war between the United States and Russia (think Cuban Missile crisis).

L-R 1st Row: Erik (Michael Fassbender), Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), Charles (James McAvoy); L-R Back Row: Sean/Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Alex/Havok (Lucas Till)

Along with Emma Frost, we get a different glimpse of Raven/Mystique. She’s a bit younger, but still has the ability to transform into just about anyone she wants. Lawrence gives a convincing performance of a young woman struggling to conceal who she really is by conforming to what society deems acceptable. But Raven is not alone. There are other mutants we haven’t met before with equally amazing abilities. Sean/Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones) can create and manipulate sound waves; Alex/Havok (Lucas Till) can create powerful plasma blasts; Armando/Darwin (Edi Gathegi ) has the ability to adapt physically to accommodate changing environments; Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) is a brilliant scientist who becomes … a beast; Janos/Riptide (Álex González) can create tornado-like twisters using the elements; Azazel (Jason Flemyng) is a mutant who resembles Satan, complete with razor sharp tail and the ability to teleport not only himself but others as well (and he creeps me out!); Angel (Zoë Kravitz) is an exotic dancer whose tattoos turn into actual wings – like a fly – and she has killer spit balls, literally. And during Charles and Erik’s recruitment of other mutants they found using Hank McCoy’s invention – Cerebro – we are treated to a humorous cameo by a familiar face. There is another cameo by someone we know…in Erik’s bedroom.

I highly recommend you see X-Men: First Class for yourself. It’s entertaining, engaging, and at times, you can feel the intensity of certain scenes so much so you won’t realize you’re clutching your chest until the scene is over. There have been some negative reviews but I’m not a film critic in the literal terms – I’m a movie lover who likes to give my opinion on films I’ve seen. Sometimes I think the critics need to remember what it is like to actually enjoy a film for what it is rather than dissect the hell out of it.

X-Men: First Class (from 20th Century Fox) opened nationwide Friday, June 03, 2011.

Photos © 20th Century Fox/via IMDB.com. All Rights Reserved.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.