X-Men: First Class (2011)

As a child I was a big fan of the X-Men comics and cartoons, so every time an X-Men film has been released, I have been a big ball of excitement... Only to feel a little let down by the outcome of each. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the films, as various awards, nominations and my friends opinions show, but they did not keep true to the stories I had loved as a child and they just failed to impress me.

Now finally! An X-Men film that is First Class!

This film could be considered as a prequel to the trilogy and Wolverine film (it does even include Hugh Jackman for a cameo), but it is in fact its own stand alone film, set for a new series, with errors in continuity to hinder it fitting in well with the previously made X-Men franchise.

From my childhood I did not know very much on the history of my favourite characters, so luckily this film did not play with what I already knew, as I do get annoyed when my own knowledge and lore gets played with. X-Men: First Class is a nice, interesting look into how some of the characters I know and love became who they are and it was nice (if a little weird at first) seeing Xavier being so much more relaxed and having fun, as opposed to the serious authority figure he later becomes.

It was often referenced in the comics and cartoons that Xavier and Magneto were once friends and it is nice to see how their friendship developed and dissolved. It was also refreshing to see Mystique as Xavier's closest friend and see how she would inevitably leave him to become Magneto's sidekick, whilst the 3 band together with other mutants to help save humankind. I was also happy to see Xavier's comic book love-interest Moira MacTaggert included in the action.

The casting is great and every character believable. James McAvoy breathed some charm and refreshment to the role of Charles Xavier and he had a great chemistry with Michael Fassbender - who I definitely enjoyed looking at - out for revenge (as always) playing Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence was great at playing a more innocent and vulnerable Mystique, whilst it was also nice to see a tender Nicholas Hoult on the big screen again after reclaiming fame again in the UK series of Skins. Kevin Bacon was great for the role of Sebastian Shaw, he is a fantastic actor, whether playing the villain or the hero; he can provoke the right reactions in you.

This put the X-Men films back on the map for me, finally one that did not leave me feeling disappointed! I am very excited to see what will happen in this future series and highly recommend everyone to go and watch this movie.

5/5