X-Men: First Class
Groovy. That’s the word a young Charles Xavier uses to describe the striking auburn hair-color mutation of the girl he’s trying to hook-up with.
It also works well in describing director Mathew Vaughn’s prequel/reboot of the X-Men franchise. Utilizing a strong backstory set in the oh-so-groovy ‘60s, X-Men: First Class is an intelligent blockbuster with heart, wit, and plenty of visually exciting mutant madness.
Opening in the mid 1940s, the film introduces us to a world in which mutants are just becoming prevalent. On one side of the world is Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), a young lad who uses his telepathy, mind-control and charm to earn his degree as a professor. One the other side is Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), a tortured soul who is forced to use his power to manipulate metals by the evil Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) – the man responsible for the death of Erik’s mother.
Jump forward 20 years and Erik is on the hunt to find and kill Shaw, while Charles has been recruited by the CIA to help track Shaw and his mutant entourage. During an intense yacht invasion, the two men meet and find a common bond in their position as societal outcasts. Once they learn of Shaw’s plan to force a war between the U.S. and Russia, the two unite and gather a team of other mutants to help stop what could ultimately become the Cuban Missile Crisis.
After the commonplace and underwhelming Thor, summer finds its first worthy superhero movie (the second out of four this summer) in First Class. With origin stories being thrown out left and right in Hollywood these days, it takes a unique approach to make one actually appealing. And although this film technically cheated in that audiences already knew a good amount of the story, the hiring of Vaughn (Kick-Ass) to fill in the missing pieces was all the uniqueness this series needed.
It’s not a reach to say that Kick-Ass was the most disturbingly violent good time in theaters last year. But what really made the movie work was its believable blend of comic-book fiction with the often harsh reality of real-life. Using that same approach, Vaughn brings out all the ridiculousness that is the story and powers of these mutants, but fully realizes the drama of this diverse set of characters seeking their own place in society.
This is best seen in the development of one of comics most – dare I say it again – unique and endearing relationships: Erik and Charles. Each with different viewpoints on how society will accept the mutant race, but each respectful of one another's viewpoints, the enigma that is their friendship is fascinating to watch evolve.
McAvoy brings a bit of spunk to the at-the-time non-handicapped Charles, but also the calm and cool demeanor that made Patrick Stewart’s characterization such a respectable authoritative figure. Then there’s Erik, whose motives are driven by revenge and acceptance. His idea that there can be no peace and mutants will soon be the dominant species is adapted from Shaw, the man he is trying to kill. While Bacon’s Shaw comes off more as an arrogant, power-driven douche bag (hard not to be when you can harness the power of a nuclear bomb), Fassbender’s Erik approach to violence seems less controlled and more driven by the primal instinct to survive.
As compelling as the film is, what ultimately keeps it from achieving the levels of greatness found in Bryan Singer’s films (X-Men and X2: X-Men United) is its ambition. There are just too many mutants and too much story, even for the 2 hour 11 minute run-time.
Within the first half hour, the plot brings audiences to seemingly a dozen different locations. The next half hour introduces viewers to at least eight new mutants, which are never given enough time to develop into characters the audience can care for. But hey, when you got a girl with fairy wings who spits acid balls, a guy who can fly by screeching and another mutant who can fling laser hula-hoops from his torso, who needs character development?
Though not as independently stylish as Michael Gondry’s Green Hornet, but overflowing with substance compared to Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, X-Men: First Class is a hero movie that puts its $160 million budget to good use. Mixing fantasy with history and social rights with big explosions has rarely been this satisfying.
Grade: B+