Movie Review: "X-Men: First Class"

I saw X-Men: First Class in theaters, and thought it was a good film. Unfortunately, it sort of got mixed in with the superhero plethora of 2011, with the two marvel films and Green Lantern, so it was hard for it to truly make an impact. On second viewing, it really stands out as a more nuanced, well-made period film. It's different from the comics, where the original X-men weren't who we see here, but the classics: Jean Gray, Angel, Beast, Cyclops, and Iceman. In fact, only Beast makes it into this one.

The film itself is a period piece, set in the 1960s amidst the Cuban Missile Crisis. We see the Hellfire Club, run by Sebastian Shaw, as he tries to incite nuclear war to help bring mutants to domination. White Queen assists him, as does Riptide, a relatively minor mutant from the comics from what I gather, and Azazel, Nightcrawler's father. Charles Xavier encounters Moira McTaggert, who's trying to understand more about mutant mutations on government business, and after randomly finding Erik Lensherr, they team up to recruit more mutants and eventually stop the plot.

The movie's focus really is Magneto. We see, at the start, how his life began with tragedy. Kudos to the team for really replicating the opening scene of the original X-men quite well. In theaters, I didn't realize who nazi Shaw was until it was revealed to us later. We become sympathetic to Magneto's cause, and in many cases, can maybe agree with him. I know I pretty much do. Humans cannot be trusted; we try to destroy what we don't understand, because we fear it. You either try to delay the inevitable, like Xavier, or you save yourself, like Magneto. Of course, Xavier would likely disagree.

I like the whole tone of the film, and the subtle humor. The casting was also superb, especially McAvoy and Fassbender. One gripe I had, which can't be avoided I think, was the exposition regarding the new mutants' powers. Of course we need to see it, I think, but it does seem forced, when the kids are sharing their powers in the military room. Another gripe is that it's trying to link too closely to the established X-men film series. Which is fine, except that the latter two films weren't that good, and this movie therefore limits itself. Also, how is Havoc, who's a brother to Cyclops, so young in this film, and then Scott is similarly young 30 years later? Also, why does Professor X here have hair in his wheelchair, but at the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he's bald but walking? And why is White Queen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine? It should be inspired by, but not directly related to, the other films, because it's really limiting itself.

However, it remains a well-made and enjoyable film. The behind-the-scenes stuff on the blu-ray was informative. You really see how much effort went into the look of the film, and getting the period settings right. I like how they referred a lot to the 60s James Bond films as a stylistic guide. And I never realized how involved a director can be on a film. Maybe Matthew Vaughn himself is overly involved, but he seemed to have a hand in so much stuff, including makeup and music. Vaughn basically had the final call on Beast's makeup, and had a lot of input into how he wanted him to look. And the music, he basically cut out the main part of Magneto's theme. It's funny, in the music behind-the-scenes segment, the composer, Henry Jackman, explains that he had that bass theme for Magneto, followed by the actual theme. Vaughn heard it, said the bass was great and there's no need for the higher-pitched real theme, and that was that.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the sequel. I hope they decide to forego the ties with the original films, and forge a new path. Maybe more sci-fi in nature, with some Lucas Bishop and Apocalypse!