X-Men: First Class

June 7, 2011

The best out of all the X-Men franchises I would boldly say, Matthew Vaughn intensified the blaze into a wildfire that was long extinguished a few years ago. Aptly fast-paced and rich in meaningful, significant stories, it is unlike the other tedious Marvel comic-book movies. Even though its plot is a far cry from the original Marvel story (which usually transpires in all comic-book derived flicks), writers Matthew Vaughn, Sheldon Turner, Jane Goldman, Bryan Singer (director of the first X-Men film), Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (both writers of Thor) manage to suck the utmost attention of the audience into their fascinating version of the origin of the mutants and also strived to even have a slight connection to Bryan Singer’s past three X-Men films.

“First Class” starts off in Auschwitz, similar to Bryan Singer’s back in 2000, where young Erik Lehnsherr (later known as Magneto) is forcibly separated from his parents. His magnetic power becomes the interest of Klaus Schmidt/ Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who unmercifully shoots the young boy’s mother, triggering him to unleash his stupendous power and live on with vengeance and anger. Set in the 1960s, a now grown Erik hunts for Shaw and eventually come across him in his yacht, alongside the very sexy Emma Frost (January Jones), a telepath that can metamorphose into a diamond-coated mutant.

James McAvoy, who starred in “Atonement” and “The Last King of Scotland”, appealed the viewers as he captures the actuality of the outstanding knowledge and immense sympathy to humans of his character. The film also shows how he soon after becomes Professor X, and transforms his Westchester mansion of a home into a “school for gifted youngsters.”  Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) turns out to be the adoptive sister of Charles when she trespasses into his mansion years ago. She appears to be an insecure young lady, but all the while her lust is rather obvious, even before she develops into the confident, seductive, shape-shifting Mystique. Both Charles and Raven are soon recruited by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), and later on recruits Erik as well, to assist in the search for more mutants. Michael Fassbender, who appeared in “Inglorious Basterds”, portrays the grown Erik Lehnsherr fittingly as he exhibits the agony within his character and the merciless attitude that harnesses his power into the ultimate weapon of annihilation-- depicting the absolute fearlessness of the legendary Magneto.

Vaughn whisks the viewers away into excitement as the movie circles around the globe: Poland, England, Geneva, New York, Las Vegas, Argentina, Moscow, and Washington D.C. He also introduces more mutants along the way, which add a variety of colors to the characters of the film. Each of these young mutants is recruited by Charles and Erik. Mutants like Beast, Banshee, Darwin, and Havok, who interestingly is the brother of Scott Summers/Cyclops, surface and add a tad of youthful energy into the intensely thrilling film. Hot young stars like Caleb Landry Jones and Lucas Till who appeared in teen hit series like Friday Night Lights and dare I say the unspeakable without nausea, Hannah Montana movie, seem to help on appealing the teen target market. Also, Zoe, the daughter of famous rock singer Lenny Kravitz, is pursuing her acting career (and not her music roots) as she plays a mutant with innate wings named Angel.

But out of all the mutants that Charles and Erik approached to recruit, it is a very well-known X-Man that strikes the most. Hugh Jackman did the shortest, greatest cameo appearance when he appears as Logan/Wolverine in his character’s usual bar scene.

So the real deal is that Charles and Erik have united to form a mutant army (even if it’s a small one, considering how little they recruit in their limited time) to bring to an end the nuclear war and the plan to eradicate the face of humanity, by battling with the other mutants that is led by Shaw. Fortunately, the empirical war that the writers chose is an interesting one. It’s funny and rather absurd though, that the Cuban missile crisis is actually contrived by mutants. But then again, all first-rate superhero films should deliver an impressive fight sequence that comes with a good war chronicle.

Now that we have seen X-Men: First Class, and have rated it, well, first-class, upcoming comic-book movies should manage to meet or perhaps even exceed the level of superiority of this film. Cross out Green Lantern though because as entertaining as it may be, it seems like a popcorn movie. Captain America, on the other hand, looks promising.