Director: Matthew Vaughn
Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Bill Milner, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence.
Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes
Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama / Sci-Fi
Location watched: Empire Cinema
Synopsis:
Piggybacking on the history of the Cuban Missile Crisis, we are told the story of Charles Xavier (Dr. X), Eric Lensherr (Magneto) and other mutants who come out and discover the strength of their powers long before the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.
Mell Says:
(4.5/5)
Should you have any qualms about the antiquated feel of this movie (since this is supposedly set in the 60s) and the storyline of the mutants’ discovery, be pleasantly warned that it is worth the 2+ hours of watching in on the younger Magneto and Dr. X we are so well-acquainted with today. The movie is very well-paced that you revel in watching the reason for these mutants today (the who, where, why, when and how) as if grandpa was giving you a travel through time and you’re standing in as one of the characters. The setting has a lot of respect for the circumstances of the time but you’re reminded that it’s history class. Much like a little boy playing with toy soldiers and he just goes with it because it matters there and then.
*Spoiler coming up* I was surprised to find that the storyline of this movie does not parallel that of the comic. Fortunately, I found this out after returning from the cinema so I could judge the movie for what it was. And I must say, “First Class” was quite convincing in selling the story, honing in on Eric’s unmanaged struggles. At times, his logic for wanting to go to the dark side was brushed over but Xavier’s serenity balances the volatility of this shaky bit of the story ‘cos we are convinced Eric has chosen the better ways, only to get an unprecedented jolt at the end. Yes he goes off on a killing spree to find Shaw (played by Kevin Bacon) at the beginning, but the return to good was so convincing that you’re annoyed at the pace that he returns – a very stark contrast to James McAvoy’s serenity… he seems so comfortable playing Charles but it wasn’t really Eric’s fault either. As for the other characters, they are introduced here and there. It’s exciting, but you won’t get overly hung up on them as we quickly sift through introductions, their showy powers and the threat of Armageddon. If you can forget about the details of the characters in the other X-Men movies, you can stomach this one without questioning everything.
All-in-all, a very convincing movie that seeps your attention throughout. My only worry is whether this storyline is sustainable, but I’m reminded that, unless we stumble upon more “past” X-Men stories, the saga has saved itself with all the future trilogies we’ve already seen.
(4.5/5)