X-Men: First Class
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
FOX
RELEASED 1 June 2011
After Brett Ratner tore down all the good work Bryan Singer had done in establishing the X-Men universe with the last movie in 2006 (appropriately named ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’), it looked like a thankless task attempting to continue the tainted story. Fortunately, Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner have long wanted to make a ‘young Magneto’ movie, so as luck would have it, this charting of Erik Lensherr’s rise from Nazi concentration camp to evil mutant leader opened itself up to encompassing the origins of Professor X and his young charges. Hire hot ‘Kick-Ass’ director Matthew Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman, set the story mainly in the 60′s, and, if it all works out, Twentieth Century Fox are sitting on a revitalised franchise that can see further sequels set anywhere between 1962 and 2000, surely a creatively stimulating prospect.
‘X-Men: First Class’ goes right back to Singer’s ‘X-Men’ (2000) and recreates shot-for-shot (even re-recording the same music) the concentration camp scene that is our first intoduction to a young Erik Lensherr, the man destined to become known as Magneto. As the gates are pulled apart by Erik’s magnetic powers, the scene continues beyond what we’ve seen before, revealing a doctor looking down on the courtyard from a window above. Erik is taken to see this doctor (played by Kevin Bacon), who is determined to harness the power of the young boy. Erik is unable to summon his power at will, so the doctor kills Erik’s mother, which seems to release the requisite rage apparently necessary for Erik’s powers to manifest, which duly bend and smash everything in the room and make Kevin Bacon’s doctor a very happy man.
At the same time in Westchester, New York, in Charles Xavier’s mansion (we’re still never told where the wealth comes from!), a young Charles (Laurence Belcher) startles an intruder in his kitchen. This intruder is a young girl called Raven (Morgan Lily), who sports a very familiar blue skin and red hair combo. Taking her in, they form a brother/sister bond.
Skipping forwards to 1962, Erik has become a James Bond-style deadly agent tracking down his German nemesis, who we now discover is called Sebastian Shaw (Bacon). Old Nazis hiding out as Swiss bankers and Argentinian bar owners are in for a rough time at the hands of a very pissed-off mutant, each lead bringing him closer to his mother’s killer.
Powerful psychic Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is now deeply ensconsed into the academic lifestyle in Oxford, England. With Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) still by his side, CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) tracks him down and whisks him back to the US with urgent information on the mysterious Hellfire Club, a gathering of dangerous mutants led by Sebastian Shaw.
Events lead Xavier to cross paths with the vengeful Lensherr, and as Charles convinces Erik to join him and stop the Hellfire Club from starting WWIII, mutants are revealed to the world and the battle between man and mutant begins.
‘X-Men: First Class’ packs an awful lot of story into it’s 132 minute running time, but it’s the fastest 132 minutes you’re likely to spend at the cinema this year. Whoever knew Ian McKellen was such a badass when he was young? Michael Fassbender absolutely burns up the screen as the deadly revenge-fuelled Jew, having tuned his body and powers into a precise killing machine. It’s a shame in a way that Xavier befriends him, calming him down and cracking his hard exterior, as Erik’s world is so glamorous and sexy, all that’s missing is an Aston Martin. If Daniel Craig wants to hang up his PP9, Fassbender should be right at the top of potential replacements. He’ll just have to watch that Irish accent though as it intrudes noticeably during the film’s climax.
Another worthy actor stepping up to the plate is James McAvoy in the role iconically played by Patrick Stewart. Considering Stewart has received a Knighthood alongside McKellen for his services to acting, it’s no mean feat that McAvoy propels the forces of good with total conviction. McAvoy is in the movie more than any other actor, and not once do you pine for Stewart. McAvoy brings charm, intelligence, empathy and humour to the role.
The third major male lead is that of Sebastian Shaw, the man everyone wants to get their hands on. Kevin Bacon is a universally-loved actor with a wide and acclaimed résumé, and Shaw lets him play a man with supreme confidence. He’s full of swagger, both great fun as a Nazi doctor and a playboy despot.
The rest of the large ensemble are perfectly cast, although Angel’s (Zoe Kravitz) part seems like it was lacking something, and Shaw’s right-hand men Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Riptide (Alex Gonzalez) barely speak. Emma Frost (January Jones), aka The White Queen to comicbook fans, does however have a significant part to play. While her acting is fine, it’s difficult to ever imagine Jones stretching herself. But if you want a naked, diamond-skinned lady, then Jones is your girl!
On the side of the good guys, Jennifer Lawrence is the big stand-out. Enjoyably fleshing out the character made famous by Rebecca Romijn, she supplies most of the movie’s heart and tragedy. The other teen mutants are mostly defined by their powers.
The story takes real world events (WWII, the Cuban missile crisis) and puts an X-verse spin on them. As the US and Russia’s navys face off against each other in the Gulf of Mexico, this time there are mutants in the middle.
There are numerous direct nods to the original movies, from simple things like the first Cerebro (Xavier’s mutant locating machine), Magneto’s iconic helmet starting out on someone else’s head, to juicy cameos which it would be criminal of me to spoil.
There are light-hearted moments, but I’d say the first ‘X-Men’ movie actually had a better one-liner quotient than this, more serious, entry.
‘X-Men: First Class’ successfully revitalises the franchise, slotting into the established chronology of the original movies whilst also opening up the doors to forty years of history to bend and play with. It’s an incredibly exciting movie, fast, fresh, full of energy and ideas. As the first new movie in a reborn franchise, it will be fascinating to see where the story heads next.
FIVE OUT OF FIVE
