As a fully-admitted, overly-enthusiastic, and fanatically-loyal superhero fan, I naturally take my comic book movies very seriously, tracking any detail I can from the moment the film is announced to the second it hits theaters. DC’s Batman is where my primary loyalties lie, but Marvel’s X-men are a solid second; yet, for as excited as I should have been when X-men: First Class was announced as cleared for full development in May 2010, the uneven quality of the X-men film series had made me understandably pessimistic concerning this latest project. I loved Bryan Singer’s first two installments of the franchise, 2000’s X-men and 2003’s X2: X-men United; and I was generally pretty forgiving of Brett Ratner’s disappointing 2006 follow-up, X-men: The Last Stand; but I absolutely detested the lazy filmmaking and disrespectful use of source material that plagued Gavin Hood’s awful 2009 prequel, X-men Origins: Wolverine. Billed as both a prequel to and reboot of the original trilogy, the comic book purist inside me wanted to tear apart the list of characters that were scheduled to appear, but with Bryan Singer returning as a producer, Matthew Vaughn attached as director, and both James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender set to tackle the lead roles, my hesitancy slowly “mutated” into excitement. I knew that I would have to accept certain liberties that would inevitably be taken with the source material, but I had the strong feeling that, if it was done correctly, X-men: First Class would be able to get the X-men film series back on track and captivating audiences once again.
In order to paint a full picture of how much I loved X-men: First Class, consider this, prior to writing this review I had seen the film three times in a 72-hour period, and even now as I type, I am listening to the soundtrack. X-men: First Class is easily the best film in the X-men series, and comes in just behind The Dark Knight as the best superhero film ever made. Blending comic book mythos and historical events with an unprecedented style and energy, Matthew Vaughn brings a fully-captivating story to life and complements it with strong characters, impressive acting, and awe-inspiring special effects. The new interpretations of old characters is thoroughly entertaining, James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence breathing new life into Professor X and Mystique respectively, but the real treat is Michael Fassbender, who transforms Magneto, formerly a one-sided supremacy fanatic, into a sympathetic (if slightly psychotic) badass. I cannot emphasize it enough, X-men: First Class is the best and most enjoyable film (not just “superhero” film) to hit theaters so far this summer, if not this year…go see it!!!
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
