X-Men: First Class
Matthew Vaughn | USA | 2011
132 min
X-Men: First Class does precisely what the graphic novels and the first two films in the series did – make the story and the characters relatable. Both a reboot and a prequel, the film never feels like a cash-in and though the rushed production takes its toll on some of the visuals, the film is held together strongly by the performances of its two leads as well as the visual flair of director Matthew Vaughn, whose penchant for pushing the envelope leads to some intriguing fusion of historical fact and comic book fantasy.
Taking a cue from J.J. Abrams complete re-imagination of the Star Trek franchise, Vaughn injects fresh blood and a youthful vibe to a franchise that had become overpopulated by far too many characters and not enough drama. Staying truer to Bryan Singer’s first two films (Singer obliges as producer, his influence clearly present) the film’s retro 60’s setting is both a nod to the original comics, launched during that decade, and a technique to use the era’s cold war intrigue and serve a cool, sexy premise. It gives us two origin stories for the price of one – the formation of the superhero team X-men, and also by the films end, the birth of the evil mastermind Magneto. This latter element, played out during the nail biting finale, gives First Class a feel not unlike that of George Lucas’ third film in his Star Wars prequel, Revenge of the Sith, wherein we witness the birth of an iconic villain. The films achievement is never making this subtle transformation, built first and foremost on the friendship of Charles Xavier (a superb, composed James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (a superb, brooding Michael Fassbender) a direct mainstay of the film but rather something that just happens as a consequence of the actions that the two men take and their differing outlooks.
Thematically the film treads much the same territory as Singer’s X-Men did – the plight of the misunderstood, the training montages, enlistment of new mutants – but tops it up with genuinely surprising cameos, terrific performances and an eye for well executed action set pieces. A bit odd at first is trying to figure out the inclusion of fairly recent X-men characters as part of this purported first roster (Angel, Darwin etc) and not the original characters from the comics, many of whom were already featured in previous films, but this turns out to be a technique to not overwhelm the narrative and overcrowd it, and instead focus on the most pivotal relationship, that of Charles and Erik. Also put to good use are the diverse backgrounds of the team members in the decision of which they side take once divisions start to form and cracks start appearing in the stability of the supergroup. Though it owes a lot to Singer’s films, Vaughn’s version has its own signature feel and pace, in tune with his kinetic filmmaking approach, a good example of which was last year’s fantastic Kick Ass. Likely to keep both the fans and casual viewers riveted his version of the X-Men film is indeed first class!
