Review: X-Men – First Class

Chick 1 says:x-men-first-class

I’m not a huge X-Men fan. I’ve seen all the movies and they’re alright.  (Except X-Men 3. That Famke Janssen scared the crap out of me!) Other than that, never read the comics or watched the cartoons. So I came to this movie with few expectations. That usually helps me enjoy a movie more and this was no exception.

The Basics: It’s really back to the beginning with this origin story. Charles Xavier (Professor X) is a young Oxford grad student studying mutations. After being contacted by the CIA, he begins to track down other mutants including Erik Lensherr (Magneto). Of course, nothing’s that easy and pretty soon prejudice, fear, and manical baddies complicate things.

What I Liked: The story begins with the concentration camp scene from the first X-Men movie and recreates it almost identically.  I liked the continuity and the fact that we dig into the story a little deeper. Apparently, the filmmakers changed a lot of the official history to create a more emotionally compelling story and for me, that paid off. The basic storyline itself is typical superhero fare; not much that’s new here. But the great cast make it work. Especially strong are James McAvoy as Charles, Michael Fassbender as Erik, and Jennifer Lawrence as Raven (Mystique).  I was truly invested in these characters and their friendships and wanted them to make the right choices in the murky moral ground in which they find themselves, even knowing where this story eventually had to lead. Also, there are a couple of very brief but fun cameos. And don’t forget the groovy 60s wardrobe.

What I Didn’t Like:  Good grief, January Jones is dead behind the eyes! She’s like an acting black hole, sucking all emotion into the void. When Mad Men first premiered I thought “Wow! Look at all that repressed rage.”  But after seeing her in a few other things I’ve come to realize she’s like that all the time! I’ve heard others complain about how brief the friendship between Charles and Erik is but I found they gave me enough connection that I was truly sad to find them on opposite sides of the conflict.

Bottom Line: A fun, sometimes scary, and poignant super hero origin that hits all the marks…mostly.

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2010s 4 Comments

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