Film Reviews

X-Men: First Class

• Rating:
• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Starring: James McAvoy
• Details: US/132mins 12A

Four films into his directing career and Matthew Vaughn could rival anyone in Hollywood for consistency of quality. Taking on his biggest budget yet, the talented British director breathes life into a franchise left buried after two horribly idiotic sequels - Wolverine and The Last Stand. His work here is stellar, skilful and atmospheric, and the focus firmly on character; which is a breath of fresh air in a summer already packed to the brim with brainless blockbusters.
Opening in a concentration camp during World War 2, we see a young boy being separated from his parents and then displaying an unusual gift seemingly brought on by his anger. The boy, Eric (soon to be Magneto), is spotted by cruel scientist, Sebastian Shaw (a snarling Bacon) and exploited for his gift. Meanwhile, a young Charles Xavier meets Raven (soon to be Mystique), a shape-shifting mutant simply looking to fit in. Years later in 1962 the world is on the brink of another war, with America and Russia both flexing their nuclear muscles. The group that will become The X-Men - headed by a now grown up, incessantly wise Charles (McAvoy) and the more militant Eric (Fassbender) - may be the only people capable of stopping a nuclear war.
It's clear that there was a vision after the overblown inanity of The Last Stand, and that was to make the action sequences almost circumstantial and more organic to the plot and the characters. Vaughn achieves that, while also injecting a real feel of the era into proceedings, resulting in a film that feels more like a classic bond flick - that just happens to centre on mutants. The CGI is subtle and execution in general pays almost a homage to the classy productions of the time, while his casting too is spot on.
As the core of the film both McAvoy and Fassbender are exceptional. One all quiet calm and the other a ball of rage waiting on a specific outlet for release, they balance each other out perfectly and their relationship is full of little nuances. Also impressing is the gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence, who offers surprising depth with little back-story. Given the amount of balls being kept in the air, it's no surprise that few of the team are given a back-story but it doesn't hurt the film.
The effortless retro feel makes it stand-out from the current barrage of comic adaptations, and the script eases new - and familiar - characters into the narrative without ever jarring the tone. There are two cameos in particular that fans will love.
The best of the series yet, this will take some beating as blockbuster of the summer. Be warned; if it's mindless action you're after hold out for Transformers. X-Men: First Class is not that kind of film and thank god for that.

Review by Mike Sheridan