X-Men: First Class

Hello all!!! I'm back fresh from my viewing of X-Men First Class (from here on referred to as X-Men: FC).

The latest installment in the comic book based movie series finds us at the beginning of the X-Men narrative. We are first introduced to Erik/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) while he is being placed in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. While being separated from his mother, young Erik exhibits his signature power over metal for the first time, a power that captures the attention of a certain doctor (keep this in mind). Around the same time half a world away in upstate New York we are introduced to a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Raven/Mystique. Did I forget to mention that Erik's mother was killed right in front of him, by the same doctor who had witnessed his powers earlier. With that said we now have a revenge story running side by side Professor X's story of plowing through academia and his studies of mutation in species. Eventually the two stories converge on the same point and the two mutants make an alliance in the face of a common enemy. Along the way they manage to pick up a few mutants to join their fight(and they meet one very familiar mutant who kindly declines their offer). Through these events the X-Men are born.

X-Men: FC is possibly the best movie in the series. The acting on all parts is done very well and the performances of McAvoy and Fassbender are the best. They make the friendship that Professor X and Magneto shared feel very real. This also makes the bitter break at the end feel all the more tragic. The story was one of the better that I have seen from a comic based movie. More impressive is the fact that the film is imbedded in real historic events. The CG was well done, but at this point that is to be expected from a Marvel film. What I want to say most was that this film was more intense for me than the four preceding X-Men films. In recent reviews and on various websites I have read X-Men: FC being compared to The Dark Knight. In relation to intensity of the film I would have to agree. Overall I still think The Dark Knight is a better film but X-Men: FC gives it a run for its money. I'm interested to see if and how Marvel will expand this part of the X-Men universe by showing how it all started.

As far as the bad I really can only say that First Class didn't have the level of action that I expect from an X-Men film. Because of the great story and the overall intensity of the movie I can overlook that. I do however have a real problem with the way the movie was marketed. The trailer didn't get me interested to go see the movie and I'm afraid that may be the case with many people.

As far as I'm concerned this is an automatic.....GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but I'm sure Allan will have his own opinion....