X-Men Reviews 7

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X-Men: First Class

I am A big fan of the first two X-Men films, Bryan Singer did A fantastic job of putting these two stories together. There was A sense of depth in the first two films that made them great for me. The third film which Brett Ratner directed did not have that same feeling of care that the Singer films did. It was a good entertaining film but it lacked that depth of character that the first two had which was all that let it down for me. I didn’t care about the outcome as much as I did for the first two films. The next film; X-Men Origins: Wolverine was good but like the third film it did not blow me away. There was lots of action and it told a good story but it was a little predictable and just didn’t blow me away.

Now for X-Men: First Class. I really was not sure how I would take this film as the last two in the franchise had not wowed me. Matthew Vaughn is A Director that I have grown to like A lot and I was a little reassured. Then I found out Bryan Singer was on board as A producer and this gave me an even bigger expectation for the film, which it lived up to.

I knew that James McAvoy was on board to play the young Charles Xavier which I thought was A good bit of casting. He pulled it off very well. I was also excited at the prospect of seeing Kevin Bacon in the film. Bacon is one of my favourite actors and I can’t recall an instance where he has not put in A bad performance in A film. I was very impressed with Michael Fassbender, who played Magneto. I had seen him in Inglorious Bastards and was impressed but playing Magneto he really took the character and the film by the scruff of the neck. Playing someone so angry, but also having to show some control also cannot be easy. Fassbender and McAvoy seemed to really click on-screen which helped the movie have that depth that is needed but often missed and over looked. i just want to give Nicolas Hoult A quick mention. He plays Beast in the film and he was convincing as him. Hoult is an English actor that I know from the TV series ‘Skins’ In this he played A smug little sod of a character who I will admit I didn’t like but Hoult played him so convincingly that he caught my attention. Now he seems to be making A name for himself in Hollywood and I hope it keeps getting better for him.

The plot of the film is generally the emerging mutants trying to deal with their abilities and the U.S. government that are trying to make them into something of use. At the core of it is Xavier and Magneto, or Erik Lensher as he is known during the earlier scenes of the film. Both have a slightly different view on what the emerging mutants should be trying to achieve. Xavier is trying to teach the mutants on how to matser their powers but to also live in peace with humanity. Magneto on the other hand believes that mankind cannot be trusted and that mutants are now the dominate species on earth. In the middle of all this Kevin Bacon’s villain keeps the story rolling nicely and gives the mutants something to focus on other than their own different views of the world.

There is A fair amount of action throughout the film and the final battle has some epic moments. A flying submarine is pretty cool. We see the final split between Magneto and Xavier and how Xavier looses the use of his legs.

This is A well put together film and I really hope that the director, producers and cast come back for another film.

August 2, 2011 - Posted by Peter Germany

http://youvebeensued.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/98/

2 Aug

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Kevin Bacon

Following a poor third instalment in the trilogy and an equally pathetic attempt at an origins story, X-Men clearly screamed out for a reboot. However, with the vast amount of sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes already on the market, you would be entirely forgiven for wishing to sidestep the pain of watching some of the greatest comic-book characters repeat the previous mistakes of the last two releases. To this day, it is impossible to understand how Wolverine, possibly one of the most interesting and charismatic comic-book heroes, failed to make any sort of real impact at the box office, or indeed on the critics. So perhaps it was consoling to learn of the involvement of Bryan Singer as producer for First Class, the director that made X-Men and X-Men 2 so enjoyable and in their wisdom, Fox decided to sign Matthew Vaughn off the back of his success with Kick Ass.

X-Men: First Class is indeed a prequel, almost an origin story for Professor X and Magneto, after the latter’s solo tale was shelved; yet it had been intended to treat this instalment as a separate entity from the others, the new chapter in a new trilogy. Professor Charles Xavier (McAvoy), an expert on mutants, is enlisted to help Agent MacTaggart (Byrne) hunt down Sebastian Shaw (Bacon) and prevent him from causing the outbreak of the third World War. Xavier, a mutant himself, encounters Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) for the first time during the operation. An enemy of Shaw, he has his own personal motivations for pursuing the mission, and when Xavier unites a team of mutants for the cause, differences soon become obvious within the circle.

As simplistic as that plot may seem, First Class allows more than enough room to manoeuvre and meander without losing the viewer. Set against the backdrop of the 1960’s political upheaval, the framework is slowly built around Xavier, who for the first time, will unite mutants and bring them out into the open. For anyone who enjoyed the first two films in the trilogy, it is amazing to get some of the origin stories of the rest of the X-Men crew and of course, to get across the motivations for their characters in the future. McAvoy and Fassbender are electrifying as the opposing sides of the same coin, Xavier the perfectly sympathetic, truly good leader against Lehnsherr’s internal dilemmas that eventually spill over into the rest of the team. Lawrence delivers a wonderfully understated performance as the almost invisible backbone to McAvoy’s Xavier and Bacon does what Bacon does best, as the menacing and cruel enemy. First Class has been likened to the Bond films of the 60’s and although that comes across with strength in relation to the sets, Jones’ Emma Frost seems more of a Bond girl than a calculating telepath.

Yet, First Class not only manages to deliver a fine story with some truly amazing action sequences, it delves further into the characters and the world that surrounds them than it ever has before. Although the Cold War is the major political theme of the film, it cannot be ignored that running in parallel with this was the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s, which has no doubt influenced the acceptance theme that runs throughout the film. It has been noted by other critics the likeness between Xavier and Martin Luther King, and Lehnsherr and Malcolm X. First Class follows the path laid down by the genre at the moment; a more serious and in-depth look at the world of the superhero, darker and set against real events. This latest instalment breathes new life into a franchise that was considered to be beyond resurrecting and there are few issues to take up with it. Perhaps the only suggestion is that the back-story between Professor X and Magneto is much more grounded in the comics and stretches back to their college days, but this will only get under the skin of the true X-Men geeks.

Although it is entirely possible to watch this independent of the other earlier chapters, you will be more than rewarded if you check in with them. A truly great summer blockbuster that will be tough to match.

http://pearlynw.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/xmenfirstclass/

movie: X-Men First Class – 2/5 *see if nothing better to do*
Posted on August 2, 2011 by Pearlyn

I don’t understand why X-Men received all the positive critical reviews it did. The whole movie for me felt clunky, overdrawn and just plain boring. I kept checking my watch to see how far into the movie we’d gone and yawning throughout most of the second half.

After the big successes of the X-Men movies starring Patrick Stewart, I am sorely disappointed at this new reboot. The storyline is confusing at best, what with the Cuba missile crisis fighting for attention with Xavier recruiting mutants and the mutants coming to terms with their abilities.

It is a shockingly bad movie, especially considering that they have a huge wealth of characters to draw from, a built-in fan base that you don’t have to waste time explaining the whole concept of “mutants” to, and Bryan Singer contributing to the story!!

Most of the movie barely held my attention, although most of the action sequences were ok. However, action sequences do not a good movie make. In all honesty, the best part of the movie occurred in the first five minutes, when they first unveiled Mystique junior, but it quickly went to s$#! from then on.


Cast: James McAvoy as Charles Xavier. Other than the British accent, he really does not have that much else going for him. He’s definitely a competent actor but this role is ill-suited for him. Just not enough charisma nor the magnetism (pun intended) of his counterpart Michael Fassbender as Magneto.

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Sidenote: I likey Michael Fassbender a lot! Methinks he has great acting chops and great screen presence, with potential to spinoff a la Hugh Jackman.

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Other casting notes: I kept seeing manifestation of characters from other movies/ shows here. I mean, didn’t Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee) remind you of Ron Weasley? Azazel = Hellboy? And what about the Captain of the American boat – Jack Nicholson anyone?

However, what I AM thankful for, is the happy absence of shameless product placement, so prevalent in music videos and movies nowadays. I’m also pretty happy with the casting of Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. She has great screen presence and steals the show in all her scenes.

But all in all, the movie is a meandering 2h action fest that doesn’t really go anywhere or tell us anything new. It feels very much like a tv pilot, trying to showcase everyone and everything. Hopefully with this pilot out of the way, we can get into some real story-telling in the I’m-sure-it’s-coming sequel.

Verdict: Bad bad movie. It’s ok for a date night movie or if you have nothing else better to do. 2/5

http://www.hollywoodsoapbox.com/?p=3189

‘X-Men: First Class’ is a cut above the rest
August 08, 2011 John Soltes

Michael Fassbender in "X-Men: First Class" — Photo courtesy of Murray Close / 20th Century Fox

The X-Men movie franchise needed a desperate shot in the arm, and luckily X-Men: First Class brings the adrenaline and so much more. The prequel film uses the tried-and-true attributes of historical fiction to tell a compelling story of unlikely superheroes in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Director Matthew Vaughn has reignited this comic-book series with a singularly impressive vision.

The movie opens in one of the darkest corners in the annals of history: a German concentration camp at the height of Nazi fascism. Young Eric Lehnsherr (Bill Milner) is separated from his parents in a crowd of prisoners, but the Nazi guards seem to pay no attention to the little boy’s anguish. It’s only when he bends a metal gate that the guards realize that the boy is special.

For those who know the X-Men mythology, it will come as no surprise that Eric grows up to be Magneto, a once promising X-Men who turns sour and becomes the sworn enemy of the mutants under the care of Professor Xavier. But it’s refreshing to have this one movie where Magneto and Xavier (here portrayed by James McAvoy) as competitive colleagues, two young men trying to understand their super-human abilities.

Because Magento is a quasi-hero in First Class, the movie needs a proper villain. Enter Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, a crazed Nazi official who witnesses Eric’s metal-bending exercise and wants to harness the power for his own malevolent needs. When Eric is unable to repeat the action, Shaw kills the little boy’s mother right in front of his eyes.

As with most superheroes, there needs to be some type of family loss as a child. Batman had it, so did Spider-Man. Now Magneto finds his painful motive for using his powers for both good and evil.

Flash forward to the early 1960s. Xavier is slowly bringing together the group of mutants who will eventually become the X-Men. He’s first convinced of the presence of mutants in the world by the appearance of Raven/Mystique (a very lovely Jennifer Lawrence), his shape-shifting foster sister who dazzles with her ever-changing blue skin.

While Lehnsherr seeks revenge for his mother’s death and Xavier forms his elite group of X-Men, CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) uncovers a nefarious plot involving Shaw, a colonel of the U.S. Army and some nuclear weapons. MacTaggert employs the help of Xavier and his mutant research to stop the crisis from blowing out of control.

The movie is a smart blockbuster that relies mostly on its story. The special effects are nicely constructed, especially on a persona level, such as Raven’s changing skin. But the CGI never gets out of hand, and X-Men: First Class never falls into the usual big-budget doldrums. Instead, it focuses on this story of Xavier, Lehnsherr, Shaw and how a few actions could have changed the world forever.

It’s refreshing to see superheroes learning about their abilities. The previous X-Men films always took the mutant powers for granted, and a proper origin story was missing from the cinematic installments. X-Men: First Class delivers that back-story with a great deal of restraint. There is never a time when Vaughn lets one individual mutant take over too much of the spotlight. X-Men has always been a team effort, and he focuses on not just the building of the network, but also its simultaneous falling apart.

The acting is quite good. McAvoy is a perfect fit for Xavier, while Michael Fassbender is a welcome addition for Magneto. Mad Men’s January Jones fails to bring much to the part of Emma Frost, except her bulging cleavage. Byrne has some fine moments, and Bacon proves a formidable villain.

Strangely, X-Men: First Class is not about the individual actors or the characters they portray. The story is what rules here. Watching the United States on the precipice of global war takes precedence. Who knew mutants were behind the whole thing?
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

X-Men: First Class
2011
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Written by Vaughn, Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Jane Goldman, based on a story by Sheldon Turner and Bryan Singer
Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Oliver Platt and Rose Byrne
Running time: 132 minutes
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief nudity and language
Rating: ★★★½

http://external-dvd-burner.org/uncategorized/x-men-first-class-digital-copy-blu-ray/

X-Men: First Class (+Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

August 8, 2011 by Admin

X-Men: First Class is the thrilling, eye-opening section you’ve been watchful for…Witness the commencement of the X-Men Universe. Before Charles Xavier as well as Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X as well as Magneto, they were dual immature group finding their superhuman powers for the initial time, operative together in the unfortunate try to stop the Hellfire Club as well as the tellurian chief war.When Bryan Singer brought Marvel’s X-Men to the large screen, Magneto as well as Professor X were elder statesmen, yet Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) travels behind in time to benefaction an start story–and an swap chronicle of history. While Charles Xavier (Laurence Belcher) grows up absolved in New York, Erik Lehnsherr (Bill Milner) grows up impecunious in Poland. As children, the mind-reading Charles finds the crony in the shape-shifting Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) as well as Erik finds an rivalry in Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), an energy-absorbing Nazi scientist who treats the metal-bending kid similar to the lab rat. By 1962, Charles (James McAvoy) has turn the pretension genetics highbrow as well as Erik (Michael Fassbender, McAvoy’s Band of Brothers costar) has turn the brooding representative of revenge. CIA representative Moira (Rose Byrne) brings the dual together to work for Division X. With the assistance of MIB (Oliver Platt) as well as Hank (A Single Man‘s Nicholas Hoult), they find out alternative mutants, whilst fending off Shaw as well as Emma Frost (Mad Men‘s Jan Jones), who try to partisan them for some-more sinful ends, heading to the showdown in Cuba in between the United States as well as the Soviet Union, the great as well as bad mutants, as well as Charles as well as Erik, whose goals have started to diverge. Throughout, Vaughn crisscrosses the globe, piles upon the visible effects, as well as juices the movement with the rousing score, yet it’s the actors who have the greatest sense as McAvoy as well as Fassbender infer themselves estimable successors to Patrick Stewart as well as Ian McKellen. The film comes alive at your convenience they take core stage, as well as dies the small when they don’t. For the many part, though, Vaughn does right by personification up the James Bond parallels as well as acknowledging the debt to writer Bryan Singer by the integrate of crafty cameos. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

http://mistercomfypants.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/x-men-first-class/

X-Men: First Class

Data
Title: X-Men: First Class
Year: 2011
Length: 132 minutes
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writers: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn; story by Sheldon Turner & Bryan Singer
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
With: Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, Álex González, Jason Flemyng, Zoë Kravitz, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones, Edi Gathegi, Lucas Till
Music: Henry Jackman (and non-original music)
Cinematography: John Mathieson
Editing: Eddie Hamilton, Lee Smith
I saw it: in the theater, yesterday
Synopsis: super-powered “mutants” engineer the Cuban missile crisis

My reaction
Concept:2/4 (Indifferent)
Story:1/4 (Bad) Recycled.
Characters:1/4 (Bad)
Dialog:1/4 (Bad)
Pacing:3/4 (Good)
Cinematography:2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design:1/4 (Bad) I can’t help noticing that no one involved in making this movie gives a f&#! that it’s supposed to be set in 1962. On the plus side, when the design is so mediocre, it’s harder to care that the special effects are bad.
Acting:2/4 (Indifferent)
Music:1/4 (Bad) Again: 1962 anyone? Anyone? No?
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4 (Indifferent)). Brainless, but fun. I’d be interested in a sequel and/or prequel, X-Men Origins: Azazel Just Drops People Out Of The Sky For Two Hours.
Objective Rating (Average):1.6/4 (Eh)

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 7th, 2011 at 7:17 pm

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X-Men – First Class : 92%
Filed under: Movies by epreviews — Leave a comment
August 2, 2011

After a rough patch in the last few years of the X-men franchise the movies were looking like they were walking on a long dark path to nowhere. However, the minds at Marvel have been able to renew the series to its former glory by going back and telling the story of how it all started. In this film you get to see how the legendary X-Men began. The two main characters in this film are James McAvoy (Charles Xavier) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto). While Charles was brought up by a wealthy family and attended a well known college, Magneto (or Erik at the time) was a Jew struggling to survive in a Hitler ruled Germany. The film really helps you relate to the characters, even the “so called” villains. It shows you why Charles feels that it is right to save humanity and why a traumatized Erik has a distrust for those who aren’t the same as he. James McAvoy does a wonderful job of showing a young man who is thrown into a sea of responsibility and handles it extremely well. But the actor who really stole the show was Fassbender. The pain and pure hate in his eyes were some of the most genuine emotions shown on screen this year. Especially in a certain scene where he learns to use his powers without rage it makes him burst into tears of joy and is really quite touching. All of the supporting roles were filled in moderately well and X-Men fan boys should like the final product. Except for Beast’s appearance which doesn’t look that much like Beast at all. The mood in this movie tries to portray a time of uncertainty in America during the nuclear standoff with Russia. I am proud to say that it fulfills this mood adequately. Even though you don’t get to see much action of the mutants brawling it out with one another the emotional story of trying to slay inner-demons makes up for it. And while it may have the occasional “cheesy” scene you almost need to expect this going into a Marvel movie. X-Men is back and it produces much more than just another comic book summer blockbuster. It delivers a story that engulfs you and characters that you can genuinely relate with. That is what makes this movie the best in the franchise thus far.

http://malisyn.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/x-men-first-class/

07 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by malisyn

X-Men: First Class gives us the origins of how the group came into being. It’s not a reboot of the franchise though. That was what I’d originally thought when I saw this coming up. The first few minutes dispel that notion as the intro scene is the same intro scene from the 2000 movie. An appearance from one of the X-Men in the previous movie also helps solidify that thought.

The X-Men all started back when fellow mutants Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lennshurr (Michael Fassbender) teamed up to fight the good fight of the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the aid, not resistance, of the U.S. government no less. Of course they have their back stories. Charles has recently graduated from college with his adopted sister Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Young Professor X fancies himself a ladies man and enjoys spending time in the bars using his mutant thesis to pick up girls. He also doesn’t mind using his telepathic powers to his advantage either. Raven, meanwhile, struggles with the constant hiding of her natural blue skin.

Erik, as we remember from the 2000 film was in a concentration camp and became aware of his powers when separated from his parents. What we did not see was the man in the room watching from inside. Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) is a deeply disturbed man. When he summons Erik inside to have him demonstrate his powers again he plays a sick and twisted game with the young boy in an attempt to manifest his ability. Once Erik is grown up he dedicates his life to hunting Shaw down.

By the time we catch back up with him, Shaw has assembled a formidable group of mutants to help his cause. Their powers range from teleportation to being able to solidify the body like diamonds. Once Charles and Erik come together they start forming what mutants they can find in order to combat Shaw. Including Cyclops’ brother Havok.

The acting is solid in this movie. Bacon is especially fit for his role here. He does make for a fun villain with that smile of his. Of course there are special effects galore, but it doesn’t interfere with the actors. It seems the idea of letting actors act is prevailing again. Don’t get me wrong, I love special effects as much as anyone else. When you realize that you’re watching actors that are reacting to huge explosions or effects that weren’t there it just seems silly. Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace is a prime example. The battle at the end between the Gungans and the robots and tanks was all CGI. Imagine all of that being removed from the shot and you’re left with wide expansive shots of grass and hills.

I’m not sure what direction they intend on taking the X-Men. Whether they will head back to the current timeline or move forward from this one. This isn’t necessarily my favorite of the bunch, but I do prefer the characters being developed a little more and being given more depth as they’ve done here. Superhero movies aren’t fanboy service anymore. Not everyone has read the comics. The casual movie goer needs to be brought up to speed as well. Christopher Nolan has set the bar for superhero movies and right now DC is winning the war over Marvel. If Marvel keeps holding to this standard and not allowing the talking heads to make decisions for them, they should be on the right track.

http://tamtifi.livejournal.com/167853.html

Les News, 060411

[info]tamtifi
August 8th, 0:07

David and I went to an early evening showing of X-Men: First Class, which opened in theaters yesterday, and for the most part we really looking forward to a great movie. What we got was an even better movie than either of us anticipated. Before yesterday, Thor was my fave superhero movie of the moment … but X-Men: First Class has absolutely become not only my fave superhero film of the year but probably my fave movie of the year (thus far) period. It’s really that good.

To be honest, I can’t even decide what makes the movie so good … the acting or the writing. X-Men: First Class is full of fantastic actors who truly become the roles they are playing. Never once did I think anyone was phoning it in or being disingenuous (not even January Jones who, as the chilly Emma Frost, may come off as lifeless but, IMHO, adds to the stoic character). Without question, the chemistry between James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender is SUPERB! There was so much emotion going back and forth between those two (as Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr) that I have expected them to hug and/or kiss in almost every scene. Kevin Bacon, as the villainous Sebastian Shaw, was a real surprise. I’ve known that he can play evil very well … and that talent really shows well in this film. As for the writing, I mean, damn … they did a great job bringing the origins of the X-Men to life. Tying in actual historical events with comic book fiction is genius! Did you know the entire Cuban Missile Crisis was brought about by interference by rogue mutants? Well, in the 1960′s world of X-Men: First Class … they did! I was also very impressed with the origin stories of some of the X-Men. My only complaint is that I wish they had explained Raven Darkholme/Mystique‘s origins better than her just showing up one day. There are a couple of really fun cameos (that could be easily spoiled, so don’t go looking for them online if you want to be surprised). My biggest complaint about the film was the FX … some of the scenes looked really cheap. My guess is that the studio didn’t give the film a massive budget and corners had to be cut. Still, the acting and storytelling more than made up for the film’s shortcomings. I honestly loved everything about this film. As soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it all over again. Hands down, X-Men: First Class is the best X-Men movie ever made. It really has a good shot at being the best superhero film of the year. From start to finish, First Class is a fun ride. I really love, love, loved this movie.

http://flickfeast.co.uk/reviews/film-reviews/xmen-class-2011-3/

X-Men: First Class (2011)
Film Reviews — By Kevin Matthews on August 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Matthew Vaughn directed this prequel/reboot of the X-Men franchise and it would appear that he’s managed to please everybody except me. Hell, I’ll be honest, I even enjoyed the Wolverine movie more than this – at least that had enough decent action beats throughout and tried to make up with spectacle what it lacked in all other areas.

Remember Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, the bald and wheelchair-bound Professor X who unified and led the X-Men? Well, this time around he’s played in his prime by James McAvoy. And Magneto? He is still going by his given name of Erik Lehnsherr and is played by Michael Fassbender.
The main baddie this time around is Sebastian Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon, and his band of scheming mutants he likes to call The Hellfire Club. Shaw has a plan to cause a global disaster/war that would see humans weakened and eradiacted by the mutants who could rise to superiority. Or, as you and I may better recall it, the Cuban missile crisis. Rose Byrne plays Moira MacTaggert (without a Scottish accent), an agent trying to find out about mutations and what they may be capable of. She soon finds out that the impossible is possible thanks to Charles and his friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence playing the character yet to pick the “Mystique” name) and the next stage is finding more mutants to side with them and create a law-abiding force to be reckoned with. A force that can help to overcome Shaw and his Hellfire Club.

Many people have praised this film for the focus on characterisation and dramatic tension above simplistic superhero action sequences. That’s all well and good in one respect – Erik (Magneto) and Charles (Professor X) have decent character arcs – but there’s the other side of the coin to consider here and that’s the fact that those character arcs were already well represented in the original X-Men trilogy. It showed the two men representing opposing ideals and pitting themselves against each other, despite their past friendship. The same thing is shown here. Again. And again. And again.

The film isn’t helped by the other young mutants it chooses to include. Havoc, Darwin, Angel and Banshee are all pretty dull. Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) AKA Beast is a little more interesting but only due to what audiences already know about his character. At least Sebastian Shaw gets to keep company with Emma Frost (January Jones) and Azazel (a pretty unrecognisable Jason Flemying). Small roles for the likes of Glenn Morshower, Michael Ironside, James Remar and Oliver Platt help flesh out the light cast of non-mutants.

It took four people to create the screenplay, based on a story by Bryan Singer and Sheldon Turner, and we can only be thankful that at least one of these people remembered to throw in the occasional moment of genuine entertainment amongst the 60s-cool and attempts at meaningful moments of drama. The first encounter between Sebastian Shaw and a young Erik is powerful stuff, immediately turning Kevin Bacon into an impressive baddie for the movie. There’s also a great scene in which Erik tries to keep mental hold of a submersible vehicle and a fight sequence involving the teleporting Azazel that’s almost as impressive as the start of X – Men 2.

Even if the material is a tired retread of stuff we already know, the actors delivering it all do a great job. McAvoy may be a bit too naïve and earnest but that’s his character. Michael Fassbender steals the show with a fantastic performance full of barely-controlled anger. Jennifer Lawrence is the mutant in between both men, torn between a long friendship and a constant need to hide her appearance best summed up in the following lines: “You know Charles, I use to think it was gonna be you and me against the world. But no matter how BAD the world gets, you don’t wanna be against it do you? You want to be part of it.” And Kevin Bacon is fantastic, he should definitely keep getting more villainous roles.

It’s funky and amusing in many places (a montage with Charles and Erik recruiting mutants is great fun, and features a fantastic cameo) but also weighed down by the need to cover too many bases – pleasing the fans, foreshadowing events to come, maintaining the cool retro vibe, etc. Vaughn has provided many fans with something that they see as a fantastic instalment on the franchise but it didn’t do anything for me except leave me cold. Which is not what I expect from blockbuster superhero movies, no matter how unique a direction the director wants to take with it.

DIRECTOR: MATTHEW VAUGHN
STARS: JAMES MCAVOY, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, KEVIN BACON, ROSE BYRNE, JANUARY JONES
RUNTIME: 132 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA

Film Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

http://ohremy.mcmuumio.net/2011/08/going-to-movies-x-men-first-class-2011/

Going to movies: X-Men: First Class (2011)
On August 23, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Marvel movies, Review
X-Men: First Class (2011) poster

X-Men: First Class (2011) poster

I saw X-Men: First Class (2011) on Sunday and all I can think of is how much I loved it and how deeply touching it was. I can think of no other movie where the threat of nuclear war is insignificant background noise compared to the sheer volume of feelings going on between the two main characters, in this case Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto. And this wasn’t a movie about action, it was a love story and a drama between those two and a story about hopes, ideals, and how they are crushed, and about abandonment.

This review is going to be full of spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t read any further. The plot of the movie differs quite a lot from the canonised storyline so reading further will spoil the movie for you. So just trust me on this one and go see the movie. It’s awesome.

As I said, this movie differs a great deal from the canonised storyline so there is really no point in even pointing them out. I must confess that I hadn’t read any reviews about the movie and had no idea how different this movie was going to be. I thought that maybe it would tell the story of the first team of X-Men (Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl) with a younger Charles hence showing the first X-Men as teenagers they were in the beginning or something similar. But nothing like that. The story begins from a Nazi concentration camp – of course – and then gives a glimpse into Charles’s and Raven/Mystique’s youth, who grow up together.

The first mutants are alone, thinking they are the only ones with special powers and thus Charles and Mystique cling into each other seeking acceptance and support from each other. When the CIA agent Moira McTaggert finds out about the existence of mutants with super powers, accidentally discovering the truth about Emma Frost, she seeks assistance from the expert of genetic mutations, now Professor Xavier. While helping the CIA Xavier meets Erik, the future Magneto, who has dedicated his life to seeking revenge on the Nazis who killed his family. The main perpetrator being the leader of the Hellfire club, Sebastian Shaw – something that took me a while to put together since he looked very different from his time working for the Nazi. Charles and Erik join their forces to stop the evil mutants hoping to start a nuclear war to wipe out us normal humans.

Seeking justice, asking for equality, wanting to live free without persecution and discrimination

The X-Men have always been about equal rights for all humans to be and live as we are without fear of persecution and discrimination. It’s a noble ideal, something I hope we all can agree on, but which seldomly manifests in reality. It doesn’t matter what your “flaw” is, all of us have been put down because of something arbitrary, be it the clothes you wear, how much money your family has, what colour is your skin, your gender, or your sexual orientation. We all know how it feels to be made to feel different and that’s Mystique of this story. Her powers make her look very different from all of us and all she hopes is to feel like she belongs. She keeps on appearances, she tries to accommodate to be accepted and when she finally meets Erik/Magneto, who tells her she is just fine being herself, the blue skinned woman with beautiful yellow eyes and fiery red hair (she is beatiful), she for the first time feels naked, vulnerable, defiant, and ultimately powerful.

Charles, having the ability to read people’s minds, devoting his life to helping others find peace within themselves, healing them and trying to support them, fails the one person most dependant on him – Raven. He can go into Erik’s mind, find the light from within himself, share the most personal aspects of him, and sets him free. And at the same time, having promised to stay out of Raven’s mind, he doesn’t notice how much she needs him and his acceptance and how much his words hurt her. And the great tragedy is that without his abilities he’s blind, unable to see things happening around him, when he’s so used to just reading people and seeing immediately what’s bothering them and fixing that problem. And with Raven, he lets her down flat.

Erik has seen the lengths to which people are willing to go to take out those they see as different, the horrors that ensue from “just following orders”, and not thinking for yourself. He has learned to accept himself as who he is, a man driven by rage and revenge – but also caged by those feelings and finally finding his true potential when Charles frees him. But having lived his life in hatred, he can’t let go of his desire for revenge, and blocks out Charles. And in doing so he turns his back at him, abandons his dreams, his hopes, his ideals – and ultimately him.

The magnificent cast

This movie’s greatness lies solely on the shoulders of its cast. Without the heartbreaking performances of the main cast this movie would have been just another superhero movie and nothing spectacular. But really, with the emotions flying high and ideals crashing, the threat of a nuclear war was like a mosquitoe’s piss in the ocean.

I would have never thought that James McAvoy would find himself from the shoes of Xavier. He’s an excellent actor, but I assiciate him to much more serious roles from movies like Atonement and Last King of Scotland. But he can portray the range of feelings this role required and his presence makes him a believable mentor to the others.

At the very beginning I had trouble accepting Michael Fassbender as Erik and I did think he was just a man with one face, but luckily I was proven wrong. Also I think the earlier three X-Men movies were also haunting me, because Ian McKellen‘s Magneto was so different than in the comics and somehow my idea of Magneto has been transformed to remind him rather than the stern faced, muscular, dominant Magneto of the comics. Fassbender’s Magneto was a return to the original. And I must admit that he was also perfect for the role. Very stern in his beliefs, ruthless and yet easy to accept there was goodnes in his heart and that he really was a friend to Charles and that Charles was able to find that friend and that goodnes from within him.

Another great performance came from Jennifer Lawrence who was cast in the role of Mystique. Despite her young age she’s already a celebrated actress with many nominations and awards and I can see why. She played the role of Raven to perfection with all her insecurities, how she finds her self-confidence and how deep within her she’s just a normal teenager who just wants to be normal. And I bet if you have the blue skin and everyone else looks normal that feels even more important to you.

There were also other great performances, but it would take ages to list them all. All in all this is a wonderful cast. Need I say more? Well, actually I do! I must also point out the movie had a wide range of good old actors playing very minor roles. Like Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, Oliver Platt as the Man in Black, Ray Wise as Secretary of State, and Michael Ironside as the US captain. Also a small role for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine telling Xavier and Magneto to *beeb* off. :”D

Well surely there must have been something bad?

Well, of course. The main plot concerning the threat of a nuclear war was a quite minor part of the movie, but who cares.
The first X-Men: Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Moira Mc Taggert (Rose Byrne), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Xavier (James McAvoy),and Havok (Lucas Till) from X-Men: First Class (2011)

The first X-Men: Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Moira Mc Taggert (Rose Byrne), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Xavier (James McAvoy), and Havok (Lucas Till) from X-Men: First Class (2011)

Also the main bad guys were quite boring, but who cares. This was a movie about Charles and Erik, not about battle between good and evil. But still, the “bad” mutants Riptide (Álex González), Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Angel Salvadore (Zoë Kravitz) were very one dimensional and needless characters. Well, Azazel was at least good at giving the young mutants a good scare at the CIA headquarters (or maybe the Pentagon?). And Angel was needed because she needed to change teams. Riptide’s existence in the movie was just pointless, but I suppose they needed someone to accompany Azazel who, by the way, seemed to be doing a very good job on his own.

Also that survivor mutant’s (Edi Gathegi) role in the movie was quite needless. I suppose in the earlier script his role and death must have been bigger motivators, but I suppose in post-production they must have shifted the focus more on Charles’s and Erik’s relationship. But then again, there are always those characters in the comics who appear only to die a few panels later.

Yes, I just couldn’t think of more things to complain about, but came up with one more important bonus for the movie. I loved the fact that all the female characters were treated as whole persons and as strong actors in the movie. And even though there were some sexist remarks in the movie like when Sebastian Shaw asks Emma Frost to go and fetch him some ice to his drink, when Emma has to make the russian official believe she’s going to bed with her, it’s clear from Emma’s face what she thinks of these incidents. She loathes it. Good for you, Emma! Btw, she also wears more clothes than her comics counterpart. Yay for Emma! And if things go well, in the next movie she doesn’t have to put up with that kind of crap anymore since Shaw is replaced by Magneto, who for example in this movie doesn’t take advantage on Raven and handles the whole awkward situation with so much class and empowers Raven in this situation that could have turned very embarrassing for her. I’d marry him for that if I already weren’t.

I don’t know, maybe the movie was really just very good instead of something between excellent and amazing? I really don’t know, but as of now, two days after seeing it, I’m so happy, glad, empowered, and loving that movie, I really couldn’t care less. Good job, everyone. <3

http://www.deadendfollies.com/2011/08/x-men-first-class-2011.html

Tuesday, August 23, 2011
X-Men: First Class (2011)

Country:


USA

Recognizable Faces:


James McAvoy
Michael Fassbender
Kevin Bacon
Rose Byrne
Jennifer Lawrence
January Jones

Directed By:


Matthew Vaughn



I tried my best, not to watch this movie. On top of my acute case of superhero movie nausea, I have to admit I am not the biggest X-Men follower. I'm not the biggest comic book geek period, but the adventures of Professor X and his pupils have always been too wild and prolific for me to follow. So I procrastinated the s$#! out of this movie, even of Josie wanted to see it. But when he established a "popcorn film" rule for the vacation, I had no excuse not to watch X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. I did and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only I found First Class to be the best movie of the franchise yet, I thought it was the best superhero movie to date, behind the two Christopher Nolan directed Batman movies. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is the best movie I saw during my summer vacation. It's still a summer flick, but it's the only competent one we got this year.

The big catch in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is the prequel story of Erik Lehnsherr*, commonly known as Magneto. Before being the structure bending badass supervillain we all know and secretly love, he was just Erik. A little Jewish** boy who's family got caught by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz***. He has the bad luck of bending the freakin' gate of the death camp in front of mad scientist Klaus Schmidt (Kevin motherf@#$%#!' Bacon) and witnesses the dirtbag shooting his mother for not being able to demonstrate his talent with a coin. Childhood trauma is a popular reason for vengeance in movie, so older Erik (Michael Fassbender) embarks on a lifelong journey of kicking Nazis ass until he finds the man who murdered his mother, who happened to have changed his name for Sebastian Shaw since. I know, not the most groundbreaking storyline, but it's how the narrative is approached that made First Class stand out.

Michael Fassbender is camping Magneto with surprising skill. I didn't know he was able to camp a role where kindness, emotional damage and extreme anger cohabited so subtly. But there is a huge cast of supporting characters around him, heightening the importance of the moral choices Erik/Magneto has to make. Yes, I would even call Charles Xavier a supporting character. He's instrumental to the story, which is Magneto's quest to take vengeance on Sebastian Shaw. There is the whole Xavier storyline about how he came to build the X-Men Academy (that includes a hilarious cameo by Hugh Jackman). You're introduced to Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Havok (Lucas Till) and all the fun, first call alumni. Their destiny is pending the decisions of Erik/Magneto and the influence Charles Xavier (camped by James McAvoy) is trying to gain on him, so he can control his emotions.

McAvoy did an all right job as a young Charles Xavier. He lacked a bit of the cold old-school-father-loving-distance that Patrick Stewart had perfectly, but I blame the screenwriting. It's the character I had difficulty to swallow. I had a hard time imagining him as a hard-drinking college bro with a superior intellect. Other than this mishap, I gotta say X-MEN: FIRST CLASS makes the most out of the World War II/secret history setting. Sebastian Shaw is a well crafted occult figure and Kevin Bacon gives him the snide/snobbish edge that he needed to work. It's always fun to see how somebody reinvents explanations to the events that shaped the twentieth century, using mutants and superpowers. It's even cooler that despite having many scenes of high octane action, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS never loses trace of what it's talking about and keeps a tight frame around the Magneto/Shaw confrontation. Competent film with ambitious action scenes and a surprising performance by Michael Fassbender. Not the most emotionally gripping, but it's still a wicked good time. Even more if you have a few notions about the X-Men universe.

SCORE: 82%

Recommendation: Watch it with friends and a bag of pop-corn. Nobody is gonna bitch about the film choice


* What a sh*#&% German name. It's like spreading Hs and ER over random letters will automatically make you German. What's wrong with Kruppke or Schroeder?

** Presumably.

*** Nazis now officially occupy the third rank of most overused movie villains after vampires and zombies.

Posted by Ben at 6:19 AM

http://filmsplosion.blogspot.com/2011/09/summer-movie-recap-superhero.html

Saturday, September 3, 2011
Summer Movie Recap: Superhero Spectacular!
Hey everybody, welcome to another edition of Filmsplosion, the one where I talk about all the movies I should've reviewed over the summer, when they were released. I was supposed to do a lot of things during the summer, sadly this is one of several that simply didn't get done. But as soon as I saw the new Blogger interface, I felt like coming back here and writing. For the first time, I saw my blog's traffic and realize that most people would rather see reviews for the more tucked away gems of Hollywood, movies like Leon the Professional and Gone Baby Gone. That's totally fine by me, I got a couple of reviews in mind. Posts will remain relatively random until further notice, but now you know.

As for this edition of Filmsplosion, I'm gonna sum up my thoughts on all those summer movies with the shiny explosions and special effects. It won't be too in-depth, and there will be no plot summaries. This might be a possible route to take for bigger movies releasing in theaters, since everyone just wants to hear a yes or a no and a quick explanation why before they drive dangerously fast to the theater. That's just a thought.
Anyway, here we go!

X-Men: First Class
On another note, this is the superhero movie you should've seen. First Class is one of the smartest comic book films to come out in recent memory. This one deserves to be placed alongside The Dark Knight, Kick-Ass, and maybe even Watchmen. These characters are tied to real issues that we can relate to, when they speak they don't say silly little nothings, they actually mean something and dialogue is not solely there for the purpose of exposition. James McAvoy as Professor Xavier is great, and Michael Fassbender as Magneto is nothing short of incredible. These two characters are really well developed and their relationship is the driving force of this film.
The Cold War/60's era aesthetic, while not always clear, makes for some nice changes of scenery and costume design, since the silly yellow spandex actually feels more believable in this kind of environment. The way the film's plot coincides with events in history just ups the drama and really gives these characters some serious motivation for doing a good deed, while also getting recognized as allies, not adversaries, by their less evolved human partners. I do wish I would've seen more of some of the other mutants though, for several of the other mutants often got brushed aside. Also, hammering the training sequence for the characters into one big montage is pretty frustrating, but even then it was done well and still provided for some character development. But those are particularly small gripes in such a great film, the one real big problem is that the writers obviously had intentions for making this into a larger film series, but seem to have rushed pivotal events in the story to make for a more explosive ending. Some of the stuff jammed into the end of the film should've definitely been left to some more developed versions in the sequel.

This movie gets four and a half out of five stars. The ending may have not been to my liking, but considering that this film didn't do so well, it might've been for the best.

http://bigthoughtsfromasmallmind.blogspot.com/2011/08/x-men-first-class-lively-orientation.html

Friday, August 26, 2011
X-Men: First Class A Lively Orientation Session.
X-Men: First Class

As the old saying goes, if at first you do not succeed, try and try again. In many ways this perfectly encapsulates the X-men film franchise. Of the three previous X-men films, and the Wolverine spinoff, only X2 truly captured the essence of the comics on screen. The original X-men played it too safe while the third film, X-Men: Last Stand, cared more about its special effects that of its plot. As for X-men Origins: Wolverine, well the less said about that debacle the better. As a result my expectations were lowered significantly going into the latest reboot X-Men: First Class.

Set against the backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis, X-Men: First Class highlights the events that first brought Charles “Professor X” Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik “Magneto” Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) together. Shortly after receiving his doctorate, Charles Xavier and his companion Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) are recruited by CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) to assist in tracking down Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). Leader of a group of mutants known has the Hellfire Club, Shaw plans to bring the United States and Russia to war for his own personal gain. While pursuing Shaw, Xavier meets Lensherr who is hunting Shaw to settle an old score. Joining force the two men, along with a team of young mutants, attempt to stop Shaw before he starts another World War.

In many ways X-Men: First Class is best viewed as its own separate entity. The film tries too hard to align itself with the narratives of the X-men films that came before it. This however is a mistake as the continuity errors become apparent the more they reference the other films. However X-Men: First Class is a film that does not need to acknowledge its legacy as it has its own unique voice. Director Matthew Vaughn creates a film that is smartly reinvents the mythology of the X-men while keeping the lighter tone found in the comics.


What makes this film work so well is the strong performances by both Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. Although the X-men have always been team based, the story would have still worked if the film featured only Xavier and Lensherr. These two characters are the most interesting aspect of the film. McAvoy may not carry the same commanding presence that Patrick Stewart did in the other films, but he does manage to make the character of Xavier exciting again. The way he conveys Xavier’s struggle between his ideology that mutants and humans can co-exist and his desire to fight side by side with Lensherr comes across well in the film. Fassbender in particular does a fantastic job of providing his own unique take on Lensherr. Bringing a mixture of compassion and coldblooded rage to the role, Fassbender walks the thin line between good and evil displays why Magneto is one of the more compelling villains in the Marvel universe.

The rest of the cast is hit or miss at the best of times. Kevin Bacon continues to have fun in the villain roles he has been taking of late and Jennifer Lawrence does the best she can with the limited script given to Raven. Although the Raven/Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) subplot was interesting, the triangle between Xavier/Raven/Lensherr did not carry the punch it should have. Similar to the comics, the problem with most X-men films is that there are more characters than there is enough time to truly develop them. January Jones’ Emma Frost is not given much to do besides look pretty, and henchmen like Riptide and Azazel join the long list of quickly forgotten characters.

Still, as far as comic book inspired films go, X-Men: First Class manages to make the X-men entertaining and relevant again. Vaughn offers up several exciting action sequences that are designed to highlight each character’s mutant ability. Plus, the overall story works well and actually generates interest in seeing these characters again in a sequel. Is X-Men: First Class better than X2? Not quite. However this is a film that soars when the previous films are ignored.

Posted by CS at 10:00 AM

http://rosiepowell2000.typepad.com/blog/2011/09/x-men-first-class-2011-review.html

"X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" (2011) Review

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"X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" (2011) Review

Recently, I came across a comment that the last "X-MEN" movie, 2009's "X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE", had been a failure. I found this opinion surprising, considering that it actually made a profit at the box office. Failure or not, Marvel Studios decided to continue the movie franchise with a fifth entry called "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS".

Directed by Matthew Vaughn, "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" is, like the 2009 movie, another origins tale. Only it traced the beginnings of the two friends-turned-adversaries, Charles "Professor X" Xavier and Erik "Magneto" Lensherr. The movie began in a scene straight out of 2000's "X-MEN" - at a concentration camp in 1944 Poland. While young Erik Lensherr was being separated from his parents by Nazi guards, he displayed an ability for magnetism manipulation by tearing at one of the camp's gates. This ability attracted the attention of the camp's scientist, Dr. Klaus Schmidt, who tried to coerce Erik into using his ability again by threatening his mother with death. Unfortunately, Erik failed and Dr. Schmidt killed Mrs. Lensherr. At an estate in Westchester, New York of the same year, young Charles Xavier awakened from a deep sleep by a noise from the kitchen. He investigated and found his mother searching for something to eat. However, being a telepath, Charles was able to discover that he was facing a stranger. The stranger turned out to be a young, blue-skinned shapeshifter named Raven "Mystique" Darkhölme. Charles invited the young stranger to stay at the Xavier mansion and the two became close friends.

"X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" jumped another eighteen years forward to 1962. Charles Xavier has become an instructor on genetics at Oxford University. Raven has remained his close companion in a sibling-like capacity. Erik Lensherr has spent the last decade or so, hunting down Nazis that escaped prosecution by the Allies - especially those who had served at the concentration camp where he had been imprisoned. He has especially become interested in finding and killing Dr. Schmidt out of revenge for his mother's death. The story shifted to Las Vegas, Nevada; where one Moira MacTaggart and other CIA agents are investigating the Hellfire Club, a social organization led by Sebastian Shaw (aka Dr. Schmidt). After infiltrating the club as an "escort", Moira discovered that Shaw and his mutant followers - Emma Frost, Azazel, and Riptide - are intimidating a high ranking Army officer into relocating military missiles to Turkey. Moira sought help from Charles and Raven to provide information to her CIA bosses about mutants. They also met Erik, during a trip to Miami to track down Shaw. After preventing Erik from drowning during an attempt to kill Shaw, Charles became close friends with the Holocaust survivor; as they work with Moira and the CIA to bring down Shaw.

Personally, I do not believe that "X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE" deserved its low reputation. I thought it was a pretty damn good movie - not perfect, but entertaining. However, I do believe I could say the same about "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS". I would add that it might be better than the 2009 film. Despite its flaws. In fact, "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" turned out to be a cleverly written movie that managed to weave two historical events - the Holocaust and the Cuban Missile Crisis - into its plot. Director Matthew Vaughn did an excellent job in maintaining an even pace for a movie not only filled with exciting and occasionally exaggerated action sequences and dramatic scenes. But aside from the director, the movie's main virtue proved to be its first-rate cast.

Someone once pointed out that the X-MEN movie franchise did an excellent job of using the topic of "mutation" or psychic abilities to reflect upon the themes of bigotry and tolerance in our society. This theme became even more relevant, considering the movie's setting of 1962 - a period that reflected the height of the Civil Rights Movement. I can go further and commend screenwriters Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman and Vaughn for daring to explore all aspects of the bigotry experienced and engaged by the characters.

Some of the movie's main characters experienced intolerance at the hands of others. Holocaust survivor Erik Lensherr not only suffered under the Nazi regime as a Jew, but also endured the U.S. government's (in the form of C.I.A. officials) wariness and contempt toward mutants, as did fellow mutants such as Charles Xavier, Raven Darkhölme, Hank McCoy and the group of young mutants they had recruited. C.I.A. officials Director McCone and William Stryker Sr. (father of the villain from the second and fourth movies) were ready to imprison Charles and Raven upon discovering their mutations. Fortunately, one C.I.A. man in particular - the nameless Man in Black - prevented this from happening. The script also focused upon the two mutants regarded as "odd men out" because their mutations were reflected physically. Raven's natural blue skin led her to maintain a "human" form that allowed her to blend with other humans and mutants. And C.I.A. scientist who constantly wore shoes to hide his mutation - animal-like feet. Their desperation to blend with the others on a regular basis led Hand to create a formula that eventually backfired.

Finally, the movie also focused on those mutants that viewed their mutation as signs of their superiority over non-mutant humans. Characters such as villain Sebastian Shaw and his Hellfire Club followers, and eventually Erik and Raven allowed their dislike toward humans to manifest into a bigotry that encouraged them to engage in plots of genocide that made the Nazis, North Americans of the 18th and 19th centuries and other bigoted societies look like amateurs. One such plot served as the background of "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS". The movie revolved around Sebastian Shaw's efforts to use his connections to the U.S. and Soviet military to start a third world war between the superpowers. Such a war would bring humanity to the brink of extinction, allowing mutants (with Shaw as the leader) to dominate the world. This plot eventually resulted in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The producers of "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" chose the right actors to portray the younger versions of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr. James McAvoy perfectly captured all of Charles' intelligence, talent for leadership and subtle wit. He also delved deeper into the character's idealism and occasional naivety. And McAvoy gave audiences an audacious peek into Charles' penchant for little seduction with pick-up lines that were both charming and wince-inducing. Michael Fassbender portrayed all of the intensity and anger of the vengeance-seeking Erik Lensherr. Every once in a while, an actor comes along with the ability to perfectly walk the fine line between heroism and villainy. Fassbender certainly achieved this in his portrayal of Erik. And looking at the screen chemistry between McAvoy and Fassbender, it seemed a pity that they had never shared a scene when they appeared in the 2001 miniseries, "BAND OF BROTHERS". Because they were dynamite together.

The supporting cast also proved to be top-notch. The X-MEN movieverse has always provided first-rate villains. Kevin Bacon's portrayal of the villainous Sebastian Shaw/Dr. Schmidt was no exception. If I must be honest, his Shaw may prove to be my favorite "X-MEN" villain. Aside from intelligence, wit and a taste for grandiose plotting and gadgets that rivaled a Bond villain, Bacon injected a joie de vivre into Shaw's character that I found very entertaining. Some critics and fans have criticized January Jones' portrayal of Shaw's consort, Emma Frost, accusing her of being "wooden". I am sorry, but I do not agree with this opinion. Yes, Jones portrayed Emma as Miss 'Cool Hand Luke'. But she also did a first rate job of conveying the character's strong attraction to Shaw and dislike of his occasional sexist attitudes. And thanks to her subtle comic timing, she provided the movie's funniest moment in a scene that featured Emma having 'telepathic' sex with a Soviet general. Her reaction to being caught had me laughing in the aisle. Instead of Rebecca Romijn, the film's producers chose Jennifer Lawrence to portray the younger Raven Darkhölme aka Mystique. And I thought she did a pretty damn good job. I have nothing against Romijn's portrayal of Mystique, but I believe that Lawrence was given a better opportunity for a deeper exploration of the character . . . and she made the best of it. The movie also featured fine support from the likes of Rose Byrne as C.I.A. agent and ally Moira MacTaggart, Nicholas Hoult as the young Hank McCoy, Jason Flemyng as the frightening teleporter Azazel, Oliver Platt as the C.I.A. 'Man in Black', and Zoë Kravitz's subtle and passionate performance as mutant Angel Salvadore.

As I had earlier hinted, "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" is not perfect. I believe it has two major flaws that prevented it from potentially becoming the best film in the franchise. The movie's biggest flaw proved to be its lack of continuity with the other four films. "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" included the beginning of Charles Xavier's paralysis and the end of his partnership with Erik Lensherr. Yet, Charles was still walking and working with Erik in a flashback set around the beginning of the 1980s in 2006's "X-MEN: THE LAST STAND". I am aware that Raven's cells allowed her to mature very slowly. But did the same happen to Dr. Hank McCoy? He was in his early-to-mid 20s in "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS". Yet, he looked somewhere in his 40s in the third "X-MEN", which was set some 40 years later. And the Emma Frost portrayed by actress Tahyna Tozzi in "X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE" looked at least five to ten years younger than January Jones' Emma in this latest film. And "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" is supposed to be set 17 years before the 2009 film. Charles began his school for young mutants in this movie. However, he told Wolverine in 2000's"X-MEN" that Scott "Cyclops" Summers and Jean Grey were his first students. They are no where to be seen and quite frankly, I could have done without this early edition of the Xavier School of Mutants. I found it annoying.

Another major problem proved to be the film's costumes - especially for women. The movie is set mainly in 1962. Yet, Sammy Sheldon's costumes reflected the late 1960s, not the early years of that decade. Just to prove my point, look at the following photographs:

1962 Fashions For Women




January Jones in "MAD MEN" Season Two (set in 1962)




January Jones in "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" (set in 1962)



In fact, the costumes and hairstyles for other female characters DO NOT reflect the year 1962, as well:



Both actresses Rose Byrne and Zoë Kravitz are wearing knee-high boots, which WERE NOT in fashion in 1962.

Yes, "X-MEN: FIRST-CLASS" had some major flaws. But I cannot deny that I still managed to enjoy the movie very much. Screenwriters Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn wrote a flawed, but very entertaining and epic story. The movie also boasted first-rate performances from a cast led by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. And Vaughn brought all of these factors together with some fine direction. "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" has made me an even bigger fan of the franchise and I would heartily recommend it for anyone's viewing pleasure.

http://www.movieweb.com/movie/x-men-first-class/REq3sO8TaGMIuq

X-Men: First Class Poster

X-Men: First Class: Review By Gabe Campbell

Sep 11th, 2011 by Gabe Campbell
In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

OVERALL
5.0
SUPERB
Story
Acting
Directing
Visuals

X Men First Class

So I lov the firsr two X Men movie they were great. X Men The Last Stand no, and X Men Origins was a good action movie. So now the director of Kickass gives the fans of X Men what they want the birth of The X Men. Before I knew the the director of Kickass was making thins movie I was not to happy I just was wishing for X Men 4 but First Class is now on Blu Ray and I got it and it was amazing I loved every second of it. It is the best X Men movie ever. The story of this movie is great it takes place in 1962 and it was great time for this movie. To me the best thing about this movie is that they use real events from history to show how the X Men had there first battle as a team. The thing I love the most about this movie is very sad and it is seeing the friendship of Xavier and Magneto break it is heart breaking because you really feel for these people and very sad when the take sides like when Mystique left the X Men that was very sad because he and Xavier were best friends they meet when they were 12 years old and have been together for many years. The acting is outstanding James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were born to play Xavier and Magneto they were great and they did so good I dont really remember the other actor that played Magneto and Xavier in the other movies. Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw was outstanding he is the best bad guy in a movie in this year. Jennifer Lawrence is great as Mystique as for th rest of the cast they did great. January Jones as Emma Frost was very good and she is super hot. The direction is great Matthew Vaughn is a great director and some of the things he does with the camara are just great. The visuals are good too the X Jet looks awesome flying around, Azazel was really cool he was the guy that has the power of self-teleportation, Kevin Bacon when he uses his power that looks really cool, and the best visuals of the movie Hank McCoy AKA Beast looks amazing they even before he turns blue like when he just has the big feet just looks good.

X Men First Class is a great movie and Overall Im going to give X Men First Class an A+

http://www.vid123.com/2011/09/blitz-reviews-4-september-18th-2011/

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS – 7/10

Well, I’m not a fan of the X-Men, but I do like the film franchise. Yes, even “The Last Stand” and “Origins: Wolverine”, though “X2” remains my favorite. “First Class” returns to the roots, and shifts its focus from the mindless (but fun) action of “The Last Stand” and “Wolverine”, to a quality script. It delivers, of course, though the result is not nearly as smart as some reviews had me believe.

It also happens that “First Class” contradicts and singlehandedly swipes away everything the previous four films had established in terms of lore. You have Emma Frost being older in 1962 than in Wolverine which happens in the 80’s. You have Professor X meeting Wolverine before he met him for the first time in X1. You also have Professor X paralyzed now, when he was still walking in “Wolverine”, and in the 20 years ago scene in “X3”. And so on… in short, even though it wasn’t advertised as such, “First Class” is not a prequel, it’s a complete reboot of the franchise.

Not exactly as good as I had expected, but a good one, no doubt.

http://movienthusiast.com/2011/09/review-x-men-first-class-2011/

- X-Men: First Class (2011)
Posted by hafilova on September 22, 2011 Leave a comment (6) Go to comments

Erik Lehnsherr: "Tomorrow, Will mankind know that mutants exist. Will They fear us, And that fear Will turn to hatred "

There is always a way to extend the life of the success of a franchise, just ask Hollywood, they have 1001 ways to do it, especially if it's as strong franchises profit X-men, one of the best-selling adaptation of the comic supehero who have a tremendous fan base across the world and also proved successful on the other hand the wallet to thicken the people involved in it, let alone X-men story with great characters sprinkled in it has the potential to be developed further good. Then only with a trilogy (X-men. X2: X-Men United, X-men: The Last Stand (2000-2006)) plus one spin off (X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)) it seems still not enough to satisfy the bigwigs 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios. And learn from 'failure' X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then instead of choosing one of dozens of mutant to make his own story, they decided to 'continue' fiction series Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in a prequel that it also becomes a smooth reboot .

As a prequel, X-Men: First Class will attract tens of years into the story of three pradesesornya backward, took exact settings in the 60s in the era of cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States with any nuclear conflict. The focus of course to our two main characters, the future founder of two great camps in the future mutants, X-men and the Brotherhood of Mutants, Dr. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) when they are young, still friendly and ambition hand in hand to prevent the leadership of the Hellfire Club, a former Nazi, Erik Lensherr mentor and also a ruthless mutant with extraordinary abilities, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon ) in an attempt to trigger World War 3.

Finally, after The Last Stand is an extreme disappointment and Wolverine, the Matthew Vaughn brings the Marvel mutant is back again to the right path. So much fun that I can find the best franchise reboot after JJ Abrams's Star Trek 2009 and then, call it Rose Byrne in her lingerie, Kevin Bacon became mutants nazi, setting a classic-modern era of Kennedy, the Cuban missile crisis that reminds me of the movie Bond-film era complete with submarine presence, kemuculan mutant 'new' and special effects that spoil the grandeur of the eye, but still only in the end the main dishes on offer First Class is the story itself . A dark tale from a script adapted by cleverly screenwriternya trio of Bryan Singer's story, the story of how it started two important figures of the world X-men to meet, make friends, until then have parted ways because of opposing ideologies, making them Professor X and Magneto as we now know, the eternal enemies. So no longer exist Logan aka Wolverine ditiga first film that often takes a large portion of the story, otherwise it is just used as a bearded mutant cameo here.

Indeed scheme 'friend so opponents' may not decree anything new again in the world of superhero's, there is Peter Parker and Harry Osborn and Clark Kent and Lex Luthor who had started first, but how these two opposite characters here 'born', evolve, interact and mutually modify each other's personality is what makes the story of First Class and then becomes even more severe and more humane than its predecessor. Moreover, the fact that McAvoy and Fassbender successful duo bring their own character in the right dosage as well as strong chemistry, providing new nuances in the character of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr young with all the turmoil and their idealism.

On the other hand the ranks of his supporting cast is almost here for most of the young actors and actresses do not want to lose teeth. Of course, Kevin Bacon's most prominent with all the cunning and ruthlessness as Sebastian Shaw, the person most responsible for the birth of the great figures 'Magneto', his appearance as a main villian was more or less all three of his men to cover the shortfall, the demon Azazel (Jason Flemyng) teleportnya ability, Riptide (Alex González) tornado makers, including the character Emma Frost's disappointing that it shall be further maximized again by January Jones. More servings also awarded to Jenifer Lawrance Raven who brought the young, or commonly known by the nickname Mystique us well, there is also a change from Nicholas Hoult interesting characters in the process become a monster blue, Beast. Celeb Landry Jones gives humor to the Banshee, Zoe Kravitz is little force as Angel and still have Havoc (Lucas Till) that reminds me of the character of Cyclops, Darwin, characters are actually interesting, unfortunately too small portions and last but not least there is the beautiful Rose Byrne as a CIA agent, Moira MacTaggert well as love interest of Charles Xavier.

Through X-Men: First Class increasingly proving that Matthew Vaughn and the comics seem to be a great couple. Although overall quality is still below the X2, but it certainly has paid Vaughn completely trust given to him Bryan Singer. Yes, this is a great a reboot, a remarkable prequel, a summer movie sugguhan 'first class' with all kemeriah special effects, the composition of the cast nicely and most importantly, the X-Men: First Class saga is ready to start a new X-men . So want to know why Professor X had to sit in a wheelchair? Where Magneto obtain his helmet? How did the initial concept of Cerebral? How to figure birth of the Beast? or why to want to follow Magneto Mystique? Just watch one of the coolest summer movie this year.

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

http://www.lovinmesomeromance.com/2011/09/whats-up-wednesday-30.html?zx=989e4df26441c40d

Weekend Movie Review!

I've come to the realization that I love prequels. Think "Casino Royale", "Wolverine: Origins" and now "X-Men: First Class". I love learning why characters are the way they are. For instance, I loved learning why Bond wears tailored suits, why he likes his drink shaken not stirred, why he's a womanizer, and most importantly, why he distrusts all but himself. Simply put, I love the rush of discovery.

"X-Men: First Class" featuring James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. First of all, it's official, I've fallen head-over-heels in love with Michael Fassbender and to some extent, James McAvoy. God these boys with their lilting brogues know how to bring me to my knees!! This is the prequel to X-Men. We learn the discovery of mutants and the entire backstory for Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and Eric Lehnsherr a.k.a. Magneto (Fassbender). This was good. So good! Set in the sixties during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the mutants unite to help stop World War III while also unveiling themselves to the world. My only complaint, the movie didn't feel or look like the sixties era except for when it came to the TV's. It was a bit jarring to randomly see old TV sets. Otherwise, loved the film and the actors. Rating: 4.5 Stars

reviewingthedrama:

I watched X-Men: First Class the other night. I really liked it.

It was the first X-Men movie I’d seen, and I never read the comics. So why did I watch it? Michael Fassbender. After being so impressed by him in Shame, I find myself on a Fassbender spree.

And it got me thinking: That’s what’s so great about many of the “comic book movies” these days - there’s an actual focus on story and talented actors. That’s why Christopher Nolan’s Batman film are so terrific. (Before Heath Ledger, when was the last time an actor won an Oscar for a “comic book movie”?) It’s why I’m looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man. Because they’re not “comic book movies.” They’re films with universal themes and great acting that happen to be rooted in comics.

I see this in musical theatre all the time. Some purists don’t like stage musical adaptations of movies. They want original musicals. But I’ve decided it doesn’t bother me that much. I care about why the artists creating the show are creating it, and, moreover, I care if it’s good. Assemble a top-notch team (in my fantasy: Tom Kitt writes the score, Aaron Sorkin writes the book and Michael Mayer directs) and cast incredibly talented performers (examples include: Sutton Foster, Raul Esparza, Aaron Tveit, John Gallagher, Jr., and Nina Arianda). Make it good and I’m on board.

The same is true for “comic book movies.” I’m not exactly the target demographic for such films, but they appeal to me because of their pedigree.

What do you think? Has this new trend in “comic book movies” changed your movie-watching habits?

filminfo:

X-Men: First Class Review

Set in the era before Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) became mortal enemies as Professor X and Magneto, respectively. X-Men: First Class follows the two former allies as they lead their powerful team of mutants on a mission to save the planet from nuclear annihilation with the support of Dr. Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) and the CIA. Before long, Charles and Erik have assembled their team that includes Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Angel (Zoe Kravitz), Havok (Lucas Till), and Darwin (Edi Gathegi). Meanwhile, the enemy Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) plots to start World War 3 with the help of villainous mutants Riptide (Alex Gonzalez), Azazel (Jason Flemyng), and Emma Frost (January Jones). In the process of saving humanity, however, Charles and Erik clash, setting the stage for Professor X to lead the X-Men in the fight for good as Magneto and the Brotherhood spread chaos and destruction on a global scale.


Both McAvoy and Fassbender did an amazing job playing the legendary comic book rivals of Professor X and Magneto. Lawrence also did a great job portraying Mystique as she struggles with the stigma of being different.The film was action packed and had in-depth characters. It had some funny moment where it doesn’t ruin the premise of the movie. I really enjoyed this film and recommend every superhero fan to watch.

4/5

by Kirk Salcedo

gwissinger:
Movie Review: X-Men First Class

This weekend I watched X-Men: First Class. I’d been wanting to see this movie since it hit theaters, having been an X-Men fan since I came across the comics and the Saturday Morning Cartoon in the early 90s. The movie is not without its flaws, but I certainly enjoyed the movie a great deal.

The biggest issue with this movie is its inability to decide if it a prequel or a reboot. The movie attempts, several times, to tie itself into the universe of the first three X-Men films, but the tie-ins create more problems than they solve. The movie would have been better off as a pure reboot. Personally, I tried to view it as a reboot that simply acknowledged that other films had existed.

My favorite part of this movie was Michael Fassbender and his portrayal of Magneto. So often the comics and the movies have portrayed Magneto as an older man, reliant on his mutation for his power. This illustrates the magnitude of his power, but it diminishes him a villain overall. He is a powerful old man, and without that power he would be nothing more than a sad old man playing chess in the park. In this film, we see the combination of being young and physically able, while still possessing an obscene amount of power.

I also enjoyed the way the film embraced the dynamic of Magneto and Xavier’s relationship. In the comics, this was always a very deep issue, while the earlier movies had simply alluded to their friendship. To see these two characters in their primes, knowing the inevitable divergence, but still seeing their friendship and partnership was rather enjoyable for the nerd in me.

Speaking of characters, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Kevin Bacon’s excellent interpretation of Sebastian Shaw.

My wife didn’t enjoy the film as much as I did. I can understand why. She was never a fan of the comics, so the adaptation of the history of the X-Men held less interest for her than it did for me. The action sequences were interesting, but weren’t as good as what we might have expected. Magneto destroying a ship with the anchor was probably the coolest sequence, and it happened very early in the movie.

The movie probably wasn’t as good as it could have been, but that doesn’t mean it was a bad movie. It would have been better had the embraced the reboot altogether. The movie is worth watching for the acting of Fassbender, McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence. Without the strength of the casting, I imagine I would have had a far less favorable review for this movie.

cryamerica:

Film Review-X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011)

Cast:

James McAvoy as Charles Xavier/Professor X
Michael Fassbender as Magneto\Erik Lensherr
Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique\Raven
Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw
Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert
January Jones as White Queen\Emma Frost
Nicholas Hoult as Beast\Hank McCoy
Zoe Kravitz as Angel Salvadore
Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee
Lucas Till as Havok
Edi Cathegi as Darwin
Jason Flemyng as Azazel
Augusto Gonzalez as Riptide
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (cameo)

When I saw the previews for this movie I told my friends, “We’re not going to see this..it’s going to suck”. I completely misjudged it. First and foremost, a good job was done on the atmosphere between the time of the Holocaust and the time of the more modern 60’s I really felt like they captured those time periods well. Now as far as the story goes, alot of people say that when you go to see a superhero movie and you are a comic reader you should try not to expect it to be anything like the comics.I understand. I hope that when a writer takes over X-men or Spider-Man or whatever comic license they will take the story and make it more interesting in a movie format.And for most comic adaptation films I would say that they didn’t deliver that..but this one did.

The original X-men aside from Beast didn’t make the film because they way the other movies were set up most of the original X-men like Angel,and Iceman are still very young.The first class in this film was Xavier,Magneto,Angel Salvatore,Darwin,Banshee,Havok,and Beast. Now what I didn’t really like about this film and what pisses me off about other X-men films is..the X-men are a team. For most of their existence they’ve been a team of about 7-8 active members beyond the original 5 and now they are a small army.So when they kind of removed members from the team. I didn’t like that.It’s one of the things that pissed me off about X-3.They killed of Cyclops when they had a giant cast of Brotherhood Mutants to fight and there were like 6 X-men left to fight.Granted Jean killed most of the Brotherhood but that’s not the point.

Anyway the casting of each character was really good.I don’t know about Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw as far as how he looks but Bacon is a great actor and as usual he played the part well.I would have liked to see more of the Hellfire Club..I think it would have been better had they stuck to their style and look from the comics.

The action in this movie was the best part and usually is the best part of any comic related movie.They really did well with how the showed different mutants using their powers. Like when I saw Wolverine: Origins, this movie made me hungry for another X-men movie.

THE GOOD

The X-men costumes
The selection of mutants
The storyline wasn’t very true to the comics but still good

THE BAD

Beast (anything dealing with him is the worst part of the film, especially how he looks after becoming the Beast..that costume is laughable)
Would have been better if this was a reboot and not related to the other films so that better and redeeming films would follow.
The black guy dies first as usual

I give this film a
8 out of 10
CLASSIC