Actual grade: 8/10
(For a full explanation of my grading system, check out this post.)
I have enjoyed all of the X-Men movies to date (yes, I even thought the messy Last Stand was at least fun). I especially loved X2, still one of my favorite superhero movies. I also have huge celebrity crushes on James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Rose Byrne (and am starting to develop one for Jennifer Lawrence), so there was no doubt in my mind that I would enjoy this movie. I hoped it would be a step up from the uneven, poorly directed last two films of the franchise, but didn't expect it to top the former glory of X2. And I was pretty much right. While not quite matching X2, it comes damn close -- much closer than expected.
This film, while perhaps not mind-blowing or zeitgeist-defining, is solid and consistent, something The Last Stand and Wolverine cannot claim. There are interesting mutants, intriguing plot lines, great acting, and awesome action sequences. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender carry this movie on their hunky, superpowered shoulders. At times this movie almost felt like a bromance...which served to increase the impending feeling of tragedy, knowing where these two characters end up.
That's the most important and challenging aspect of this film: the fact that we as an audience know where all the characters and plot lines are going to end up. I would assume that the majority of people going to see this film have seen at least one of the previous movies or have a passing knowledge of the comic books, and therefore know that Professor X and Magneto are former friends/current enemies, mutants fighting on opposing sides. While basically knowing the end of the film seems like it could potentially ruin the journey, it instead enhanced it and allowed for several sly references to things the audience knows will eventually come to pass. A sense of inevitability permeated the whole film, and it was alternately delightful and heartbreaking to watch it all unfold. Watching the film was like putting together a puzzle, wondering how we get from A to Z, and watching as each piece falls into place. And just like the recent reboot of Star Trek, which used time travel as a means to play around with the mythology of a well-loved franchise, this film takes a few liberties with the previously established mythology of the X-Men world, but in a respectful, exciting way that may even surprise the most ardent fanboys.
Perhaps the film's greatest strength is its context. Placing this film in the 60s gave it an atmosphere, look, and style that were unique and exciting, from the hairstyles and costumes to the set designs to the megalomaniacal villain with near-silent henchmen. At times, the movie felt almost like a retro James Bond film with superpowers. Kevin Bacon played a delightful villain, toeing the line between menacing and hammy with admirable alacrity. His Bond-villain lairs were fantastic -- both the secret room behind the rotating strip club booth and the underwater headquarters on the high-tech submarine. Perhaps most importantly, setting the film in this era allowed for the usage of the Cuban Missile Crisis as the climactic action set piece. The idea that the entire Crisis was in fact staged by mutants was fascinating and gave the entire affair a sense of real-world urgency -- it grounded the fantastical, superpowered plot in reality and thus gave us a relatable story (something that, in my opinion, Thor failed to do).
There were perhaps a few superfluous mutants who ended up not adding much to the story, but I appreciated the effort to delve deeper into the X-Men mythology and provide us with less familiar mutants we hadn't been introduced to yet. It was also refreshing to finally see an X-Men film that did not revolve entirely around Wolverine. And January Jones was blandly beautiful as Emma Frost -- I still find her uncompelling when she's acting with anyone other than Jon Hamm, but her pale complexion and icy demeanor were perhaps best suited for this role than any other outside of Betty Draper. Also, watch for a couple blink-and-you'll-miss-them, hysterical cameos. I'm glad I had no idea they were coming, and so I'll say no more.
In short, X-Men First Class is an alternately light-hearted and serious, but always groovy fun look at how the two most famous mutants came to be. If you are a fan of the X-Men franchise, as I am, it is a must-see. If you aren't, then it's still a fun way to spend a summer afternoon, but will probably not end up being a life-changing experience. Either way, this film is a refreshing return-to-form for the franchise...something director Matthew Vaughn can be (mutant and) proud about.
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