X-Men: First Class

20th Century Fox have taken a risk when it comes to the title of X-Men: First Class as that’s a set up for fall (and a number of terrible puns) if ever I saw one. What they haven’t taken a risk with though is with the director as giving the helming duties to Matthew Vaughan is a bit of a no-brainer after his triumph with Kick-Ass and his previous works (Layer Cake and Stardust) proving he can handle a mix of action and drama. Vaughan doesn’t disappoint here either and he’s now four for four when it comes to his feature presentations. As with many super hero franchises of recent years that have run out of ideas, this is a prequel to the previous films. Of course there has been the Wolverine film, but this is vastly superior to that mess (though Hugh Jackman does make a small cameo in this). Set mainly in the early 1960’s, the film focuses on the relationship between Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) as young men and the origins of the X-Men. There’s fun and interest to be had watching the young mutants discover their powers for the first time and their confusion as to where they stand in the modern world. McAvoy and Fassbender play off each other well, but its Fassbender that has the juiciest role giving the young Magneto a real hint of menace, whether he’s mentally bullying his fellow mutants or giving off a hint of sexual danger to any females that cross his path. The biggest compliment that can be paid to the film is that it transcends the superhero mythology and can be enjoyed as an emotional drama. Fan boys may be in uproar as to various plots and characters that don’t form an unbroken line into the other films, but Vaughan himself has said that it made more sense to have a film stand on it’s own two feet than spend time worrying about being referential to previous outings. He’s right of course, and when he does nod his head to the X-Men history it’s usually quick and smart, particularly in the case of how Xavier ends up in a wheelchair. Regarding the overall story Vaughan tells it in an efficient manner and you don’t need to be versed in X-Men facts and figures to understand what’s going on. There’s plenty of talk, but it’s never dull as the characters walk around cool looking sets (The look of the film is retro enough, but this is the classy look of the 1960’s that only exists in the movies). It’s actually in the films big action sequences where things falter slightly as Vaughn goes over the top with the special effects and a lot of them aren’t of the required standard of a film with such a huge budget. So there are some negatives, but this is a surprisingly clever and funny film (the aforementioned Jackson cameo is a killer) which raises the bar for the next entry in the franchise.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

Vaughan triumphs again, and this time he’s come up with something you don’t see very often: The thinking person’s blockbuster. Rating: 7/10.