Of all the superhero movies released this year (and there have been a lot), X-Men: First Class is by far my favorite. Yes, it’s another one of those origin stories, but it feels fresh and unlike anything else in the franchise while still tying together everything that came before (or should I say after?) it.
First Class develops the metal-manipulating Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and the mind-controlling Professor X (James McAvoy) as duel protagonists. The characters work as a perfect counterbalance. Magneto brings the rage. Professor X brings the reason. They’re both “right” and we’re constantly conflicted about who we should follow.
Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw is one of the more satisfying villains we’ve seen in recent years. In 1944, the Nazi doctor killed Magneto’s mother right before his eyes. 18 years later, he’s determined to use the Cuban Missile Crisis to start World War III. He fuels Magneto’s anger, creating a merciless anti-hero that we still cheer for and empathize with.
The film sags a bit in the middle when writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) attempts to develop the secondary characters, but that’s probably more of a testament to the awesomeness of Fassbender and McAvoy than anything else. That said, January Jones puts forth an embarrassing effort as Emma Frost. Frost is Shaw’s right-hand-woman whose telepathic powers rival those of Professor X, but Jones reads her lines with all the authority of a rookie small-town news anchor.
Outside Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), who develop a case of puppy-love and face an identity-altering dilemma, they’re all pretty forgettable. Most of them are simply annoying (Lucas Till’s “Havoc”) or lack interesting powers (Edi Gathegi’s “Darwin”) Hell, some suffer from both (Zoe Kravitz’s “Angel”).
While this Blu-ray disc isn’t loaded by any means in terms of extras, there is a great 7-part making-of documentary that runs 70 minutes. It tracks the progress of the film from when the First Class idea first came up when they were filming X2 to composer Henry Jackman talking about Vaughn’s input on Magneto’s daunting theme music. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the lack of a director’s commentary, but I’m much more of a commentary junkie than most people I know. Otherwise, we get the usual deleted/extended scenes and some behind-the-scenes footage in the “X-Marks the Spot” movie mode.
The film isn’t without its flaws, but it’s still far more interesting than the rest of the recent superhero crop and at least dares to try something different. I’ve watched it twice now and caught a few more of the many nods it makes to the previous X-Men films the second time around. If you liked the other films in the franchise, you’re bound to love this release. Even if you’re not an X-Men fan and think you know what to expect, I still say give it a chance. It might surprise you.
